tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59213042012-02-09T13:35:43.661ZSouthern CrossMurray Wesson & Andrew Black are South African Rhodes Scholars at Oxford. When they are not studying Law and Economic & Social History they spend their time wandering catatonically through the streets of Oxford communing with the spirits of bygone political, economic and cultural thinkers. This is what they have learnt...Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.comBlogger4391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1091398541579942732004-08-01T23:15:00.000+01:002004-08-01T23:15:41.580+01:00At last some good news on trade: Looks like the Doha round is back on track after 5 days of negotiations in Geneva. Even the damn French appear to have reconciled themselves to the inevitability of reduced, and in some cases eliminated, export subsidies for agriculture. Good news indeed for the many African countries which rely on agricultural exports for most of their foreign exchange earnings.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com554tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1091012798759399972004-07-28T12:06:00.000+01:002004-07-28T12:06:38.760+01:00Now here's an interesting idea. British scientists are urging the govt to invest in technology to allow for the underground storage of CO2. With such technology in place, Britain could build a series of new coal-fired power stations without having to worry about breaking its emissions targets.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com620tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090679733399436812004-07-24T15:35:00.000+01:002004-07-24T15:35:33.400+01:00It looks like the wheels are finally beginning to turn: SABC reports that Mike Jackson, Britain's Chief of the General Staff, has announced that Britain could put together a brigade size force of about 5000 soldiers to intervene in Sudan should the need arise.
I'm not convinced that Blair has the guts to order an intervention on that scale whilst still immersed in Iraq, but there's no doubt thatAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090678332141439622004-07-24T15:10:00.000+01:002004-07-24T15:12:12.140+01:00This month's Prospect has an excellent article on Israeli historian, Benny Morris, and the implosion of the Israeli left.
Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com83tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090585505754537132004-07-23T13:25:00.000+01:002004-07-23T13:25:05.753+01:00I've just stumbled across the website of OWL. OWL is the European project to build an OverWhelmingly Large telescope. The name is a play on the traditional astronomer's habit of describing telescopes as 'large', 'very large', 'extremely large' etc.
So how large is OWL? Well, the main reflective surface, consisting of a number of individual mirrors acting in consort, will measure 100m across. ToAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com410tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090584635195448282004-07-23T13:10:00.000+01:002004-07-23T13:10:35.196+01:00At last some action on Sudan. The US Congress has described recent events in the Darfur region of Sudan as genocide. The US is also proposing a UN resolution that threatens Sudan with various forms of sanctions should the govt not act to reign in militia groups.
The US Congress move is significant because it holds out the hope that the US may also propose a UN motion codemning the genocide in Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com184tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090512104808581982004-07-22T17:01:00.000+01:002004-07-22T17:01:44.806+01:00Anatole Kaletsky has an excellent article in today's Times detailing the need for British intervention in the Sudan if Blair is to avoid charges of hypocrisy.
I agree wholeheartedly with him and was therefore glad to see that Blair has commanded the military to draw up plans for an armed intervention in that country. One might reasonably ask who he intends to send to the Sudan since the British Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090422869405062762004-07-21T16:14:00.000+01:002004-07-21T16:14:29.406+01:00Gosh, the headline of one of today's Mail and Guardian stories had me going for a second:
Arrest Powell, says COSATU
In fact, its not a ham-fisted attempt by COSATU to intervene in SA's diplomatic relations with the US, but rather a call for former IFP bigwig, Philip Powell to be arrested for involvement in arms trafficking. Powell was the guy who supplied guns, formerly in the possession of Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com90tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090416522833929252004-07-21T14:20:00.000+01:002004-07-21T20:20:23.466+01:00Pursuant to an article in this month’s Prospect Magazine (which I heartily recommend, as usual) on Britain’s top 100 public intellectuals, I’d thought to compile a similar list for South Africa. As a concession to my own circumscribed view of SA and to the fact that we’re a much smaller country than Britain, I’d decided to limit it to the top 20. But I felt confident that using Prospect’s own Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com197tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090277711355290122004-07-19T23:55:00.000+01:002004-07-20T00:17:33.323+01:00I'm amazed at the rhetoric that Tony Blair deployed in a speech outlining Labour's plans for fighting crime over the next 5 years:
'Today's strategy is the culmination of a journey of change both for progressive politics and for the country. It marks the end of the 1960s liberal, social consensus on law and order. The 1960s saw a huge breakthrough in terms of freedom of expression, of lifestyleAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1090275929771335562004-07-19T23:25:00.000+01:002004-07-20T00:10:25.756+01:00Nick Graham's a smart guy but by god he says stupid things sometimes. Writing about the rise of poor whites, he states:
'This situation, where blacks move up on the economic ladder and whites move down a notch or two, is exactly what affirmative action and black economic empowerment is intended to do, and, in my opinion, should do. It is all part of transforming and equalising our society; Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com412tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1089559107629513772004-07-11T16:18:00.000+01:002004-07-11T16:18:27.630+01:00Raymond Parsons has an interesting article on the curent strength of the Rand. He rightly points out that whatever its value there are always going to be winners and losers. The important thing is to reduce the currency's volatility and make it easier for investors to predict the medium and long term outlook.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1089558174040381112004-07-11T16:02:00.000+01:002004-07-11T16:02:54.040+01:00What the F*** is the ANC thinking? Sunday Times is reporting a secret meeting held recently between the ANC and Mugabe's ZANU-PF to strengthen political ties.
