Investment decisions aren’t easy. The
US mid-term election results revealed that the voters of that nation rather
like the idea of a government that plays Robin Hood. They have voted for Representatives
who claim that they are able to identify whose resources need to be transferred
to whom. And this has caused US share prices to rise strongly. Not the expected
consequence of rejecting the party that wants lower taxes. Tellingly though,
the more sceptical US bond market hasn’t moved much at all.
Astonishingly, Home Affairs Minister
Malusi Gigaba has said something undoubtedly truthful. He said that no one
wants him to be president. And we also don’t want him anywhere in government and
particularly he should never be in any post which accords him the privilege of
using the VVIP terminal at Johannesburg International Airport that he agreed
could be built, but now can’t remember doing so.
What is not true though is the insistence
that South Africa needs more people with PhDs. Science and Technology Minister
Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, whose own CV is devoid of a science degree at any
level, quotes the National Development Plan as identifying the shortage of PhDs
in the country as contributing to (the) lack of innovation. While perhaps now
it is a little different, registering for a doctoral degree is normally an
indication that the candidate is very comfortable in academia and had scored funding
for another 3 years indulging their interests. They will definitely not be
taught innovation! As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and
sending people out to find or make a career as soon after school as possible will
be a far greater spur to innovation than being nestled in the bosom of some
leafy campus.
Despite being embarrassingly
colonialist we still cling to the practice of seating the people’s
representatives in a debating chamber and letting them demonstrate publicly
their fitness for public office. This is a rare skill and civilised behaviour
is even rarer, so this system doesn’t seem to work that well anywhere in the
world. In Cape Town, insult and fisticuffs are increasingly the outcome. Ever
since the Speaker of the House allowed the dress standards to fall to abysmal
levels the business of Parliament is frequently interrupted by violence. The
EFF have been very successful in creating a very visible presence far beyond
their numbers by dressing in red overalls – the garb of “the working people” --
and demanding to be admitted. It has yet
to be demonstrated that anyone other than those drawing an MP’s salary thinks
that the nation is getting value for money from these thugs. Notably not even
the ANC members nor two different presidents have done much to restore any
dignity or productivity to the proceedings.
And so it is very disappointing to read
about the formation of yet another political party in South Africa, To be named
the Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party it is the political wing of The
National Union of Metalworkers of SA. Their presumption that the members of the
union will also become voters for the party may be optimistic. It’s getting
rather crowded out there in the left-wing political landscape occupied by folk
who still fervently believe that there are sufficient numbers of rich people capable
of supporting the poor. After, of course, firstly supporting the leaders of the
poor.
The new political buzz word is
“trajectory” and the founders of this new party are amongst those who are dissatisfied
with the one that President Cyril is following. Now that our election date has
been set for May 2019 we will be treated to lots of rhetoric about
trajectories. So much more modern and thrusting than policies or
manifestos.
Apparently, the reason why the test in
France kicks off so late is that there are too few TV channels in the country to
show different sports simultaneously. ‘bok fans will be eager to learn if
referee Nigel Owens shares the view that the now notorious Farrell armless tackle
is legal. A video doing the rounds this week shows coach Rassie Erasmus showing
members of our team how it is done. It’s a very funny spoof and maybe more
effective than a citing.
James
Greener
Friday
9th November 2018
