Economic Alternatives

[nexus]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... -has-a-few

Ever since the crash of 2008 exposed the rotten core of a failed economic model, we've been told there are no viable alternatives. As Europe sinks deeper into austerity, governing parties of whatever stripe are routinely rejected by disillusioned voters – only to be replaced by others delivering more welfare cuts, privatisation and inequality.

So what should we make of a part of the world where governments have resolutely turned their back on that model, slashed poverty and inequality, taken back industries and resources from corporate control, massively expanded public services and democratic participation – and keep getting re-elected in fiercely contested elections?

Obviously these governments are no more taking into account resource depletion than our are, but it is interesting that while we are told 'there is no alternative' some countries seem to be providing an alternative to the 'Shock Doctrine-esque' wholesale privatisations that are going on in the west.

[PS_RalphW]

Latin America is still relatively resource rich, and its economies are 'developing'. Investment in education and social infrastructure over the last 20 years are paying dividends as the freshly educated population find employment as relatively cheap labour as in China, and a ready market with low transport costs exporting goods to the US, who pay in dollars that are still a global reserve currency. They are still on the upward curve even as the OECD have topped out.

The influence (and petro dollars) of Chavez has been huge in the region,
keeping the worst excesses of vulture capitalism at bay whilst still returning a profit on cheap labour and energy.

Eventually even this bubble will burst.

[emordnilap]

Don't forget too that we could learn quite a lot about alternative strategies and equality (rendition and Assange notwithstanding) from Scandinavia.

[emordnilap]

Interesting perspective on 'socialism' from a Romanian:

As a citizen of Romania I grew up in a country that for many years fed its population with the lie that people were working to build “socialism” for the good of us all.

Having the chance to travel to Western Europe before 1989 and see life behind the Iron Curtain, I was happy and full of hope when the Ceauşescu regime ended. Being confronted as a teenager with life in countries where the free market was at home and where life seemed careless, and having no deeper insight into world politics or economy, I lived for years with the belief that socialism was a system that cannot work, one under the control of rich and corrupt politicians, with no hope for the rest of the population.

It was only after I was introduced to the WSWS, almost 5 years ago, that I started to put things together. Suddenly, events with global significance I was wondering about, and questions about the direction that the world and my country was heading towards, started to open up and have a different meaning. The WSWS was my ticket to entering a totally unknown part of history.

At first I simply couldn’t believe that history can be altered that much, and that so many of us were told lies that, not knowing otherwise, we ended up believing. I became curious about what the “socialism” I grew up with actually was and what/how genuine socialism should really look like. The WSWS archive was very helpful in providing articles in which I found explanations for the questions I had. The site offered an insight not only into the real events and the historical falsification, but also revealed to me the truth behind the history of my own country, helping me understand the past. At the same time, it brought along the moment when I realized that the hope for equality and a good future for mankind is possible after all, with an international socialist program.

I am reading now comrade North’s The End of the USSR, and the lecture helps me understand even more the nature of Stalinism disguised as “socialism” and all the damage it has done to the affected countries. It also points out to me once again the fact that even now, almost 24 years after the fall of Ceauşescu, my country is still governed by former Stalinists and bourgeois parties that will never be committed to the working class. Together with their allies, they are doing everything in their power to hinder a revolution, a progressive perspective and the fight for genuine Marxism in Romania.

During the last several years, I have witnessed many predictions made by the WSWS. To mention only some: the fate of the Egyptian revolution and the dead end that the protests in Greece are reaching without a proper leadership; the aggravation of the ongoing financial crises as long as the world is ruled by the defenders of the profit system; the true reason for the many wars started by imperialist powers; and, most recently, the dangers societies all over the world face due to the rise of nationalist and extreme right movements (a proof of the accuracy of the WSWS analyses occurred recently through the actions of such a movement against the Roma living here). These predications became real in every respect.

So right now, I am confident that the mounting social anger all over the world will find its expression in an international working class struggle against capitalism, and I await the revival of socialism, this time of a genuine socialism, in Romania.

WSWS = World Socialist Web Site

[Little John]

Interesting perspective on 'socialism' from a Romanian:

As a citizen of Romania I grew up in a country that for many years fed its population with the lie that people were working to build “socialism” for the good of us all.

Having the chance to travel to Western Europe before 1989 and see life behind the Iron Curtain, I was happy and full of hope when the Ceauşescu regime ended. Being confronted as a teenager with life in countries where the free market was at home and where life seemed careless, and having no deeper insight into world politics or economy, I lived for years with the belief that socialism was a system that cannot work, one under the control of rich and corrupt politicians, with no hope for the rest of the population.

It was only after I was introduced to the WSWS, almost 5 years ago, that I started to put things together. Suddenly, events with global significance I was wondering about, and questions about the direction that the world and my country was heading towards, started to open up and have a different meaning. The WSWS was my ticket to entering a totally unknown part of history.

At first I simply couldn’t believe that history can be altered that much, and that so many of us were told lies that, not knowing otherwise, we ended up believing. I became curious about what the “socialism” I grew up with actually was and what/how genuine socialism should really look like. The WSWS archive was very helpful in providing articles in which I found explanations for the questions I had. The site offered an insight not only into the real events and the historical falsification, but also revealed to me the truth behind the history of my own country, helping me understand the past. At the same time, it brought along the moment when I realized that the hope for equality and a good future for mankind is possible after all, with an international socialist program.