Look, Thabo, it's really not that difficult. ZANU-PF has destroyed the economy of our largest and most important neighbour. Along the way they've used every repressive measure in the book, including torture, against dissenters. They've Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1089498081623378882004-07-10T23:21:00.000+01:002004-07-11T15:42:06.510+01:00Interesting study on the EU Commission's website ranking the world's top 500 Universities.
A couple of things stand out. The US completely dominates the top 50, talking 35 places including the top 4 (Harvard at number 1). The UK is the only other country which makes the top 10 with the filthy Tabs at 5 and Oxford at 9. The first non US/UK university is Tokyo at 19 and the first European is the Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com322tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1089355736899282282004-07-09T07:32:00.000+01:002004-07-09T07:52:34.440+01:00Via Cherryflava: an article on the latest trend amongst New York singles - 'updating'.
Dating in New York can seem like a never-ending loser parade. That's why the urge to "update" — intentionally aiming for a mate who's classier or richer — hits many singles.
Take Courtney, who dove into the bachelorette pool recently after ending a decade-long relationship.
"I felt like a kid in a candy Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com408tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1089352796321956162004-07-09T06:58:00.000+01:002004-07-09T07:52:58.456+01:00Has Labour's enormous increase in spending on the public services had an impact? The Economist thinks it may have in the NHS but probably not in schooling.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1089139692386661002004-07-06T19:14:00.000+01:002004-07-06T19:48:12.396+01:00Laurence is getting excited about Chrysler's new 300. I don't disagree with his comment that, '...it's downright evil looking.'
I have two words for you, Laurence, 'Aston Martin'. Specifically the AMV8. This is the car that is going to take the fight back to Porsche and the 911 and if it drives anything like it looks then the Germans better start worrying. The engine is a 4.3 litre all alloy V8 Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com122tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1088991502887202682004-07-05T01:52:00.000+01:002004-07-05T02:40:44.473+01:00This weeks Economist has a good article on New Labour's conversion, finally, to the idea that choice has a place in Britain's school system. It's hardly revolutionary stuff and I expect that, apart from junkies like me, it won't excite too many people. Nevertheless, it did set me to thinking about the state of schooling in South Africa...
To my mind one of the big surprises of the post-94 Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1088982379373245562004-07-04T23:44:00.000+01:002004-07-05T01:05:17.793+01:00A couple of weeks ago James Myburgh sent me this Slate article on the beer war brewing (sorry, I couldn't resist) between SAB and Anheuser-Busch in the US.
I can't really get too riled about this sort of thing. Every country has companies that have tried to wrap themselves in the national flag when their market share has come under attack from foreign competition. I suppose it's a testament to Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1088979725611616472004-07-04T23:17:00.000+01:002004-07-04T23:22:05.610+01:00Unbelievable: The Greeks have won Euro 2004. Not since the Battle of Marathon have the Greeks won such an unlikely victory.
Ambedextri Football has more.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1088979295653454782004-07-04T23:10:00.000+01:002004-07-04T23:40:50.560+01:00For anybody who hasn't yet got their fill of SpaceShipOne information, I refer you to this photo essay on the first privately funded trip into space.
One thing I hadn't realised, as a result of several much reported upon malfunctions, SpaceShipOne only just made it over the official space 'threshold'. By roughly 110 metres in fact. Still, a magnificent achievement and I have no doubt that once Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1088948262347955012004-07-04T14:37:00.000+01:002004-07-04T14:55:14.823+01:00Michael Portillo, a man whom I very much admire, has a telling indictment of the Bush administration in today's Sunday Times.
'I do not repent of having supported the war in Iraq. Saddam Hussein's defiance of international law posed a danger to the region and as his scientists worked on weapons of mass destruction the risks could soon have spread wider. American weakness in confronting both himAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com218tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1088784456538364362004-07-02T17:07:00.000+01:002004-07-02T17:07:36.536+01:00Good luck to them: SA lawyers acting on behalf of the family of Solomon Linda are suing Walt Disney for infringement of copyright on 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. SABC has more.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1088634315296331002004-06-30T23:25:00.000+01:002004-06-30T23:38:53.163+01:00I have to wonder about Mbeki. SABC reports that he has just given a speech arguing that the Palestinian problem should be treated as one of the challenges facing Africa. I have a couple of issues with this.
