tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52027182024-04-25T20:19:08.694+02:00The FishBowlThoughts on South African and international politics and cultureJontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comBlogger736125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-67829963255113548212009-12-11T09:22:00.001+02:002009-12-11T09:23:41.083+02:00This Blog Has MovedThis blog has moved to my personal domain here. Please adjust bookmarks accordingly!Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-44304982553132882222009-06-02T07:52:00.002+02:002009-06-02T08:12:23.470+02:00Lessons on the future of US ConservatismGreat piece in the Wall St Journal on the future of conservatism through the life of Bill Buckley, widely seen as the father of modern US Conservatism.Buckley's brand of conservatism stood for capitalism and individualistic freedom, to the point where he sometimes took some bizarre positions which often flew in the face of the Republican party. (In the lateJontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-43395624905501483622009-03-05T15:49:00.004+02:002009-03-05T15:52:02.128+02:00The ANC's election advertWith the DA focusing on a huge outdoor campaign to build their brand, the ANC has launched its television campaign as the pinnacle of their hard electioneering. See the ad below:The DA has promised its TV ad soon, and I'll put that up as soon as I have it. Let me know your thoughts...Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-8310627797638778792009-02-24T08:50:00.002+02:002009-02-24T09:08:59.199+02:00Desperation sets in...The DA has taken legal action against the ANC in Mpumalanga for allegedly distributing fake DA pamphlets which in essence warn of the 'return of the Swart Gevaar'. The ANC has followed an incredibly successful strategy over the past five years of type-casting the DA as a racist party representing the white elite, so this allegation does have some traction.Very similar Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-37731652753677862322009-02-22T16:42:00.003+02:002009-02-22T17:12:23.926+02:00Your country needs you!When South Africa goes to the polls in the general election on April 22nd, it will be one of the most interesting days in South Africa's political history. In undoubtedly the most highly contested election since '94, the stakes are markedly high, and the election will give a hugely important signal into the next two decades of socio-economic governance. The electorate of Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-51482858592410394172008-12-24T07:36:00.002+02:002008-12-24T07:40:33.945+02:00COPE Policy DocumentsCOPE's Mpumalanga office recently released draft policy documents for the party, which make for very interesting reading. COPE calls itself a "progressive party" and espouses a "New Way" - very reminiscent of the Labour Party's similarly named, and very successful, major policy shift under Tony Blair. Ours is the New Way. We acknowledge that the past has shaped the character Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-65704241944892661362008-12-24T07:35:00.001+02:002008-12-24T07:36:11.886+02:00ApologiesHuge apologies for the lack of posts recently, it's been a crazy end to the year. Hopefully January will bring more words!Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-80488547352916127632008-11-26T15:34:00.001+02:002008-11-26T15:39:28.403+02:00Lighting a fire under the DAIt seems that COPE is doing great things for the DA. Now that their mantle of Official Opposition is under threat, they're finally cleaning house and doing the things that they should have done a decade ago.My biggest gripe with the DA has been their focus - most acutely under Tony Leon - of sniping at the heels of the ANC at every turn, whilst at the same time Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-3006132090654091302008-11-12T21:00:00.002+02:002008-11-12T21:03:34.954+02:00Noami Klein on the bailoutStrap yourself in, you know it's going to be a wild ride! And the folks at Morgan Stanley? They're planning to pay themselves $10.7 billion this year, much of it in bonuses — almost exactly the amount they are receiving in the first phase of the bailout. "You can imagine the devilish grins on the faces of Morgan Stanley employees," writes Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-21860015264537581512008-11-11T08:18:00.004+02:002008-11-11T16:48:41.630+02:00DA sees the light...This day has been a long long time coming and I can honestly say that I am really interested in this step that the DA has taken to open up the party. I have long bemoaned both the fact that the DA has remained a "white privilege" party and the lost chances that availed themselves after Tony Leon's departure. The DA though, seemingly only at the threat of losing their official Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-41220593537462790762008-11-06T07:58:00.002+02:002008-11-06T13:29:56.402+02:00Palin thought South Africa was a province of the country, AfricaHmmmm, a heartbeat away from the Presidency?Read here...Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-88129186589842908432008-11-04T08:45:00.001+02:002008-11-04T09:10:12.480+02:00ANC will remain centristWhilst I posted previously that a concern with the formation of the new Shikota party is that it may push the ANC further left, the Business Day has an opposing view, which does make a lot of sense:Economists say the founding of a viable new opposition party by ANC dissidents is likely to put pressure on the ruling party to deliver on its pledges.However, it may also Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-57343589584922506612008-10-15T07:36:00.002+02:002008-10-15T08:12:59.536+02:00New dawn or false dawn?Lekota's moves over the past week have been very interesting to follow, but his future remains very much a murky mist. While it would be fantastic for our longer term democratic foundation, there are two key issues that dampen my optimism about Lekota's new party.The first is that this is a party very much formed out of anger. Whilst many people are championing Lekota's Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-20518254651445678742008-10-08T08:39:00.003+02:002008-10-08T09:05:57.959+02:00The