I am reading now comrade North’s The End of the USSR, and the lecture helps me understand even more the nature of Stalinism disguised as “socialism” and all the damage it has done to the affected countries. It also points out to me once again the fact that even now, almost 24 years after the fall of Ceauşescu, my country is still governed by former Stalinists and bourgeois parties that will never be committed to the working class. Together with their allies, they are doing everything in their power to hinder a revolution, a progressive perspective and the fight for genuine Marxism in Romania.

During the last several years, I have witnessed many predictions made by the WSWS. To mention only some: the fate of the Egyptian revolution and the dead end that the protests in Greece are reaching without a proper leadership; the aggravation of the ongoing financial crises as long as the world is ruled by the defenders of the profit system; the true reason for the many wars started by imperialist powers; and, most recently, the dangers societies all over the world face due to the rise of nationalist and extreme right movements (a proof of the accuracy of the WSWS analyses occurred recently through the actions of such a movement against the Roma living here). These predications became real in every respect.

So right now, I am confident that the mounting social anger all over the world will find its expression in an international working class struggle against capitalism, and I await the revival of socialism, this time of a genuine socialism, in Romania.

WSWS = World Socialist Web Site

bookmarked. Cheers.

[RenewableCandy]

Having the government issue its own money, rather than incur debt to a central banking organisation for the privilege, seems to be the biggie.

However, having secured that (dream on!) one also has to make sure the government spends its own issued money doing something useful, like educating people, patching them up when they're ill, and best of all paying them (well, us) to build better infrastructure.

[JavaScriptDonkey]

Socialism has always ended up as fascism and always will. I am not my neighbour's keeper and I have no right to the product of his labour.

[re]

Socialism has always ended up as fascism and always will.

Wow. You can see into the future and everything.

[emordnilap]

Have a read at this.

It goes a bit airy-fairy at times but is positing serious ideas, though I can't assess whether they might work.

Like all wage-slave types, money for me had always been bondage. And indeed that is how our monetary system is set up, a system of slavery whereby only a few ever gain freedom and everyone else is doomed to flush their lives down the time-card toilet with only two weeks per year to enjoy life, plus another 10 years at the end before death. But after my brief conversation with Fitts I began looking at money and finance differently. Money is indeed useful and malleable; it can be made to behave on any scale, and no special lobbying or social movements or legislation is required. It is the master’s tool that can dismantle the master’s house.

One of the most important things I gleaned from Fitts’ work, though I don’t believe she ever addressed this directly, is that the illusory nature of money is both its great weakness — of which most of us are aware at this point, I’m sure — and its great strength. It is a shape-shifter that can be formed into anything, and can appear or disappear in an instant. It has no shape of its own and it has no allegiances. Indeed, money is so slippery that even under a monetary regime designed for slavery and death it can be turned into life in the hands of an adept practitioner.

[vtsnowedin]

Having the government issue its own money, rather than incur debt to a central banking organisation for the privilege, seems to be the biggie.

However, having secured that (dream on!) one also has to make sure the government spends its own issued money doing something useful, like educating people, patching them up when they're ill, and best of all paying them (well, us) to build better infrastructure.

I agree RC it is not so much the level of spending it is the value of what they are spending it on that is the problem. You could double government spending and no one would mind if what they bought with the money was worth it. Some would argue the value of the military but not having one would cost a lot more in the end. Highway systems ,ports, rail lines etc All worth the money if done right. It is the bottomless rat hole they are dumping money into that cause the problem, . The Solendras, the war on drugs, Art grants to untalented people. Planes the defence department neither wants or needs, Welfare checks to drug addicts No one in government today seems to be able to separate out the good from the bad use of taxpayer dollars.

[emordnilap]

One for Steve!

...capitalism today is aggressively on the make. It uses Austerity to drain every form of public wealth into profits for the financial system by privatizing everything from roads to schools to police power. With corporations in the position of control, public functions are then financialized to make them fodder for financial speculation that transfers the wealth from the public to private corporations.

There’s an important principle here: Once everything is privatized, you can’t vote it out any more. This process is just getting started.

[Catweazle]

Socialism has always ended up as fascism and always will.

Animal Farm springs to mind. Not exactly Fascism, but just as bad.

[JavaScriptDonkey]

Socialism has always ended up as fascism and always will.

Animal Farm springs to mind. Not exactly Fascism, but just as bad.

Once everything is owned or controlled by the state then all I have to do is steal the state and we're pretty much done.

[RenewableCandy]

You assume that The State is just the one entity. Ours seems to have bits fighting each other (for example over wind power). Which if you ask me is one of its saving graces.

[vtsnowedin]

You assume that The State is just the one entity. Ours seems to have bits fighting each other (for example over wind power). Which if you ask me is one of its saving graces.

One of the most frustrating things is to watch one government agency try to seek a permit from another agency of the same government. This is the left and right sides of the same brain ,(such as it is), arguing with itself about what needs doing and how to do it. Of course no corner can be cut as both sides know the rules and in fact wrote the rules and the rules have the weight of law and you can't expect a public servant to break the law in the performance of their job as that would be bad for their career. End result is the permit process often cost more then all the rest of the project combined.