Firstly, and I admit that I have no real evidence for this, it seems pretty clear to me that Mbeki views Israel/Palestine as roughly analogous to South Africa before 1994. This allows him to Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com528tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1088632459599278622004-06-30T22:54:00.000+01:002004-06-30T22:54:19.600+01:00Wayne Wides draws attention to an extraordinary story. Eskom is apparently looking into the feasibility of building a hydro-electric dam on the Congo River with the ability to generate 40 000 MW of power. South Africa's entire electricity generating capacity at the moment is only 45 000 MW. The mind boggles at the idea of investing vast sums of money in a country which is still embroiled in the Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087982078718870782004-06-23T09:53:00.000+01:002004-06-23T10:14:38.716+01:00American lawyer Ed Fagan wants to sue multinational companies that operated in South Africa under apartheid, as well as the new South African government for allegedly siding with those companies and frustrating the lawsuit that he wants to bring.
Via some involvement in public interest law, I've heard a bit about Ed Fagan and frankly he strikes me as an opportunist with all the wrong motives. Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087924404920572892004-06-22T18:08:00.000+01:002004-06-22T18:13:24.920+01:00Last week, I had an angry response to this post and this post about the South African literary canon.
I've just finished exams and so've had a chance to respond. You can see the original post and my response here.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087921556894396362004-06-22T17:16:00.000+01:002004-06-22T17:25:56.893+01:00All smokers, please read this article. Fact: smoking cuts an average of ten years off a person's life. And the study is rather difficult to argue with. It was published in the British Medical Journal, represents the culmination of a 50-year study, and involved 34,439 men.
Is ten years of life really worth a habit as unrewarding as smoking? I fail to see how it can be.
Now, if only I could Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087572264153359122004-06-18T15:12:00.000+01:002004-06-18T16:37:12.716+01:00On the subject of torture, I see that Steve Sturm remains adamant that some lives are worth more than others and that torture is therefore justified. I'm really rather tired of this debate, and don't imagine that it holds much interest to readers, largely because I doubt whether Steve has any adherents to speak of. Indeed, the only links that I could find to his blog seemed uniformly Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087567916109688822004-06-18T14:53:00.000+01:002004-06-18T15:11:56.110+01:00The Economist has a great article about a memo that was leaked from the Bush administration, effectively offering legal advice about how to torture people and get away with it. The memo attempts to do this in three ways, all of which are dubious.
- It defines torture so narrowly that activities such as nearly drowning people would not fall within the definition (a technique that South AfricansMurrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087566543741654882004-06-18T14:41:00.000+01:002004-06-18T16:32:09.486+01:00Percy Montgomery returns to the Bok team after some time in the wilderness. "Monty", I recall, used to look rather uncoordinated on the pitch, so it doesn't strike me as a good sign that he's nursing an injury that was incurred while slicing a grapefruit. The article goes on to say that Monty is famously thick-skinned, but then notes that it might be more accurate simply to remove the word "Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087384801949452032004-06-16T12:07:00.000+01:002004-06-16T12:21:27.356+01:00Our Minister of Health on the government's new 'sexed-up' condoms:
You can still enjoy sex with a condom," Tshabalala-Msimang said yesterday at the launch. "Actually, it's much more enjoyable.
"Condoms should not only be a necessity but should be seen as sexy and part of the fun."
Rubbing her fingers, the minister added: "They are lubricated, so it's nice ..."
I'm not quite sure what mental Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087308047935659302004-06-15T14:27:00.000+01:002004-06-15T15:06:34.763+01:00Quote of the day:
Yet rather than standing unchallenged, neoliberalism is in trouble, and it is important to see why. The chief reason is that its two halves -- market fundamentalism and conservatism -- are in tension. Conservatism always meant a cautious, pragmatic approach to social and economic change ... The continuity of tradition is central to the idea of conservatism ... But nothing is Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087247378038746312004-06-14T22:09:00.000+01:002004-06-14T22:09:38.040+01:00I don't really buy into all those theories that Africa and South Africa suffer from negative stereotyping by the West but, nonetheless, it always pleases me to see stories like this in the major media outlets.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087217214125025972004-06-14T13:37:00.000+01:002004-06-14T13:46:54.126+01:00The sharp-eyed amongst you may have noticed some recent changes.
We've removed a number of British blogs from our links section in order to make way for some new South African blogs. That being the case we'd like to welcome Natal Fever, Isangqa, Gauteng Blog and Way South, who returns after a three month absence. We've also joined the Southern Africa Webring which links to a lot of other SA Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087157667515951102004-06-13T21:14:00.000+01:002004-06-13T22:04:48.300+01:00I was astonished to read in today's SA Sunday Times that Zimbabwe is about to spend $240 million buying fighter planes from the Chinese.
