If more middle-class people realised that campaigning against private power abuses is as important as contesting the public variety, we might have an active consumer movement that would force companies to take their market more seriously.

The reaction to FW de Klerk’s comments on Bantustans and the uproar about racism in social media highlight the degree to which our society is still divided. IF OUR society is to progress, we badly need a prison break. The prison out of which we — or those who wield influence — need to break is the one in our minds that prevents us seeing any reality except that of ourselves and others like us.

‘The solution does not lie in telling artists what to paint — the anger runs far deeper than a reaction to an artwork’. POLITICIANS cannot take advantage of people’s emotions unless those feelings actually exist. Which is why the controversy over an artwork satirising President Jacob Zuma is not only an example of how distasteful our national debate can become.

Why does no-one seem interested in abuses that threaten democracy except the governing party, which supposedly benefits from the abuse? WHY does no-one seem interested in abuses that threaten democracy except the governing party, which supposedly benefits from the abuse? Probably the most serious threat to South African democracy is the relationship between money and politics.

For all the radical rhetoric, ANC’s second transition document is a moderate proposal — and is a response to the party’s anxiety over voter anger, rather than a proxy for presidential support. WELCOME to the season of breathless commentary, when the gulf between political noise and reality becomes ever wider. It is a time to look beyond the loud sounds to what may be really happening.

Far more is needed to convince African National Congress voters that the party’s leaders care more about citizens than themselves. CONTRARY to much of what we read, the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) policies are not about to cause the country problems. But nor are they likely to provide solutions.

A proposal is not a policy and the fact that some people talk about a policy option does not mean it will be adopted. THERE are few more certain causes of disaster than those who insist we can progress only if we have certainty. The African National Congress (ANC) policy conference did little to take us forward. But some of the reaction to it did much to take us backward.