No Factories, No Votes, No Accountability, South Africa and the West Are Failing the Same Way
Gabriel Makin
-1h 17mThis week the panel covers:
South Africa's Deindustrialisation — Manufacturing's share of GDP has fallen from a peak of 25% to just 12% since the 1940s. Frans Cronje explains what this collapse means for social mobility, skills development, and the prospects of young South Africans trying to build a path to the middle class.
Blair's 5,000-Word Essay — Labour's post-mortem through the lens of the radical centre. The panel examines Blair's diagnosis of a party that prioritised moral posturing over economic management, and what his advice means for centre-left parties navigating a changed global order.
The Henry Nowak Stabbing — The 18-year-old was handcuffed by police while dying, after officers believed his attacker's false account. The panel examines ideology-driven policing and the real-world consequences of misapplied anti-racism doctrine.
Democrats' 2024 Post-Mortem — A draft internal report that failed to seriously engage with inflation, immigration, or the party's leftward drift. How Democratic leaders focused on the wrong problems — including a push to pack the Supreme Court — while voters moved on.
ANC-DA Coalition Polling — New Social Research Foundation data shows that if no party wins a majority in November's local elections, most voters back an ANC-DA coalition government. What this tells us about a maturing, pragmatic South African electorate.