'Military sources in Harare say that Zimbabwe will acquire 12 FC-1s as replacements for the Chengdu F-7s, currently based in Gweru. The FC-1, a lightweight multipurpose fighter based on Russia's MiG-33, will provide a credible answer to the challenge posed by Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087063760613045222004-06-12T19:09:00.000+01:002004-06-12T19:16:30.546+01:00I enjoy zablogger, but every now and again I find myself taking issue with something that he says. Writing about Ronald Reagan today, he says:
Sure he helped bring about the end of the cold war, but not before rising military spending to unprecedented levels and to suggest that it was he who essentially broke the back of USSR communism is just false. The Soviet UnionÃs move towards Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1087056555311215192004-06-12T16:24:00.000+01:002004-06-12T19:24:43.143+01:00Torture redux
Steve has taken the time to reply to my objections about his views about the acceptability of torture, and the lesser value of non-American lives.
Firstly, apologies Steve for my use of the word 'idiot.' The blogosphere should be about intelligient discussion, not engaging in cheap shots. Take it as an incandescently angry response to the discovery that my life has less than a Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086968904855479452004-06-11T16:48:00.000+01:002004-06-11T16:48:24.856+01:00AWB leader Eugene Terre'Blanche has been released from prison. M&G reports:
Right-wing leader Eugene Terre'Blanche took to the streets of Potchefstroom on a black horse on Friday to wild cheers from a mainly black audience who shouted "Welcome out" and tried to shake his hand.
A black audience welcoming the old fool. Incredible.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086968376005613912004-06-11T16:26:00.000+01:002004-06-11T16:39:36.006+01:00Via the M&G:
Right-wing leader Eugene Terre'Blanche took to the streets of Potchefstroom on a black horse on Friday to wild cheers from a mainly black audience who shouted "Welcome out" and tried to shake his hand.
There are times when I battle to understand my country...
My best explanation for this is as follows. Nowadays, the AWB, white supremacy and Terreblanche are spent forces. So muchMurrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086946385060612752004-06-11T10:11:00.000+01:002004-06-11T13:51:03.103+01:00Idiot watch
Via Oxblog, one Steve Sturm questions opposition to torture:
How will you explain to the families of Americans killed in future terror attacks that their loved ones died because this country did not use all of the tools at its disposal - in large part because of your opposition - to learn of the attack in advance?
The obvious response to this must be: how do you explain to familiesMurrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086880199294374022004-06-10T16:09:00.000+01:002004-06-10T16:09:59.293+01:00Thank goodness I've got an old cell-phone. Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086865229110311712004-06-10T12:00:00.000+01:002004-06-10T12:03:10.693+01:00Via Fodder: SABC3 has apparently launched a competition to find the greatest ever South African. They've specifically asked that people don't vote for Nelson Mandela since it's clear that he'd win by a country mile. That being the case, who's in contention?
I'm pretty certain that most of the nominees will hail from a political background. South Africa's history is, overwhelmingly, the history Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086863288491661132004-06-10T11:28:00.000+01:002004-06-10T11:28:08.490+01:00Following on from Murray's comments about Zimbabwe's decision to abolish private ownership of land, I feel moved to post this excerpt from a recent SkyNews interview with Bob Mugabe:
STUART RAMSAY: When we first arrived here a couple of weeks ago, government ministers estimated crop production at 1.5 million, many thought that that was a little high. In two weeks it went up to 2.3, now how did Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086812824058286212004-06-09T21:27:00.000+01:002004-06-09T21:27:04.060+01:00England never ceases to amuse me. The BBC reports on a recent competition to find the greatest English icon. And just what might the greatest icon be? The Queen? The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben? The Spitfire? The red double-decker bus? Cricket? In a moment of hubris, perhaps Oxford University? Well, it seems that the answer is none of these things. The greatest English icon is in fact, ta-daAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086810089847443672004-06-09T20:41:00.000+01:002004-06-09T21:02:03.800+01:00I'm a child at heart and so have been following the news of the Cassini-Huygens spaceprobe's arrival at Saturn with an increasing mixture of wonder and excitement. The first probe dedicated to the study of Saturn and its moons, Cassini-Huygens promises to greatly increase our knowledge of this most beautiful and mysterious of solar system planets. In a few days time Cassini-Huygens will begin itsAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086807779570141122004-06-09T18:57:00.000+01:002004-06-09T20:17:47.086+01:00Britain and the EU
Tomorrow, as those of you living in Britain will know, is 'Super Thursday', the joint local and European elections day. One of the quirky (and few) advantages of being a Commonwealth citizen living in Britain is that I am allowed to vote in the elections. So, who will I be voting for?
