Posted inNews/Politics

A deal before summer?

Mugabe’s anti-imperialist rhetoric increased after his return from the World Food Summit, but by and large it was nothing more than getting himself into a bargaining position as he tries to cut a deal with Washington and London that will allow him to hold onto power. Nothing is being said about the frantic deal-making in […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Anatomy of prejudice

Is Barney Pityana correct in saying that the predominant form of racism in South Africa relates to mental processes of which individuals are aware or not aware? At the heart of Dr Pityana’s statement lies the well meaning gestures of an apologist — the xenophobic attacks of a month or so ago are not the […]

Posted inNews/Politics

The Lisbon Treaty and European Unification

Adoption of the Lisbon Treaty requires unanimous support by the European Union’s 27 member states. Ireland held a referendum on 12 June 2008, giving its citizens the opportunity to decide on the country’s relationship with the European Union. Ireland was the only country constitutionally obliged to hold a referendum, for Lisbon requires changes to Ireland’s […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Civil liberties at stake

The only thing Britain’s Labour Party has in common with the country’s working people is its name. It’s been demonstrated over and over again in the past two decades that parties claiming to uphold the interests of the poor must do more than just being seers of truth and guardians of traditions. The neo-liberal agenda […]

Posted inNews/Politics

The Middle East: US Foreign policy under Obama

Most observers must have been shaken from their self-delusion about Barack Obama’s supposedly more “humane and wise approach to foreign policy” after he addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on the 4th June 2008. There is nothing pacifist nor anything anti-imperialist about the man’s political outlook, less so about his foreign policy orientation. Beneath […]

Posted inGeneral

No method to this madness

I thought there must be something substantive behind the city of Cape Town’s flexing its muscles to the court order by government’s provincial arm to utilise community halls for the displacement of foreign nationals. The reasoning that the provincial government first use resources under its own care just does not sound right. Is it possible […]

Posted inGeneral

The world food crisis: intractable and explosive

In no other time during humanity’s recorded history is the savagery of market relations so paradoxically defined as in this age of plenty. We are able to transform deserts into oases, carve a path through hitherto impenetrable mountain ranges, successfully land an explorative mission to Mars. Human beings are manufactured in laboratories, the parched and […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Desperate measures

Tell the lie often enough and you believe it yourself, the saying goes. This is not enough for the current Bush administration. As Barack Obama tied up the Democratic Party nomination, the Republican machinery prepares to play the same terror card they’ve used over the last three election terms in America. There’s nothing surprising in […]

Posted inNews/Politics

The cohesion campaign: Quo vadis?

Last Friday, Pallo Jordan launched what is called a social cohesion campaign. The aim of this is to afford South Africans the chance to air their views on suggestions to change names of geographical places — in aide of creating a sense of belonging among citizenry across the country. This is a good step to […]

Posted inMediaNews/Politics

Delivered, bound hand and foot

In every province of human life, and in that of reporting truthfully principally so, we have a right to demand a living sympathy of mind with mind. It is clearly not only about getting the highest circulation in the media establishment; the press is charged to inform, to entertain, to enlighten and sometimes to swim […]