The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
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In the wake of a rightward shift in European politics, Britain’s Gordon Brown seems to be losing his grip on the leadership of the New Labour Party, while his party itself appears to be losing the support of its traditional grassroots base. Al Jazeera's Riz Khan interviews two analysts to shed more light on the issue. *** RIZ KHAN: Hello and welcome. Is Britain's New Labour dying a slow death? British prime minister Gordon Brown and his party have seen some of the lowest poll ratings...
Fazila Farouk -
Finland is known as the country with the best education system in the world. Since the year 2000, Finland has topped OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) ratings for the best education system overall. In 2008, Finland also joined Japan at the top of the leader board to produce the best science students in the world. Finland’s 15 year-olds are the most literate in the world.
Finland and South Africa are quite literally and figuratively, poles apart....
Sophia Mihic -
It is set years in the future, but the new Star Trek movie is a sixties nostalgia film. I sat riveted to the screen and to the present moment with my husband and our daughter between us. At the same time, I was transported back to the original run of the series between 1966 and 1969, and I was transported back to the reruns that still pop up now and then. That's what the sixties are in American political culture: a history that actually happened, has been replayed, and has not yet played out....
Rebecca Khan -
The Department of Science and Technology has, in the last month, proposed legislation for the regulation of intellectual property from publicly funded research that, should it be written into law, will set South Africa at odds with the rest of the word, and have long-reaching, and detrimental effects on research and innovation in South Africa, as well as possible implications for the future of academic freedom in this country, a freedom which is protected in the Constitution.
The...
American foreign affairs magazine, Foreign Policy, said to be read by business leaders and politicians, including President Barack Obama, published an article aimed at explaining Karl Marx's relevance in this current era of global financial crisis. The article, "Thoroughly Modern Marx", was penned by Leo Panitch. That this popular mainstream, pro-business magazine chose to publish an article about Marx, has caused a stir in progressive circles. Paul Jay of The Real News...
Glenn Ashton -
Inflation is generally described as too much money chasing too few goods. This is based upon a central tenet of economics, which states that as goods become scarce they become more valuable, and vice versa. Humbug, I say.
We have recently seen a steady rise in levels of consumer inflation in South Africa. A major driver of inflation has not been properly identified in the media, by economists or even amongst those whose aim is to regulate national economic policy, is the influence of the...