At the local level I'm ambivalent. My political philosophical leanings suggest that I shouldAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086780404413834512004-06-09T12:25:00.000+01:002004-06-09T12:26:44.413+01:00I'm pleased to see that my post on JM Coetzee's Disgrace has been stirring some controversy.Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086771332172184522004-06-09T09:48:00.000+01:002004-06-09T09:55:32.173+01:00Have you ever wondered why the South African newspaper This Day hasn't been online? It seems a South African -- Donald Waldron -- resident in London snatched the domain name -- www.thisday.co.za -- and has been running an escourt agency from it (sensitive viewers be warned). When asked if he'd relinquish the name, he demanded money, and apparently claims that it's a 'coincidence' that his Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086695216889392572004-06-08T12:29:00.000+01:002004-06-08T12:48:20.863+01:00Anyone familiar with my home province, KwaZulu-Natal, will know that relations between Zulus and Indians are not exactly rosy. Indeed, while involved in student governance at the University of Natal in Durban it often struck me that there was more antagonism between these two groups than there was between whites and either blacks or Indians. I often found Indian students to be far more overtly Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086694108438541752004-06-08T12:22:00.000+01:002004-06-08T12:28:28.436+01:00According to Zimbabwean Land Minister John Nkomo, private ownership of land is to be abolished in that country. Instead, all land will be vested in the state and individuals will be able to lease it. So that's what Mugabe meant by giving the land back to the people. What a joke. The idea that, in a country as corrupt as Zimbabwe, this will somehow convert the country's land into a public Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086626077778312902004-06-07T17:31:00.000+01:002004-06-07T17:34:37.780+01:00Pursuant to Wayne's disappointment about South Africa not being represented at the D-Day commemorations, Graham at Natal Fever has some pithy comments about the South African tendency to make selective use of our history.Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086625680693997452004-06-07T16:56:00.000+01:002004-06-07T17:50:44.976+01:00Big news of the day is that Bulelani Ngcuka, national director of public prosecutions, may soon be out of a job. According to City Press, the key problem is that he defied an order by the ANC leadership to apologise to Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana, who found, we should recall, that Ngcuka had infringed Jacob Zuma's dignity by saying that there was a prima facie case of corruption against Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086429783615950812004-06-05T11:03:00.000+01:002004-06-05T11:03:03.616+01:00The SA press doesn't seem to be devoting much space to it, but tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Nowadays it seems common to portray the landings as a largely American affair or even, as one colleague put it to me recently, the beginning of America's liberation of Europe. This is regrettable however both because it minimises the efforts of the other nations present and Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086368299680862092004-06-04T17:43:00.000+01:002004-06-04T18:00:23.420+01:00Recently, I've spoken to a number of people who've expressed excitement, even glee, at the prospect of the US being challenged, and eventually humbled, by China. At last, an end to US hegemony! Of course, there is a juvenile part of me that understands this. There is, after all, something appealing about the hyperpower's arrogance being dented. But, let's be honest, would we really want to Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086365861416771122004-06-04T17:07:00.000+01:002004-06-04T17:17:41.416+01:00The leader of the Libertarian Party in the US has promised, if elected as President, to wear a handgun during state of the union addresses, to blow up empty UN buildings, and to make violent criminals lie in bed for a month once incarcerated. Another candidate for leadership of the party distributed literature advising people on how to ensure that their children would not receive social securityMurrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086295818464462972004-06-03T21:37:00.000+01:002004-06-03T21:50:18.463+01:00Depressed about high unemployment and sluggish economic growth? Rudolf Gouws, Chief Economist of Rand Merchant Bank, thinks that there're plenty of reasons for optimism:
What I am certain about, is that the big shake-out in the South African labour market has already taken place. It may sound cruel, but much of this was necessary if we were to make it possible for our economy to complete Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086198602764477182004-06-02T18:47:00.000+01:002004-06-03T09:10:17.550+01:00Good blogs on Africa just keep on coming. And when we started, Andrew and I thought that we were such trail blazers! No more... check out Chris Smith's blog Isangqa for quality bloggage on Africa, Arabia and politics, as well as photography.Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1086198386912178212004-06-02T18:21:00.000+01:002004-06-03T09:12:27.850+01:00Blogging has, I know, been a little thin on the ground of late. Andrew has exams coming up and I have, in fits and starts, been trying to gain some real momentum on my research. But, fear not, Southern Cross is not dying...
Malegapuru -- better known as William -- Makgoba, who became a household name for allegedly fabricating aspects of his CV while at Wits, and who was also one of the sole Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1085231181427228042004-05-22T13:59:00.000+01:002004-05-22T14:06:21.426+01:00More shocking photos from Iraq of US abuse of prisoners. At first I thought, rather naively, that this was probably a few people who got out of hand. But there're just so many photos. And these are only the incidents that were photographed. What about all the stuff that they didn't bother to take photos of? (I assume that taking photos of torture was an occasional "extra" rather than being Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com96tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1085230731005686872004-05-22T13:53:00.000+01:002004-05-22T13:58:51.006+01:00Interesting -- Amnesty International is opposing the extradition of the alleged mercenaries to Equatorial Guinea, on the basis that they are likely to be subjected to torture, not have fair trials and will probably face the death penalty. This is developing into an interesting test of the ANC's commitment to human rights. After all, rights should be accorded to everyone, even those whom we Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084651859237490682004-05-15T20:57:00.000+01:002004-05-15T21:10:59.236+01:00Sometime ago I posted a link to an article by Rian Malan in which he appraised ten years of democracy in South Africa. It was an intensely personal piece, and it ended by declaring his bewilderment at the fact that things hadn't ended worse in South Africa. He concluded the article by saying -- controversially -- "thank you", and was quoted by Mbeki in his state of the nation address.
Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084651008940587482004-05-15T20:55:00.000+01:002004-05-15T21:18:48.996+01:00I don't have much to add to this except BRILLIANT! Well done South Africa on winning the 2010 soccer world cup.
Cherryflava supplies cool pictures.Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084532869069065082004-05-14T11:45:00.001+01:002004-05-15T21:21:03.826+01:00JM Coetzee
Is anyone out there interested in JM Coetzee?
Sometime ago I came across this article by Gertrude Makhaya in the Oxonian Review of Books, a kind of in-house journal, called "The Trouble with JM Coetzee."
The trouble, she says, is Coetzee's novel Disgrace, for which he won the Booker. In essence, she argues, Disgrace fails to acknowledge the miracle of South Africa's negotiated Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084361716933435492004-05-12T12:29:00.000+01:002004-05-12T12:35:16.940+01:00Oh, and before I forget, after the much ballyhooed revamp of Blogger we've taken the leap and changed the template.
So, whaddya think?Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084355053790914212004-05-12T10:44:00.000+01:002004-05-12T10:44:56.866+01:00Farrel Lifson notes that the ANC is to take control of SCOPA (Standing Committee on Public Accounts). Should we worry about this? He thinks not, arguing that a number of NGO's monitor parliament and should help provide accountability.
I agree with him up to a point but am vaguely dismayed at the notion that we must now rely on NGO's to provide a service which really ought to come from within Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com807tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084354663929170562004-05-12T10:37:00.000+01:002004-05-12T10:37:43.930+01:00So this is why I'm having difficulty completing my dissertation.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084293821009396502004-05-11T17:23:00.000+01:002004-05-11T17:43:41.010+01:00Does the South African government have an obligation to protect nationals abroad? If, for example, the alleged mercenaries currently held in Zimbabwe will face an unfair trial if extradited to Equatorial Guinea, should the government intervene to protect them?
So far the South African government has argued that it has no such obligation. This, they have argued, is a matter falling solely with Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084224616017639052004-05-10T22:30:00.000+01:002004-05-10T22:30:16.016+01:00Have the DA been spinning the election results? ZA Blogger thinks so. Laurence Caromba disagrees.
I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree with ZA Blogger on this, Laurence. More when I have a bit of free time.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084224312349280922004-05-10T22:25:00.000+01:002004-05-10T22:25:12.350+01:00Nelson Mandela has bid his farewell to Parliament. BBC has the story.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084131185446205782004-05-09T20:33:00.000+01:002004-05-09T20:37:36.280+01:00My post last week about the South African literary canon caused a minor controversy in the comments section. This centred around my claim that Afrikaners have failed to produce a literature to match those of their counterparts who write in English.
I stand by the claim and would add that anybody who seriously doubts it would do well to remember that much of the Afrikaans intellectual Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1084129488359523162004-05-09T20:04:00.000+01:002004-05-10T07:06:37.430+01:00Andrew's Day Off
Yesterday a couple of friends and I took a few hours out of our academic schedules to indulge a shared interest in modern art and architecture. First stop was Modern Art Oxford, the former Museum of Modern Art (apparently 'museum' gives off all the wrong signals). The gallery is one of my favourite exhibition spaces in England. It's small enough not to be intimidating and it Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083944545686646202004-05-07T16:42:00.000+01:002004-05-07T16:46:53.593+01:00Cherryflava has some great photo's chronicling his evening at a wine tasting. As a part-time wine-taster I can attest that they definitely capture the experience. Check them out.Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083858489400298742004-05-06T16:48:00.000+01:002004-05-06T16:52:35.700+01:00The enduring value of My Traitor's Heart
Does My Traitor's Heart, by Rian Malan, have enduring value? I ask this question because Andrew has suggested that it might not have, largely because it expresses the fears and hopes of a very particular period of South African history (just prior to the 1994 elections). Possibly, he says, it will quickly become dated, if it hasn't already.
I read My Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083775155008694692004-05-05T17:39:00.000+01:002004-05-05T17:43:40.110+01:00My 15 minutes of fame
Some time ago, I posted a few comments about a talk I attended by some of the Guantanamo Bay defence lawyers. The gist of their talk was that the tribunals would not amount to fair trials. Today, much to my surprise, I see that my post has been (briefly) quoted in a story in the New York Times. Fame at last! Well, at least for today...Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083768936136391062004-05-05T15:55:00.000+01:002004-05-05T16:00:00.873+01:00Yup, Murray as I've mentioned in the past my solution is to boycott the whole of Europe until this ridiculousness changes.
