"Long live socialism from below."

What would it actually look like, in your opinion, John?

How would it avoid the problem that, with the abolition of private ownership of the means of production, whatever political apparatus was set up would fall a natural prey to the ambitions of statists like the Stalins of this world?

LOL,

Does this guy have a day job?

From where I'm sitting it looks as if the governmental form of the future is more likely to be theocracy than "socialism".

John Passant can dream on if he likes. The article has some entertainment value as an example of how divorced left-wind intellectuals can be from reality. But in this case Passant and reality are not so much divorced, as living in different galaxies. Sure Marx imagined something different to the reality practised by those claiming to be marxist. But even the Israeli Kibbutzes, which were much closer to his dream, have switched to free enterprise.
The socialist ideal has been abandonded. Passant should write its euology, not plead for its revivial.

There are still people who want us to believe that Marxism is cool? Fascinating.

As far as I can tell, Mr Passant is suggesting that Socialism didn't fail, it was simply mis-applied. If Marxism hadn't been bastardized by the people who operated under its banner, all would have been well.

What he might also choose to acknowledge, perhaps in his quieter moments and in the seclusion of his own room, is that precisely the same may be said of capitalism.

And of the two "failed" systems, only one has actually delivered a level of prosperity, worldwide and across the board.

As even "Communist" China has figured out.

"Does this guy have a day job?"

Yes. He's an academic at the Australian National University. You and I, and everyone who reads this, have been forced for decades to pay for him to propagate this drivel.

*genuine democratic socialism where workers themselves decide what is to be produced to satisfy human need*

Sheesh, never mind the customer, you will buy what we decide to
make!

I gather that the author used to work for the tax office. That
would explain alot.