ABSTRACT
The last three decades have seen a proliferation of political parties, the flowering of a range of non-party players in the political arena, and the entry of social media as an effective tool of communication. All these, combined with the televising of parliamentary proceedings, have combined to irrevocably change the way parliamentary deliberations are conducted and strategies crafted. With traditional politicians jostling with new actors for space, a natural corollary has been political grandstanding, transforming Parliament, the apex representative and legislative body into a spectacle. The author brings three decades of parliamentary reporting as a journalist to bear on a study of this phenomenon and its impact on politics in the country. She concludes that while Parliament may have become more representative and democratic, it has declined as a space for deliberation, with the drama overtaking discussion.
