Democracy And Delusion

South African politics is riddled with delusions. Many common political arguments come pre-packaged in an old and dusty box - but the self-evident truths are not, in fact, so indisputable. Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh sets out to dismantle that box. He argues that free education is far from impossible, the ANC's liberation narrative is too idyllic to swallow, land reform is not the first step to chaos, and the media is not free... In this incisive, informed book we find not only challenges to commonly held opinions, but optimism about South Africa's future, and solutions to old problems. A fresh perspective on South African politics."

Many common political arguments come pre-packaged in an old and dusty box - but the self-evident truths are not, in fact, so indisputable. Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh sets out to dismantle that box. He argues that free education is far from impossible, the ANC's liberation narrative is too idyllic to swallow, land reform is not the first step to chaos, and the media is not free. A fresh perspective on South African politics.

DEMOCRACY IS FAILING The driving force behind most government has become the attainment and retention of office. Thus dependency on vested interests to keep them there means politicians have forgotten who really they serve. WHO WILL REMIND THEM? THE GAP IS WIDENING The gap between 'rich' and 'poor' is widening. This proves democracy is failing. All because our 'progressive' and overly complex taxation system encourages behaviour that plunders the economy and actively undermines its long-term viability. WHO WILL STOP THE PLUNDER? POLICY IS PERVERTED Government policy-making is limited, irrational and rarely for the benefit of the people government is supposed to serve. Lobbying, party politics, grasping for office, ideological rigidity and opinion polls have all perverted government's role and its power. WHO WILL CORRECT THIS? SOMEBODY SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! In this ground-breaking book, Bay Jordan has decided to be that "somebody" and encourages you to be that "somebody" too. The Democracy Delusion sets out four simple ideas to restore true democracy and undo the harm done by conventional wisdom. Bay invites you to take ownership of these ideas, help them spread and make a positive difference. The Democracy Delusion is a passionate manifesto for peaceful, practical and powerful social change. RESTORING DEMOCRACY BEGINS WITH YOU! This fully revised second edition includes additional information on the threat of TTIP and a foreword by Lawrence Bloom.

American democracy is crumbling, but if citizens take back their sovereign power it can be fixed.

"The revolution will be Twittered!" declared journalist Andrew Sullivan after protests erupted in Iran in June 2009. Yet for all the talk about the democratizing power of the Internet, regimes in Iran and China are as stable and repressive as ever. In fact, authoritarian governments are effectively using the Internet to suppress free speech, hone their surveillance techniques, disseminate cutting-edge propaganda, and pacify their populations with digital entertainment. Could the recent Western obsession with promoting democracy by digital means backfire? In this spirited book, journalist and social commentator Evgeny Morozov shows that by falling for the supposedly democratizing nature of the Internet, Western do-gooders may have missed how it also entrenches dictators, threatens dissidents, and makes it harder -- not easier -- to promote democracy. Buzzwords like "21st-century statecraft" sound good in PowerPoint presentations, but the reality is that "digital diplomacy" requires just as much oversight and consideration as any other kind of diplomacy. Marshaling compelling evidence, Morozov shows why we must stop thinking of the Internet and social media as inherently liberating and why ambitious and seemingly noble initiatives like the promotion of "Internet freedom" might have disastrous implications for the future of democracy as a whole.

South Africa's story is often presented as a triumph of new over old, but while formal apartheid was abolished decades ago, stark and distressing similarities persist. Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh explores the edifice of systemic racial oppression -- the new apartheid -- that continues to thrive, despite or even because of our democratic system.

Glass's analysis bridges contemporary psychoanalytic and political theory and centers on case studies as well as small-group interactions at the hospital. Focusing on psychotic patients' own perceptions, he describes the loss of their ability to participate in consensual reality and to sustain the respect for rights and tolerance of differences which make reciprocal relationships possible. Their experience, Glass maintains, vividly illuminates larger political issues and points, in particular, to the psychotic bases of political tyranny. Pursuing omnipotence, closing off dialogue, creating scapegoats, and promoting violence - the tyrant elevates to matters of public policy those patterns of behavior that in an individual would be considered psychotic.

This book argues that in order to develop just and inclusive institutions, particularly within the education system, we must begin from the standpoint of those who feel silenced, marginalised and excluded. It makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate about how institutions need to change if they are to become genuinely inclusive.