On the contrary: Leading the opposition in the new South Africa

Description:

Incisive, principled, plain-spoken – Tony Leon, leader of the opposition for eight years, is all that and more. Destined from early life as the son of a High Court Judge to make a major impact as an ironclad liberal, he has nonetheless confronted the challenges of change head-on, leaving the political arena strewn with defeated adversaries and old-style conservatives content to let human rights slip for the sake of an easy life.

On the Contrary records in his finely-focused prose an adventure in ideas that involves vivid, real people – friends, colleagues and enemies alike. Many are household names but readers will be startled at Leon’s fresh approach and grasp of the intricate realities and compromises that go into the making of a politician. There is new light here on many of the figures who have shaped modern South Africa: from the dour Nationalists to the abrasive personalities of the liberation fold.

The themes and personalities that emerge from a half-century of memory and intellectual struggle are unique in our records, told from the centre of events. Almost forensic examination of how corruption has corroded the high ideals of the Constitution is another running theme. Leon is unafraid of allowing glimpses of his rich, private life; and the brilliance of the book rests in its careful balance of the public and the private and how they nurture each other. A brilliant contribution to South Africa’s ‘history in the making’.

Content: On the contrary. Leading the opposition in the new South Africa:

Introduction

PART ONE: PATH TO LEADERSHIP
In My Beginnings
Dancing with Dialectics
Into Politics
The Battle for Houghton
Present at the Creation

PART TWO: LEADER OF THE PARTY
New South Africa, New Leader
Constitutional Palimpsest

PART THREE: NEW ORDER CHALLENGES
The Long AIDS Death March
Zimbabwe: The Fire Next Door
Parliament: Corrosion in the Corridors
Judging the Judges
Trawling the Media
Tangling with 'The Lady'

PART FOUR: LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
Fighting Back
Blowback
A Marriage Made in Hell
Darkest before Dawn
Against Goliath
Cape Hope?
Exit

PART FIVE: THE FUTURE
Future Imperfect
APPENDIX
NOTES
INDEX