The EU has its rules and I have mine. But I should tell you that these people are really starting to irritate me.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083684657150967922004-05-04T16:30:00.000+01:002004-05-04T16:34:51.310+01:00Visa rant
One of my goals while sojourning in the UK has been to see more of Europe. Alas, like so many goals that I have set myself, this one has gradually unravelled. The reason? Getting a schengen visa on a South African passport, from the UK, resembles some sort of perverse obstacle course. Those of you who have tried will know what I'm talking about. I won't bore you with all of the Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083681837202382752004-05-04T15:43:00.000+01:002004-05-04T15:47:52.966+01:00This will be worth watching. The MDC is to go to court in a bid to force Mbeki to hand over a report compiled by two South African judges -- Dikgang Moseneke and Sisi Khampepe -- in the run-up to the last Zimbabwean elections, detailing conditions in the country (presumably under the access to information provisions of the Bill of Rights). Of course, if the report says that conditions were Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083681146103517802004-05-04T15:32:00.000+01:002004-05-04T15:36:21.000+01:00The Economist has some good things to say about Joburg in its Cities Guide (an excellent way to waste time, I might add):
Efforts to renovate downtown Johannesburg continue. A combination of public and private spending is rejuvenating the area, and developers are transforming stately old buildings into luxury lofts. New shops, cafes and car parks continue to spring up. Game, a department store Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083587118215799242004-05-03T13:25:00.000+01:002004-05-05T16:11:54.920+01:00The South African Canon
In response to this I had thought to compile my own list of canonical books. I've since thought better of it, not least because I doubt that my reading is sufficiently wide to have exposed me to enough of the great authors. Instead, I'm going to try and compile the definitive South African Canon. Before doing that though, I need to register a few qualifications.
Firstly,Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083573912550667992004-05-03T09:45:00.000+01:002004-05-03T09:49:30.090+01:00The Ora
For those wanting to know more about Orania's new currency, Cherryflava has been doing a bit of investigative work and has managed to uncover a picture of it.
Meanwhile for those curious about the future prospects of the 'Ora', Abiola Lapite devotes a lengthy post to the likely outcome. His conclusion: adopting the Ora will lead to the gradual impoverishment of the Oranians.
Finally, inAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083209532618288322004-04-29T04:32:00.000+01:002004-04-29T10:26:37.860+01:00The following list of canonical books has been floating around the blogosphere for the last few days but since Abiola Lapite has blogged it I presume that it has now entered the realms of respectability. The idea is to copy it and highlight the books that you have read.
Author - Title
Beowulf
Achebe, Chinua - Things Fall Apart
Agee, James - A Death in the Family
Austen, Jane - Pride and Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083187425826494512004-04-28T22:23:00.000+01:002004-04-28T22:32:00.420+01:00Meanwhile back in the Laager
This is interesting indeed. The white 'homeland' of Orania has launched its own currency. The 'Ora', as it is known, comes in four denominations, Ora 10, Ora 20, Ora 50 and Ora 100, with each note depicting different aspects of Afrikaans culture and history. The Reserve Bank is said to have received the news with caution.
I must confess that I'd rather thought that Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083175317354990782004-04-28T19:01:00.000+01:002004-04-28T19:06:13.436+01:00The cabinet has been announced -- Buthelezi is out and Van Schalkwyk, to my surprise, is in (as Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism). The message seems to be that loyalty will be rewarded, even ahead of competence (sadly, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang remains Minister of Health).
The composition of the cabinet is interesting for other reasons. A single representative of AZAPO has been Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083096703009928572004-04-27T21:11:00.000+01:002004-04-27T21:33:14.373+01:0010 Years of Democracy: BBC has a nice set of pictures to commemorate the day.
UPDATE: Bronwyn and Fodder have been writing about what it means to be South African today.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1083070095797298542004-04-27T13:48:00.000+01:002004-04-27T13:53:34.530+01:00I find this SABC report rather disturbing:
'Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwe president, received a standing ovation as he arrived for today's inauguration of President Thabo Mbeki; a party also marking 10 years of post-apartheid democracy.
South African and foreign dignitaries rose to their feet at Pretoria's Union Buildings as the Zimbabwean leader arrived for the inauguration ceremony, Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082979203029951692004-04-26T12:33:00.000+01:002004-04-26T12:38:27.153+01:00Occasionally something in Britain really surprises me. For instance, in the neighbourhood where I live I've recently seen a series of NHS posters advising people to get HIV tests. All of these have photos of people on them, smiling, saying that it's the right thing to do. No problem with that, you might say, except for the fact that all the posters, without exception, feature black people. Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082937534852948452004-04-26T00:58:00.000+01:002004-04-26T01:03:06.373+01:00Is the NNP set to disband? News24 reports on rumours that, 'the party's possible disbanding is being investigated at the highest level.'
