The 87-year-old woman evicted from her home in Spain has died

Stonemason said:
Maybe I understand communism better. After all, it has been tried in a lot of countries and it failed. Or its offspring socialism - you know, that thing of which Margeret Thatcher said : The only problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.
Or Winston Chrchill who said: Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.
But, on the other hand, I think I understand capitalism very well. It ensures that I can have a roof over my head, food to eat and clothes to wear without having to beg other people for help.
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Thatherism is all good until you run out of other people's infrastructure to sell off to your mates.
 
Stonemason said:
Another young student.

In South Africa the ANC's particular brand of socialism is already running out of other people's money.
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You mentioned Thatcherism. Did you know, young student, that she sold off Britain's water utility companies debt free?

They have since paid out around £85 billion in dividends while accumulating roughly £87 billion in debt.

So, far from being a privatisation success, it merely created a private monopoly environment in which the end user customer, who has no choice of supplier, is left to pick up the cost of these shareholder dividends through higher charges. And it's not as if they've improved service in any way either.

Privatising monopoly industries rarely creates greater efficiency, but it makes a few people buckets of money.

Much like the ANC cadre model.
 
robinsonia said:
China is neither socialist nor communist.
Private property, billionaire class structures, profit motives, and corporate labor practices says China operates much like any other state-driven capitalist society. It's a one party capitalist state.
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Mostly correct, with key differences though.

Key "Pillars of society" are managed by the state in the best interests of the many. These include education, healthcare and food production etc where excessive profiteering is forbidden.
 
vigras rojara said:
You mentioned Thatcherism. Did you know, young student, that she sold off Britain's water utility companies debt free?

They have since paid out around £85 billion in dividends while accumulating roughly £87 billion in debt.

So, far from being a privatisation success, it merely created a private monopoly environment in which the end user customer, who has no choice of supplier, is left to pick up the cost of these shareholder dividends through higher charges. And it's not as if they've improved service in any way either.

Privatising monopoly industries rarely creates greater efficiency, but it makes a few people buckets of money.

Much like the ANC cadre model.
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I think you are cherry picking facts from history. You forgot to include the fact that Thatcher had to rebuild the UK after Labour's devastating policies and how she broke the back of trade unions that destroyed the British car industry and caused the de-industrialisation of the UK.
Regardless, I am not concerned about Thatcher or the UK. I am concerned about the new fashion amongst uninformed young people to denounce capitalism and embrace socialism without understanding either concept.
 
Stonemason said:
I think you are cherry picking facts from history. You forgot to include the fact that Thatcher had to rebuild the UK after Labour's devastating policies and how she broke the back of trade unions that destroyed the British car industry and caused the de-industrialisation of the UK.
Regardless, I am not concerned about Thatcher or the UK. I am concerned about the new fashion amongst uninformed young people to denounce capitalism and embrace socialism without understanding either concept.
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Once again, you brought up Thatcherism. Perhaps she broke the back of the trade unions, but that didn't rescue industry, so what did she actually achieve?

She also didn't have to sell off public infrastructure to achieve that - all that achieved is higher costs for the consumer, and I somehow end up paying my electricity and gas bill to a company called Electricite de France. 🤔

Private ownership is absolutely preferable where businesses have to compete for customers, but to just assume that it's preferable in all circumstances is misleading.
 
vigras rojara said:
Once again, you brought up Thatcherism. Perhaps she broke the back of the trade unions, but that didn't rescue industry, so what did she actually achieve?

She also didn't have to sell off public infrastructure to achieve that - all that achieved is higher costs for the consumer, and I somehow end up paying my electricity and gas bill to a company called Electricite de France. 🤔

Private ownership is absolutely preferable where businesses have to compete for customers, but to just assume that it's preferable in all circumstances is misleading.
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I feel your pain but I am afraid your woes are only just starting. I would not wish your Prime Minister on anyone.
 
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