Thirteen Formative Years |
 APARTHEID – The origins of my interest in politics: Growing up in South Africa in the 1950s meant it was nigh on impossible to be unaware of politics. Less than a year before we arrived in the country, the 1948 general election had seen the defeat of the government led by General Jan Smuts and the start of the formal implementation of South Africa’s apartheid regime. From a very early age, I was aware of the facts I’ve illustrated in this Figure showing the proportions of seats and votes won by the two main party blocs in the South African parliament: in both the 1948 and the 1953 general elections, the National Party – led by Dr Daniel Malan and his successors – won fewer votes but more seats than the United Party. These facts fascinated me, and as a child I was unusually concerned about malapportionment. As a result, perhaps it was inevitable that I became … |