Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh View Post
Thus Soviet communism failed not simply because of centrally directed economics, but because of the inherent hypocrisy of the leadership cadre in the old CCCP? What say you?
There is centralised state capitalism: France. There is ultra neo-liberal communism: China.
Both escape the crude scale with free economy on one end and command economy on the other.

It is clear that centralised economies can function, sometimes very well. What did cause the dysfuntioning of Soviet communism, I couldn't say in a brief forum post. Nor, perhaps, in a lenghty essay either.


One thing struck me about an earlier post -- corruption. Perhaps that is THE defining element? To the extent that corruption is minimized, perhaps a culture/society can succeed under virtually ANY politico-economic system?
Do you have any idea how corrupt America and Britain appear to me? The extent to which the state is subordinate to further the private interests of private corporations is shocking to me. However, to an Anglosaxon, it simply means economical freedom. He defines it as economic freedom, will argue for tax reductions for corporations, for a retreat of government, for less regulation.

To an Anglosaxon, Greece appears to be endlessly corrupt. The politicians and the business leaders are not just in bed with one another, they are the very same persons. Contracts for waste disposal go to family members with a linked business. After a rigged bidding process, and to completely untransparant costs. A Greek might not immediately see this as corruption - why else would a local businessmen become mayor of his town if not to further his interests? And doesn't he employ a lot of people, who are dependent on the well-being of this business?


The funny thing is, that both the Anglosaxon and the Greek above will argue that the good of the businesses, which are indeed served in both examples, are the common good. And that criticism of their furthering the interests of their businesses in the manner they do is communist agitation.


Hence why I'm with the socialist protesters in Greece. The bloathed public sector, the corruption - they are not signs of leftwing wrongs to me, but rightist ones. To an American, they are decidedly unrightwing. Which shows the crudeness, perhaps uselessness, of regarding this as a left vs right problem.