Back in the day, before the rinderpest, when I was a Naval Officer, there was an unwritten law for the Officers Wardroom. Never discuss politics, sex or religion. Rather narrow minded, but it kept things tidy and kept the peace.
Politics is always with us and still leads to heated debates. Some ignore it all as they feel that no matter what happens, the government will get in.
The ANC percentage of votes has been slipping for a while now. Some say this is great, others worry about what will happen next. Our politics does not seem mature enough for government by coalition, as seen in Johannesburg who have had more mayors than I have had hot breakfasts for the past four years.
What happens if the ANC get 50% of the vote? Or 45%? Or 40%? A weak government or a weak coalition, depending on how may seats are needed? Centralist or radical?
Is it democratic to have a two-page list of political parties to choose from? Or should there be a threshold of 5% of the vote before you are represented in Parliament, like in Germany? Should pragmatism trump democracy?
Again, JP Landman tries to make sense of it all in a letter dated 15th August. But to paraphrase Harold Wilson, two weeks is a long time in politics, and it would appear that things have changed since two weeks ago.
Listening to a speaker at Coronation Asset Management’s 30th Birthday Bash last week, (Happy Birthday, Coronation!) one independent speaker pointed out that the political landscape is not so dire.
JP Landman tries to make sense of it all in the letter attached for edification, if not enjoyment.