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THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY (CP) BELIEVES IN SELF-DETERMINATION AND DESIRES A DEMOCRATIC SOUTH AFRICA WHERE THE AFRIKANER WILL NOT BE DOMINATED BY OTHERS. IT ADVOCATES A LARGE DEGREE OF INTERDEPENDENCE BETWEEN INDEPENDENT STATES, INCLUDING ECONOMIC, AGRICULTURAL, ACADEMIC, MEDICAL, AND VARIOUS OTHER FIELDS OF INTERDEPENDENCE. THE CP ADVOCATES AN ECONOMIC ORDER CONSISTING OF PRODUCTIVITY, LOWERING OF TAXES, AND TAILORING GOVERNMENT SPENDING TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS. IT FEARS THAT IF AFRIKANERS WERE MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TOTAL POPULATION OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, THAT THE ECONOMY WOULD BE SWAMPED. THE CP OPPOSES NATIONALIZATION, REDISTRIBUTION OF LAND AND WEALTH, AND A SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT.

The Department of Philosophy at the University of the Free State recently presented an open discussion forum on the following topic: Imagine a truly South African university. Many people reacted with scepticism towards this initiative, suspecting that there had to be some party-political agenda behind it. The idea that one may, and even should, address political issues relating to the nature and functioning of the university in an intellectual and academic fashion seemed somehow inconceivable to many. At first it seemed as if these reactions were merely the result of a weak political culture on campus, but it became evident that it was in fact the lack of a culture of dialogue that constituted the major obstacle in the way of genuine interactive communication. This article will explore some of the possible reasons for this state of affairs. The first part of the article focuses on the possible detrimental effect that certain paradigms of higher education - with their one-sided focus on vocationalism - have on critical thinking. In the second part, the communicative dynamics of the forum will be analysed as a themeof interest in itself. In conclusion, the importance of cultivating an appropriate attitude that meets the ethos of constructive communication for such discussion forums will be emphasised.