I know you are a muso funky, so this is for you Willy Porter - "How to Rob a Bank" (#194) - YouTube I think you will like it ?
not quite. You do not understand the term, 'socialism'. I think perhaps, youve been misled and are confusing it with communism. The socialism label is often applied to communist regimes, like East Germany for example. WE embraced socialism...have you forgotten the Welfare State? education?....etc etc etc etc etc etc etc.... Socialism, does not mean the exclusion of capitalism....im not going to reiterate what ive already written, but the NHS is a socialist ideal, not a capitalist one, only a fool would confuse the two.
i understand it fine. i also understand that some like to boss most like to follow and wollow when disgruntled. human nature.
The Welfare State has extended beyond a safety net for those who can't to a lifestyle choice for far too many. Education has been built upon making everyone equal, rather than providing and equal opportunity. And the NHS is run for the benefit of it's staff rather than for the benefit of it's patients.
Have you got any figures for this, or is it just an impression through looking at what the media report? It might be true. It might not be. Depends on what you call "too many". Maybe you're right again. But I was state educated from nursery school to Cambridge so it's not my personal experience. And then the Swiss state paid for my MBA, which was nice of them as I wasn't much of a tax-payer at the time. There is stuff to be fixed. But is it as bad as all that? Really? Or do we just hear about the bad stuff? All your assertions may be true, but I can't help feeling it's what the media likes to report. I don't see many figures really bandied about in a meaningful way. That's the problem these days. Partial truths dribbled out, or stories with spin. Nothing much in the way of dispassionate information with statistical evidence of anything much.
I couldn't agree more with the OP, a very concise and true critique of how this country is going down the pan. I don't think things will change until a few things happen. A political revolution is definitely on the cards, this has happened all the way through history and just because we have I Pads and the X Factor now doesn't mean it won't happen again. The increasing popularity of so called fringe parties show this. This country needs to be a Republic, where unearned privilege and unfair access to institutions like Oxbridge are history, then we might not get "Career Politicians" but people who really do represent other people and don't propagate this class system we have now. If you want an example of a socialist/capitalist state that seems to have achieved a sensible balance look at Germany, they have done it. Our lot need to look at history and remember that when people have nothing, they have nothing to lose. That's when the balloon goes up. OGR
Socialism,Communism,Capitalism....all names to hang on ideals that don't work,and will never work All political ideals have their advantages/disadvantages,and your opinion will be formed by first and foremost by YOUR particular circumstances As in everything in life,moderation is the key. And while it's comforting to think that all these problems started in 1979,you'd be wrong. Unions Leaders in the Sixties and Seventies didn't give two hoots for the rest of the country when they went on strike to further THEIR causes,assisted by Harold Wilson etc. Prior to that it was MacMillan and co,no friend to the working classes but there was a lot of work available.... The Welfare state came directly after the War,and was designed as as safety net if you coudn't find work,and to guarantee you could see a Doctor/get treatment,NOT to feed the lazy at home and give boob-jobs to moody schoolgirls Keep going back into history,and if you ever find a time where the whole population roamed happily,(and equally),on sun-dappled meadows,let me know.... It's all shite,all the time....*yawn*.....
Yea like that's gonna be a good move. A country with very a little industry with most of the working population in public funded jobs, a rapidly aging population and a government intent on seducing the population with grandstanding initiatives based on a diminishing resource, not surprising we have the highest rate of emigration in the uk and the weather's crap aswell lol. And yes I do live in Scotland
The Welfare State (which includes free education and healthcare remember, not just benefits), may well have extended beyond its original reach...im not 100% inclined to agree with that comment. However, i do believe that it was beyond anyone's wildest dreams that we would become one of the most over populated countries on Earth...a far cry from the 'dear old England' of the 1940's. The union has changed beyond all recognition since WWII..Polish is now the second language. There are simply too many people in the country, and too many transient people in the country....it is not the Welfare system that is at fault, and it is certainly NOT the principal of public welfare that is at fault, it the abuse, misuse, and mis-management of that system...All other issues are merely window dressing and semantics. Our Welfare system and once held ideals of fairness are a magnet for the less fortunate, or the opportunistic... Im from London, and when living in Acton (dont hate), it used to piss me off how many Australians used to come to London on a family heritage visa, work here for 4 years, put nothing back into the system, wouldnt make any permanent plans, merely live in ghettos around West London, but take their full entitlements of healthcare and anything else that we offered..and then they would bugger off back to Australia without a backward glance....that is the sort of exploitation of our system that i do not agree with. The Welfare State and the ideas of social mobility and fairness have been the envy of the world, and a model for how a society can work in a capitalist run country, with a fkd up idea of monarchy/constitution...unfortunately, those at the top wish to maintain the status quo and try and do everything to keep the 99% in a state of perpetual survival.....usually only a few pay cheques away from defaulting on their mortgages, working in their insecure jobs... There is nothing easier than letting the prisoners police one another.... The system needs reform, but that is a side issue, to the greater debate which is the entire reformation of our political system, and for us, the people who ARE this country to think differently about the type of society in which we wish to live. Now that university places are no longer free, one thing is for certain..the burden of debt for the less well off will become more crippling, reducing their and everyone else's social mobility, and the rich kids will receive a better education..thus ensuring that the division is reinstated more securely..(it never truly went away)...This means more separation, more career politicians, more etonians in the house, more idiots running the country into the ground who have absolutely no concept of what it means to be a normal person...
It is not as simple as saying Capitalism = good and Socialism = bad, or vice versa, it is in my opinion that the politicians have , in general , for as far back as I can remember, been more interested in petty politics rather than what is best for the country. I have no allegiance to any of the parties and have voted for 4 different ones since my first vote in 1983 , Next time I`ll avoid Lib/lab/con because they have all shown themselves to be incompetent and lacking in basic common sense. Generalising of course, I`m sure that there are a few good uns in there somewhere. Time for a change ! Don't miss your one chance to vote every 4 or 5 years, look at the local and national alternatives whether it is Green or Ukip or a local Dr and send a message. As Tesco always tell us, every little helps!
