Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

Liberal democracy is under pressure throughout the West. Here, the parties to the coalition say they are protecting the constitution, and its democratic freedoms, from parties which would destroy it. But, unless democracy gives the people a real say and addresses their needs, support for it will shrink. If the coalition wants to defend the constitution, it needs to spend its term including the people and meeting their needs.

This is the view of my weekly Against the Tide column sent to subscribers this morning. To subscribe, please visit the Against the Tide website. To discuss a free or reduced subscription, contact info@againstthetidee.co.za.

Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.