Fidel Castro was a ruthless tyrant and dictator, that murdered and brutalised his people and delivered them misery, poverty, poor health and education.

The social rights to which Tristan refers are not rights at all, but a political ideology that most people have no time for.

Marxism is a failed ideology, and any state employing it is a failed state.

Shadow Minister: You must be a minister in the coalition government........
But it will not be for long.

RLP,

Not an MP nor a dull witted left whinger grasping at a fact free fantasy.

Shadow Minister ; Tell me why is it that liberal rights are speech, association and assembly are 'rights' - to be preserved and defended ; but there are no contextual rights for food, shelter, social inclusion, and social solidarity to provide every human being with a fulfilling life?

Although perhaps you don't support those liberal rights either?

Certainly the Federal Government likes raising concerns about 18C but interferes with or tries to delegitimise other peoples' liberals rights when they are in opposition to the government....

Curmudgeonathome:

Yes Marx developed some of his ideas from Smith, Ricardo, Hegel, the Young Hegelians. Few thinkers are 'purely original'. But Marx gave rise to a broad TRADITION which still has a lot to say. Personally I don't agree with the whole of the orthodoxy, or with the whole of Leninism or Trotskyism either. But Marx is everyone from Marx himself, to Luxemburg and Kautsky, to Bernstein and Gramsci ; to all the generations of critical theory ; and so on. Within that very broad tradition there are conflicts as well... ie: structuralism and anti-structuralism.

But as a socialist I look to traditions that have only tenuous links to Marx as well.... eg: Carlo Rosselli, Jean Jaures, John Stuart Mill ( who was a liberal first, arguably, but also very sympathetic to socialism)...

And some of the anarchists had some good ideas too. (though I'm definitely not an anarchist) eg: Proudhon on mutual aid. Chomsky considers himself an anarchist and has interesting things to say today. Though I find Bakunin's embrace of 'propaganda of the deed' objectionable and counter-productive. ie: it embraced a terrorism which was used as a pretext to suppress Marxist social democracy.

Tristan,

I realise that an old marxist like yourself would consider that social inclusivity more important than freedom from torture or arbitrary detention, but perhaps you need some clarification.

Human rights are generally the protection of the individual from abuses from the state or other persons with power, while what you consider social rights are simply aspirational ideals that the state should meet.

That most western states already meet all the human rights and social rights while marxist states meet neither says it all.

shadow minimum: I have a shock for you.
You will not benefit from the crumbs of trickledown because there will be nothing trickling down.
It is all a big con by the obscene rich right to get support from people like you to keep them in power and continue to live as the born to rule.
So having been informed of that, are you still going to support your neolib masters?
They will not thank you but they will continue to dazzle you with the conjuring tricks of plenty and power......... one day.