How mediocrity complements nationalism
on Nov 14, 2009 in Uncategorized This is an extract from an essay by Gareth van Onselen in the political blog “The Real ANC Today”, posted 20 September 2009 Stripped of its rhetoric, nationalism has its core the pursuit of sameness. It is founded on the notion of what on...

SACP: “Healthcare for all!” … Yes, from the Private Sector!
on Nov 13, 2009 in South African Politics The ANC commentary ANC Blade Nzimande communist health insurance healthcare NHI SACP Every now and then I like to indulge myself in some communist commentary. Why? Because it’s important to know what the left wing is planning and saying, especially in this new ANC administration. Zuma’s government is closer to its leftist...

Held to ransom by the printing press for 400 years?
on Nov 10, 2009 in Uncategorized The following is a reader contribution by ‘Flash Gordon’:   Should we feel sorry for the death of current format of print / broadcast media and the coupled advertising industries? Those gatekeepers who have maximized the cost of info...

ChirpRoom Update
on Nov 6, 2009 in Uncategorized Chirp chirproom Ian Ollis South Africa Continuing from  last week’s post, Ian Ollis (a DA MP) mentioned that he has launched his own website. This is very exciting! South Africa needs more politicians on the web, connecting with constituents. Readers may also have noticed that the...

A Call to Action!
on Oct 31, 2009 in South African Politics ANC ANCYL blogging blogs DA Floyd Shivambu Ian Ollis ID Lindiwe Mazibuko Natasha Michael Dear South African politicians, Why aren’t  you blogging? Why don’t you run your own websites?   I’ve discovered many entertaining political blogs written by politicians themselves. None of these blogs are South African –...

An Irrational Fear of the Inevitable
on Oct 26, 2009 in Uncategorized I realised today that there are many people out there who are wound up in a knot about the DA’s success in growing over the last 15 years. This likely stems from their perception of the DA as a reactionary party that, at best, wants to preserve whi...

The DA’s Image
on Oct 25, 2009 in The DA Alex Matthews conservatives DA Democrats ID image soapbox The following article was posted at The Soapbox by Alex Matthews. Early last year I complained that the DA’s image was too rich, too old, too white. I wrote, “Clearly brand DA is in need of a major overhaul, a major injection of cool. Its fusty l...

Very World Class Isn’t It?
on Oct 24, 2009 in commentary South Africa animal slaughtering world cup 2010 Fifa JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African traditional leaders plan to perform ritual animal slaughters to bless stadiums for the 2010 World Cup tournament ahead of the start of the showcase event next June, they said on Friday. Zolani Mkiva, chair...

The Commie’s Plan for South Africa
on Oct 24, 2009 in South African Politics South Africa ANC DA communists cosatu SACP Helen Zille It has been a week since any activity on the ChipRoom, I apologise for that. I might be a little late in commenting on this SA TODAY newsletter, written by Helen Zille, but that doesn’t make the content of the letter any less relevant. The newslett...

China is Not Leading the Way
on Oct 16, 2009 in commentary china climate change environment gareth cliff global warming greenhouse gas China: the country that has become synonymous with destroying the environment for economic gain is now being seen as a global leader in curbing global warming. The mainstream media is claiming that China will lead the way toward a green future. Oh, r...