Irony of SA's Financial RegulationsWhile South Africa is experiencing markedly less turmoil than the rest of the international markets, it seems almost ironic that many commentators and business luminaries are crediting (no pun intended!) our rather constrictive financial regulations as the antecedent. Most of these commentators have spent their last few years deriding these same regulations Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-64098053360250475052008-10-06T08:35:00.002+02:002008-10-06T09:09:43.998+02:00New York Times not loving SAThe NY Times carried a none too positive article on SA on the front page of its site this morning. The article notes all of the negativity surrounding the socio-political environment of our homeland, from both a non-white and white perspective. It's sobering reading and does us no favours at a time when we're all looking for positive reinforcement. I remain optimistic.Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-87564519343307895222008-10-03T08:44:00.002+02:002008-10-03T08:51:54.053+02:00The last person to the party...It seems the SACP are the last people to learn that they aren't invited to the party. ANC leftists are bemoaning the fact that the Motlanthe cabinet holds so little for them in terms of representation, and have been dealt a further blow with the news that the ANC's economic conference, something on which they had put much relevance on, has been cancelled. I said it Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-30537188415895006652008-09-25T08:28:00.002+02:002008-09-25T09:33:12.930+02:00Danger signsJulius Malema is fast becoming a liability for the ANC in his linking of cause and effect between the ANCYL and Mbeki's demise. Whilst many in South Africa have seen him as a liability for the country's image, the Zuma faction of the ANC have used Malema well as a hyperactive mouthpiece, usually stating things that they cannot say as "elders" of the party. The problem though, is that Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-68635748108387357462008-09-22T08:38:00.003+02:002008-09-22T12:24:21.298+02:00The dust settles...A lot of people have been asking me how I feel about Mbeki's recall over the past few days, so in order to some it up, here's a few of my talking points:On its precedentMany people have been telling me that this is unprecedented and is unconstitutional, which I think is the easiest one to clear up. Recall of a president by a ruling party is not at all unprecedented. Think Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-10667132136731425342008-08-14T15:15:00.002+02:002008-08-14T15:19:06.238+02:00Blogger on leaveI will be on leave this weekend until the first week of September. My travels take me to the US, where I'll be getting a first hand look at the traditional Labour Day start of the 2008 Presidential electioneering. If you'd like me to notify you when I'm back posting, please send an email to jontyfisher@gmail.com.Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-65269278414751492612008-08-05T09:54:00.001+02:002008-08-05T09:56:11.328+02:00Zuma's BrinkmanshipMy latest Thought Leader post went up yesterday, outlining the pressure being exerted in the Zuma camp to force an amnesty outcome:The recent reports of Mbeki’s alleged misdemeanours in the Sunday Times, along with the elevated rhetoric from those in the Zuma camp over the last week, have surprised and rightly concerned many. Rumours of Mbeki’s involvement in the arms deal haveJontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-31255985307546538532008-07-28T09:20:00.002+02:002008-07-28T11:28:58.335+02:00Get ready to know a lot about this manIt was revealed yesterday that the Judge to preside over Zuma's initial attempts to get his case thrown out, and ultimately, to preside over any criminal trial against Zuma in relation to his graft charges, is Judge Chris Nicholson.Nicholson seems a well-respected pick for this critical trial. He is an experienced former human rights lawyer, founder of the Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-37355556577413849742008-07-24T14:07:00.002+02:002008-07-24T14:16:04.732+02:00Our democracy's in safe hands...Many people have been overtly concerned about the prospects of a Zuma presidency, most notably because he is "beholden to his Communist backers" in the SACP and COSATU who, apparently, have led him to power. However, perhaps they should take a second look at the SACP's communist merits, if their most recent 'gala dinner' is anything to go buy. Far from sharing the Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-63902100936523542422008-07-22T09:09:00.002+02:002008-07-23T09:11:42.643+02:00Blogger UpdateAs you may have noticed, I'm finding it harder and harder this year to post more than 2-3 times a week (except for this last week!). My work commitments have really taken a step up in 2008, and I will continue to post a bit more sporadically than I have done in the past. Please bear with me...Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-7887558664616970862008-07-14T19:26:00.002+02:002008-07-14T19:37:39.745+02:00Is it time for early elections?It does seem like a bizarre proposal coming from me, but I'm beginning to see the logic of staging early elections given the paralysis that is rapidly engulfing our Presidency and Cabinet. With Mbeki's last remaining powers being rapidly stripped of him, and both his international and domestic standing laying in tatters, Mbeki has gone beyond being a lame duck, and Jontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5202718.post-57539831210864670342008-07-10T08:57:00.002+02:002008-07-10T09:14:09.387+02:00The Silent War on Africa?John Pilger writes an interesting op-ed piece in the Mail & Guardian arguing that Africa's position is being actively kept down by Western powers, through agricultural policies, arms trades and convenient realpolitik. It's a well worn path this, and one which has to be balanced with the accountability and responsibility of Africa's governance by its own leaders. SometimesJontyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574847586208493133noreply@blogger.com