Apparently one of the bones of contention is that all of the NNP parliamentary seats (7 in total) have gone to party members from the Western Cape. This is very much the type of problem that one would expect from a party whose support has declined so Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082931798168107322004-04-25T23:23:00.000+01:002004-04-26T00:31:10.233+01:00This month's edition of Prospect is particularly good with outstanding articles on, amongst others, Bill Clinton's efforts to reduce the budget deficit in the 1990s, the future of controversial Qatari news channel al Jazeera and continuing fallout and feedback from David Goodhart's (Prospect editor) essay in February suggesting that Britain may be, 'too diverse'.
As if this were not enough the Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082929348514421252004-04-25T22:42:00.000+01:002004-04-25T22:46:49.733+01:00Apologies for the lack of blogging recently, both Murray and I have been busy with academic work. Nevertheless, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so we found time to attend Exeter College's annual Ball last night. A spiffing occasion all round.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082650196664317442004-04-22T17:09:00.000+01:002004-04-22T17:14:35.966+01:00There aren't that many advantages to using Blogger. There are only a handful of templates to choose from (and, frankly, they're all rather dull), you can't put up pictures, the service makes no provision for trackback etc etc.
However, blogger is owned by Google. As is the new, and much publicised, email service gmail. What this means is that I am now the proud owner of one of the very first Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082648740868699612004-04-22T16:45:00.000+01:002004-04-22T16:50:10.606+01:00More SA blogging goodness: Fodder is a very well written blog which, inexplicably, has only just come to my attention. It has a number of interesting posts up about the elections and I suspect it will become part of my regular reading.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Cherry's Cherryflava is not only one of the funniest South African blogs around but also, by some measure, the prettiest. Check him out, Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082647974634643072004-04-22T16:32:00.000+01:002004-04-22T16:57:38.793+01:00I thought the boys at Commentary might enjoy this headline article from the Onion:
'Libertarian Reluctantly Calls Fire Department
CHEYENNE, WY-After attempting to contain a living-room blaze started by a cigarette, card-carrying Libertarian Trent Jacobs reluctantly called the Cheyenne Fire Department Monday. "Although the community would do better to rely on an efficient, free-market Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082640782881611952004-04-22T14:33:00.000+01:002004-04-22T14:37:10.043+01:00Lest anybody think that racism is a uniquely South African characteristic.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082537721271916652004-04-21T09:55:00.000+01:002004-04-21T09:59:26.483+01:00George "Dubya" Bush phoned Mbeki at 1h30 in the morning to congratulate him on the election results, and to tell him that South Africa provides a model for new democracies elsewhere. Indeed, there was so much faith in the ability of South Africa to run its elections freely and fairly, that both the EU and UN declined to send observers, despite being invited to do so. While this is obviously a Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082537270679275362004-04-21T09:47:00.000+01:002004-04-21T09:51:55.983+01:00According to the M&G, the top five names on the ANC's list are Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Kader Asmal and Trevor Manuel. So, assuming that this won't change, it seems that Jacob Zuma won't be shunted to KZN after all. Should we then assume that one of these individuals is in line for the presidency after Mbeki? I tend to think, or maybe its just wishful thinking on my Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082503258100619262004-04-21T00:20:00.000+01:002004-04-21T00:39:01.123+01:00SABC is carrying a short article suggesting that the minor parties in KZN have agreed to form a govt with the ANC and the IFP.
ACDP spokesman Selby Khumalo is quoted as saying:
'We will support the provincial government led by the ANC as the majority party and which includes the IFP.'
Earlier today, Bantu Holomisa of the UDM issued a statement in response to an ANC request to help form a govtAndrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082491054444989072004-04-20T20:57:00.000+01:002004-04-20T21:01:39.686+01:00Well Murray, by way of compensation for this, I bring you the good news that doing a google search for 'Murray Wesson' brings up Southern Cross in number one position.
I, alas, am consigned to the rural hinterlands of google, somewhere on page seven.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082479005838734272004-04-20T17:36:00.000+01:002004-04-20T17:40:50.373+01:00The necessity of opposition
After a prolonged absence (due to short-term employment as a student dean) I'm back! Many thanks to Andrew for doing such a sterling job in my absence (apart from this dubious and, I hasten to add, entirely groundless remark).
Unfortunately, of course, I missed most the action during the elections. Overall, these seem to have been a triumph for the ANC and a Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12863014686262093833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921304.post-1082372840402016312004-04-19T12:07:00.000+01:002004-04-19T12:11:23.640+01:00From our referer logs comes this gem. Somebody found Southern Cross by way of a google search for, 'sex massage Knysna'.
I think this is your department, Murray.Andrew Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02653703254668923885noreply@blogger.com0