STONE COLD CRAP

How important is the ability to write well, to formulate a good argument? There is a strong case to be made that, if the quality of one’s written work is poor or riddled with errors, it undermines the authority of the argument it contains. By way of illustration, this edition of The Real ANC Today looks at the poorly written article ‘Helen Zille’s Dilemma’, by Setumo Stone.

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MISUNDERSTANDING MAO

The ANC seems obsessed with the Mao quote about a letting a hundred flowers blossom. Whenever there is a discussion about the nature of public debate, you can rest assured someone from the ruling party will evoke it. But does it know the terrible history that defines that particular statement? Or is it just ignorant? This edition of The Real ANC Today attempts to put that quote into its proper context and, in turn, the ANC’s commitment to meaningful debate.

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ON MEDIOCRITY

What is mediocrity? Certainly it is a threat. We see it everywhere. Everyday we are faced with examples of mediocrity being endorsed or promoted, where it should be condemned. There is a strong argument to be made that mediocrity is becoming part and parcel of our society’s make-up. If we are to address the problem, we need to understand mediocrity’s nature. This edition of the Real ANC Today attempts to do just that – to identify mediocrity, its form and its influence.

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HOW TECHNICALITIES ARE USED TO MASK INTENT

President Jacob Zuma’s decision to nominate Justice Sandile Ngcobo for the position of Chief Justice violated the Constitutional provision that he consult before appointing. This edition of the Real ANC Today attempts to cut through the rhetoric surrounding the President’s decision and reveal his true intent: which was never to consult; indeed, even if a completely disorganised Presidency intended to ‘consult’, it would have been nothing more than a superficial exercise, which was ignored even before it happened.

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LOSING FOCUS

The latest edition of Focus Magazine – the flagship publication of the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) – contains within it five speeches by President Jacob Zuma, all of them printed in full. Is this really the kind of thinking the HSF, a liberal institution, should be promoting? There is a strong case to be made that the magazine is in an advance state of decline, and this edition of The Real ANC Today sets out that case in more detail.

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THE GHOST BETWEEN THE LINES

The recent letter by Trevor Manuel to the Business Day, defending Peter de Villiers, is defined by two things: first, it is constructed around a logical fallacy and, second, it is entirely hypocritical – while Manuel might now advocate winning, he never used to. The letter’s particular nature is reminiscent of the kind of attacks Thabo Mbeki used to launch against his opponents and worth interrogating.

HOW THE SUNDAY TIMES HAS LOST THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY THE NEWS

How did the Sunday Times decide to cut this story? R1 million of taxpayers’ money siphoned off to the ANC? It certainly seems newsworthy. Their decision not to publish is all the more bizarre when you consider they were given the story as an exclusive. Could it be the Sunday Times has lost is ability to tell the real news from the superficial and mundane?

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HOW THE SUNDAY TIMES MANUFACTURES THE NEWS

A look at the way in which the Sunday Times recasts old news in a fashion that suggests it is both new and exclusive to the paper, using the paper’s front page story from 14 June 2009 by way of illustration.

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HOW TO SPOT A NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN

A look at the television adverts of six leading political parties and what they say about the nature of those party’s campaigns..

UNDERSTANDING POOR JOURNALISM

A look at the way in which the Sowetan newspaper broke the story about Helen Zille’s comment on Jacob Zuma and how it constitutes an excellent illustration of poor journalism and weak editorial control.

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2009 ELECTION: THE DA’S RESULTS

The 2009 Election has come and gone and, now that the results are in, it is possible to gauge how well the DA did and how its results compare to those of the other political parties.

What follows is a brief overview of the DA’s performance.

SMALL, SMALLER, SMALLEST

One of the most significant developments of the 2009 General and Provincial Elections was the decline of smaller parties. What follows is an overview of that trend in general and an analysis of the five more established smaller parties.

It demonstrates that they are all in decline and, if the facts are anything to go by, that the decline is terminal.

THE OPEN OPPORTUNITY SOCIETY GLOSSARY

We have launched a new page on The Real ANC Today called ‘The Open Opportunity Society Glossary’, a link to which can be found in the top right hand corner of our front page, or by clicking here.

THE ANC AND RELIGION: PART 5 – CONCLUSION

The fifth and final part of a series on the ANC and religion. Religion is a helpful metaphor for understanding the ANC’s political ideology and, in particular, for better understanding the politics of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Each part of the five posts will explore this idea. Today, we bring you part 5 – a conclusion, summerising some of the main themes of the essay from which this series is drawn.

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THE ANC AND RELIGION: PART 4 – JACOB ZUMA AND GOD

The fourth in a five-part series on the ANC and religion. Religion is a helpful metaphor for understanding the ANC’s political ideology and, in particular, for better understanding the politics of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Each part of the five posts will explore this idea. Today, we bring you part 4 – a look at the politics of Jacob Zuma and how his fervent Christianity complements and reinforces his staunch African nationalism.

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THE ANC AND RELIGION: PART 3 – THABO MBEKI AND THE TRUTH

The third in a five-part series on the ANC and religion. Religion is a helpful metaphor for understanding the ANC’s political ideology and, in particular, for better understanding the politics of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Each part of the five posts will explore this idea. Today, we bring you part 3 – a look at the politics of Thabo Mbeki and what role ‘the truth’ plays in his political ideology.

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THE ANC AND RELIGION: PART 2 – THE ANC’S POLITICAL RELIGION

The second in a five-part series on the ANC and religion. Religion is a helpful metaphor for understanding the ANC’s political ideology and, in particular, for better understanding the politics of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Each part of the five posts will explore this idea. Today, we bring you part 2 – a look at the general relationship between religion, the ANC and African nationalism.

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THE ANC AND RELIGION: PART 1 – THE ONE TRUE CHURCH

The first in a five-part series on the ANC and religion. Religion is a helpful metaphor for understanding the ANC’s political ideology and, in particular, for better understanding the politics of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Each of the five posts will explore this idea. Today, we start with an introduction.

THE STRANGE CASE OF THABO MBEKI

A look at the two positions held by former President Thabo Mbeki – ANC president and South African president – and some insights as to how they merged, to the detriment of his own aspirations and South Africa’s democracy. The book, ‘The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ provides a helpful metaphor in better understanding the relationship between these two offices, which defined Mbeki’s time at the apex of South African politics.

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THE JUDICIARY ON THE ANC

An overview of 11 key Judgments handed down by the High Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court, regarding the ANC government and the nature of its administration. The Nicholson Judgment has brought the ANC’s behaviour into stark relief. Against that background, it is worth considering what the Courts have had to say about the ruling party more generally.

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