Who said there is no discussion?: Politics, religion and football

"Who Said There's No Discussion?" by Alberto Carlos Almeida invites us to reflect on the functioning of politics and institutions in Brazilian society. Based on opinion poll data, the analyses always offer a comparative perspective and build a bridge between the empirical and the theoretical. The author discusses what he considers the major national issues and proposes strategies to solve them. Reflections on soccer and religion also permeate his writings. "One of the expected effects of improving the population's educational level is a decrease in belief in magic. This is very common in Brazil. A national team is eliminated from the World Cup, and the cause is something magical, such as a player being sent off or the coach being inexperienced. The opposite of this is to admit that, in a World Cup, there is one winner and 31 losers. [...] Teams lose, goalkeepers make mistakes, players are sent off, and there are comebacks. This is a world without magic." Ideas like these take the reader out of their comfort zone and plunge them into the reality of a Brazil perceived by few. The political scientist's texts also reveal opinions such as lamenting excessive government intervention in the country's economy, defending tax cuts, and meritocracy. Almeida attacks the vacuum left by the Brazilian opposition in the 2010 presidential race by failing to propose a liberal agenda, and dispels myths surrounding President Lula. With a cutting style far removed from stony academic texts, this collection of articles presents arguments crafted with objectivity and simplicity. Viewed in retrospect, the texts reveal a shrewd and frank approach to constructing scenarios during a period of heightened tension in national politics. One of the central points is the PSDB's struggle against the PT after the highly regarded administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a president with unprecedented popularity in the history of this country.