
Martin van Staden
http://www.martinvanstaden.com
Martin van Staden is the Head of Policy at the Free Market Foundation and former Deputy Head of Policy Research at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). Martin also serves as the Editor of the IRR’s History Project and its Race Law Project, and is an advisor to the Free Speech Union SA. He is pursuing a doctorate in law at the University of Pretoria. For more information visit www.martinvanstaden.com.
- Total Post (73)
Articles By This Author

The well-kept secret of South Africa’s regime of censorship and ideological gerrymandering
- By Martin van Staden
- . Nov 30, 2023
Various repressive laws that explicitly or implicitly allow government to censor or manipulate free expression and discourse are already on the Statute Book in South

The tragicomedy of business’s naïvety on NHI
- By Martin van Staden
- . Nov 23, 2023
Organised business in South Africa continues to engage with the South African government as if both parties were fundamentally bona fide. The reality is that

Nemo plus iuris: The universal law statists don’t want you to think about
- By Martin van Staden
- . Nov 16, 2023
No matter what legal tradition you grew up with or which you prefer, all legal traditions share a universal rule which the proponents of modern

The Constitution is clear: Alan Winde can call a referendum in the Western Cape
- By Martin van Staden
- . Nov 9, 2023
I am agnostic about, but quite sympathetic towards, Cape independence. On occasion, I assist their more liberally-minded formations with matters of jurisprudence. Indeed, my primary

Why the ‘unequal bargaining power’ argument against free choice is problematic
- By Martin van Staden
- . Nov 2, 2023
Liberalism advances freedom of choice in all its manifestations. Any person must be allowed to make any decision they wish, provided this does not coercively

Assume Hitler will govern: The most important (and ignored) principle of constitutional design
- By Martin van Staden
- . Oct 26, 2023
Imagine that you find yourself endowed with the power to draw up a new constitution for South Africa – or whatever other society – but

‘Load-limiting’ is tyranny masquerading as convenience
- By Martin van Staden
- . Oct 19, 2023
Outsourcing responsibility to the state is usually convenient, but often results in some kind of perversity. The domain of electricity is no exception, now that

Israel: A (weak) light of liberty in a dark corner of the world
- By Martin van Staden
- . Oct 12, 2023
The State of Israel is not the world’s freest country and nor is it beyond reproach. But relative to its neighbours, Israel is a light

It’s simple (but expensive)
- By Martin van Staden
- . Oct 5, 2023
In 2024, with any luck, the Multi-Party Charter, or some other configuration of opposition parties, will take over the reins of central government, or at

‘Selfdoen’: The Solidarity Movement and AfriForum are conservatism done right
- By Martin van Staden
- . Sep 28, 2023
South Africa is not the first place most people would think to look for examples of successful private, voluntarist initiatives that – with any luck