Lots of people here willing to ask the question :what is socialism? But no one seems prepared to venture an answer.

A little while back Belly started a thread about socialism. When I asked him and others what their definition was, no one ventured an answer. Belly thought the question was tantamount to a personal attack!!

Socialism is one of those terms that has lost all mean...if it ever had a meaning. Ask 10 people and you'll get 11 definitions.

I know what the term means to me, but it needs to be defined each time its used otherwise everyone talks at cross purposes.

My definition is that socialism is communism-lite. Whereas communism requires that the means of production be owned by the people (ie the state), socialism requires that the means of production be controlled by the state. Communism = dictatorship. Socialism might allow democracy but always fails that aim in the real world.

The ramifications of socialism are different to its aims. Inevitably, in so far as it has happened every time to date, socialism spirals into violence, dictatorship, want and massive inequality. Its not the aim of the ideology but the result.

Another trait of socialism is that while such states are arguably successful, socialists happily call said state socialist. As soon as it it spirals out of control, they suddenly decide its never really was socialist eg Venezuela.

Dear mhaze,

Medicare is a socialist form of attending to the healthcare of the populations.

That is why it is referred to as socialised medicine and it works.

Yet in a hypercapitalistic country like the US it is an anathema to both its ruling class as well as a sizable chunk of the population.

What is your stance on socialised medicine?

Bravo. I fine article describing the sad and regressive state of Australia. The living standards for workers are declining while corporate profits grow and bosses take home ever-increasing salaries. The old idea then present in Australia of a basic wage and an 8 hour day has disappeared in our imposed quest to be more 'efficient'.

The misnamed 'liberal' party is the conservative party. It has grown more conservative with time, certainly under that idiotic, alcoholic Abbot and now with the religious zealot scomo.

What Australia does need is a true left perspective, with politicians like Corbyn, AOC and Sanders. I see none on the horizon, but my fingers are crossed.

What I fine amusing is that Tristan an avowed marxist (a doctrine that has killed over 100m in the last century) is trying to judge the Liberal party on its "liberalism".

Liberals prefer smaller government and less government interference in their lives, however, they are not averse to public institutions providing services and assets where the public good far outweighs the profit potential or rules and regulations that significantly improve the lives of people. (such as seat belt requirement and competition rules)

On the grand scale, the comparison between labor and liberals, the liberals are way more "liberal" than Labor or the greens.

SR,

Medicare is socialised medicine??

Well, given that a very large minority of the country also has private insurance, that we have any number of private hospitals, that most doctors are private practitioners, and that the entire health system would collapse without these things, I think it might be a stretch to call our health system socialised.

Besides, I was talking about socialism as a national system. I don't really know that looking a one part of one part of the national economy and calling that socialised is valid.
After all, even that one part of one part only exists because the national capitalist economy generates sufficient wealth to make Medicare affordable.

We have a series of social programmes that are paid for by the various governments. That isn't socialism.

As to your utter misunderstanding of the US health system, you might like to research further and/or elsewhere. The US also has a range of social medical programmes like Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and various health services for veterans.

True socialised medicine only exists in truly socialist/communist countries. See Cuba for details. Oh and please please please don't come back with stories about how wonderful the Cuban health system is.

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On a side note, today is the one year anniversary of Liz Warren announcing DNA 'proof' that she was an Indian. Remember? Well to celebrate, and after being reminded of it, Fauxahontas deleted all internet records of that event. All tweets, videos, all mentions of her 'heritage'...all gone. If only you could do the same with all your posts on the issue on OLO, heh? If you ask Graham nicely.....

So Liz Warren was caught up in a bout of wishful thinking.....no different to the masses to be found at congregational churches