Olive Schreiner’s coalition lessons for liberals
With talk of ‘moonshot’ and ‘doomsday’ pacts dominating political talk in South Africa, it’s worth revisiting the suggestions Schreiner made more than 120 years ago about coalitions, minority parties and the moral high ground
25 May 2023 - 05:00
Are coalitions good or bad? Given the chaos unfolding in local governments across the country, it’s a question that’s top of mind for most South Africans — as is the issue of just how much power smaller parties should wield, and how such governing arrangements could be structured.
A turn to history may prove instructive. Back in 1896, Olive Schreiner — one of the most astute political minds South Africa ever produced — set out such rules after observing her friends join a disastrous coalition. ..
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