I really love the quaint civil society assertion that they will somehow be able to defeat this most vulgar attack on our freedom of speech and constitutional dispensation being perpetrated at present by the ANC, both in their roles as the party of government and supposedly the party of freedom.
Talking to friends, whether they […]
Filed under: Commentary, Cosatu, Decision Theory, Democratic Alliance, Economy, Government, Ideas, Journalism, Language, Law, Media Freedom, Politics by Andrew la Grange
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Increasingly I am making links between the ANC of today, and the NP of the past. In the coming weeks I am going to be writing a series of articles on the present nature of the ANC and how the transformation of South Africa since Freedom has mirrored the transformation of the ANC.
The core […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Decision Theory, Government, Ideas, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Reconciliation, Society by Andrew la Grange
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Gordon Brown sent the message yesterday that he knew how to handle an economic crisis - despite having an economy that is dwarfed by the U.S. economy, the UK government put together a bailout worth over 500 billion pounds. All over a take out curry - now that is impressive stuff!
Couple that with an […]
Filed under: Business, Commentary, Corruption, Decision Theory, Economy, Government, Ideas, Law, Politics, Society, ethics, work by Andrew la Grange
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No doubt everyone is dropping a coil over the failure of the ‘bailout’ from the U.S. congress to calm world markets. Incredibly people are learning the downside of a globalised economy - big brother in the form of the United States can’t bail out the entire world due to structural shortcomings.
Of course this is all […]
Filed under: Business, Commentary, Decision Theory, Economy, Government, Law, Rant, Society, ethics, work by Andrew la Grange
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Friday was a blow to anyone who wants South Africa to be a powerful and healthy democracy. Not because the courts found on Zuma’s behalf on a technicality, but that so many of his sycophants seem to think that Justice Nicholson’s ruling was a vindication of their man.
The fact is that the man who was […]
Filed under: Africa, Corruption, Crime, Ideas, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Rant, Society, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080911141538545C746132
I should choose my words wisely. Because Sbu Ngobeni is quoted today by Independent Newspapers, as saying he will “shoot and kill” Jonathan Shapiro, who Mr. Ngobeni says “deserved to rot in hell” for Sunday’s cartoon indicating Jacob Zuma was being assisted by the Alliance to rape the justice system.
Do we now live in […]
Filed under: Commentary, Corruption, Economy, Ideas, Language, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Rant, Society, War, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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In a democracy, all figures are equal before the law. But some of a citizens rights are removed because of their actions. Most notable of course are the rights of criminals. We all agree, as a society, that sometimes the the rights of the individual are balanced against the rights of society and are […]
Filed under: Comedy, Commentary, Corruption, Language, Law, Politics, Rant, Society, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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South Africa’s children need to have better educations. They need the resources and good teaching that can forge young people into contributors to society, and those who can excel on the world stage.
What should not happen is using children as fodder for political protest and gain. Whilst some might cite 1976 as an example […]
Filed under: Corruption, Education, Ideas, Language, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Rant, Society, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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One can’t really say if Justice John Hlope, Cape Judge President, is a corrupt official (YET!). The allegations around him seem to suggest so - particularly since these allegations have come from members of the highest court in the land, the constitutional court.
But what can be said with certainty, especially considering Hlope’s association with […]
Filed under: Commentary, Corruption, Crime, Decision Theory, Law, Politics, Society by Andrew la Grange
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During the Great Depression, and afterwards during the New Deal (which could be argued was pretty depressing for many) Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the American people with the so-called ‘Fireside chats’. I think that sort of direct passive communication between the leader of a nation and its citizens is a good thing.
Thabo Mbeki may […]
Filed under: Business, Commentary, Corruption, Crime, Economy, Education, Ideas, Language, Law, Medicine, Politics, Rant, Society, ethics, work by Andrew la Grange
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I am ashamed to call myself an African. Not because our country, our continent, is a place which God has blessed with grandeur and purpose, but rather that we Africans have failed to have any semblance of humanity, decency, moral courage.
We are the barbarians of the world, and I am as complicit as […]
Filed under: Commentary, Crime, Ideas, Language, Law, Rant, Society, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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We live in a supposedly free and equal society. Arguments of personal freedom and choice pervade the interest in gay marriage, and the removal of legislating social norms on society as a whole.
If we take the principle, that marriage is simply a contract between people for mutual benefit, and therefore the gender requirements of […]
Filed under: Commentary, Gender, Ideas, Language, Law, Philosophy, Religion, Society, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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Jacob Zuma, and his supporters, in their broad sweeping populism are making a lot of the right noises about crime. While defending the right to life, for the first time in a long time, Zuma has reminded South Africans that when citizens attempt to take away that right from others then they must be punished, […]
Filed under: Commentary, Corruption, Decision Theory, Education, Ideas, Language, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Society, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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Al Gore speaks about the paralysis of democracy in his latest TED talk, as he expresses his optimism and frustration at the global challenge of climate crisis.
After watching the video yesterday, today I thought about that paralysis, especially in light of the seeming disconnect between the actions of my own national leader, Thabo Mbeki, […]
Filed under: Commentary, Decision Theory, Economy, Education, Gender, Ideas, Language, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Society, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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I don’t like lotteries. They reward the few, and punish the multitudes. They offer false hope, and part fools with their money.
One lottery (and now the courts have found it to be so!) which I had a little time for was FNB’s Million a Month Account (full disclosure: I bank with FNB, amongst others, […]
Filed under: Business, Commentary, Corruption, Economy, Ideas, Law, Society by Andrew la Grange
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