Few employers are Socialists (doesn’t mean to say they are all bad employers) so that’s how it is for many Socialist employees
Principles don't pay the bills. I'd say my boss is pretty left leaning and may even class himself as a socialist but he still has to conform to a capitalist soceity to get on in life though.
This is probably the worst right-wing 'gotcha' gambit there is, and it's attempted a lot. I get it all the time as an outspoken leftist who also happens to own and run a small business. The nature of capitalism, and the system that we have, is that it's impossible to drop out of it. That's kind of the point of the class struggle. If you're a purist then a worker co-operative is the only legitimate way of earning a crust, and even then you're only doing the best you can within a system that has literally been built to oppress you, by trying to take on two roles that are inherently contradictory. Socialism can't exist as a kind of utopian pocket Center Parcs under a wider capitalist system, so socialists have jobs. Capitalism is what it is, so most of those socialists have jobs with people with whom they don't see eye to eye.
Yeah, you can only be a socialist if you live off the land and barter for goods with your homegrown mangelwurzels.
Capitalists ......surprised certain employers allow themselves to do extensive business with a Communist Superpower
I can't disagree with much you've written there Sestren...the fact is we live in a free country ( with caveats) with a mixed economy, the key thing is that you conduct your life and business with good principles and a heart for those who are not so fortunate. My experience is that there are people in all political parties or who claim a political persuasion who are complete tw*ts....just chancers and opportunists.
I don't think that the two are incompatible. I also run a (very) small business. Mostly freelance work which I do myself, but I also employ other people on a contract basis, mostly other freelancers, to do work which I don't have the time or desire to do myself. I pay them above the average market rate for their work, and yes, I make a profit on it. I don't see a problem with this, bearing in mind that it is my work and investment of my time which has found the client in the first place, and persuaded them to use my services and pay £x per hour for them. I believe in universal state education and health care, paid for by a progressive system of taxation, and a strong social safety net for the less fortunate and most vulnerable members of society. But I also believe that you should be able to work hard and achieve your ambitions if you wish to, and more importantly we should live in a society which enables everyone to do this. Small and medium sized business are the lifeblood not just of any economy, but also of many communities.
What a strange subject to debate on a football forum , the season starts effectively in two days time ,yet we have an opening post designed to provoke political debate , I sometimes wonder if this forum is used as a political platform rather than passionate reds fans covering all things BFC .
I find it hard to disagree with the final paragraph of this post, because broadly speaking it's been my belief all of my life. I would also include universal state education, because there can be no 'levelling up' in a system that starts off by being uneven. I also can't see ministers caring for a system that their own children do not use. The problem I've got with capitalism is that it seems to have delivered an enormous proportion of the world's financial resources to a very small number of people in the world. Much of this wealth has been earned legitimately, much of it inherited and grown through investment. The system is not going to change while ever the nature of humanity is to measure success by having a quid more than the person next to you. The only weapon we have against this inequality is taxation of wealth, but Corbyn delivered the worst result on record for labour by suggesting it. Manipulation of the electorate is extremely sophisticated and controlled by capitalism. We therefore have to make our way by living within the system and to suggest otherwise is naive and self destructive.
I think it's one of the best things about this forum, that a whole range of topics can be discussed, not just football. There are some clowns who spoil it, but there are enough thoughtful posters with a wide range of views on here, to make it generally very worthwhile.
I agree with all that but would add that. IMO,the above describes a capitalist society tempered with socialist ethics and ideals. A capitalist based economy provides the necessary financial backing to enable socialist principles to be applied. i.e. a strong Health, Welfare and Education systems. Unfortunately, 'the love of money is the root of all evil' however many people wish it were not so, results in the wealth created ending up in the hands of a minority, many of whom, for reasons best known to themselves hoard it in offshore accounts and/or collections of antiques and artworks which never see the light of day. Again, IMO, unfortunately, history shows that the ideal of Socialism always seems, in practice, to turn into a Communist totalitarian state and we all know where that ends up..... Russian Revolution, French Revolution, Mao's cultural 'Red Revolution',to name just three examples. Capitalism (I stress not to be confused with Socialism) = Communism where an elite few rule,exploit and control the mass population.
You are probably right but I do not participate in political threads & when I read the opening post I just thought it was purely for provocative gain , I don"t get it .
Unfortunately I haven’t been able to figure out how to pick out a part of a thread so I have to quote it’s entirety. I want to comment on the next to last paragraph, which I agree with by the way. It seems to me that any regime that had attempted a socialist system has been attacked by the capitalist world and brought low by it. The republican Americans believe that the NHS is a communist plot and will try to kill it for instance. It also plays to the capitalist dogma that socialism hasn’t produced a solution, therefore there isn’t one, so don’t bother looking. They could be right, but if we want a fairer world someone has to try.
Socialism encompasses quite a wide range of systems though, from communism, to Scandinavian social democracy (progressive taxation, a strong social safety net, state support for domestic business) . My political leanings are definitely closer to the latter.
It was provocative and crass to be honest. Also nothing worse than those who light the blue touch paper with a thread and then vanish. Sometimes saying nothing is the best thing anyone can say, but it never goes that way.
I believe that within a Largely Capitalist world like we exist in, a fusion of Socialism and capitalism can work for all where anybody can be rich and nobody should be destitute. The problem is in this country at least is when Capitalism becomes much more dominant and successive Govts policies support this.The super wealthy want more than finance, they want control. This is achieved by using the divide and conquer Method which in a materialistic society isn’ t hard to do. I can’t believe any ordinary man/ woman on the street so to speak would want anything near a Totalitarian state. However, if any Govt can/ wants to it’s this one.
You’re probably right and obviously I’m as guilty as the next poster for this. Having said that, at least by debating the political side we appear to be moving away from the personal veiled dig In the op
