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THESE DAYS, ‘fights for democracy’ are often not what they seem. A topical example is the citizens’ battle against the Israeli government’s attempt to control its courts, which offers a lesson for politics in this country.

PREVENTING the end of the world is not an important issue in this country’s politics. Nor is it an issue for most of its activists.

THE huge hole in South Africa’s politics will not be filled by stunts which bank on the hope that journalists and voters don’t understand the country’s electoral system.

IN A healthy society, everyone is free to worship. But, if they worship judges and lawyers, the society may not stay healthy.

NO, a team of African Presidents will not end Russia’s war in Ukraine. But, if we don’t want to be caught up in a wave of ugly prejudice, we need to understand why.

NOT taking sides when world powers fight takes more thought than taking them. Which is why the government needs to get much better at being non-aligned.

IF you want to know whether you can trust a government’s accounts, you need an auditor. If you want to hold that government to account, you need democracy.

IF you think a game is worthwhile only if your side wins, you don’t really value the game. If the game in question is the legal system, you don’t grasp why we need courts.

IS democracy in this country also for people in the countryside where traditional leaders hold sway? The constitution says it is. But we now have a new reminder that the law and government policy seem to disagree.