Was Jesus a socialist?
Geldo, don't you think in a sense we have "outgrown" socialism? The nation as a whole (and yes, I know you're British, but let me continue) has something like an 11% poverty rate. We have some aspects of socialism in our system, and I do admit that I admire certain elements of the more socialistic European systems, but I think we're doing pretty well as a country without having to redistribute the wealth to any great degree.
Thoughts?
Dag, one of the biggest problems with debating Socialism is that the word means so many different things to different people.
For some it means hardcore Marxist Leninism, forced collectivisation, tyranny, equality delivered by force against the people's interests or wishes. I deplore this version of Socialism, and it would certainly have horrified Marx himself.
To me it is an ideal, where basic human rights to healthcare, education, opportunity, housing, employment, free assembly, and religious, sexual and political freedom are all guaranteed.
This latter brand of Socilaism was the guiding philosophy of great political leaders such as Clement Attlee and thinkers like George Orwell. (Anyone who has read 1984 or Animal Farm knows how much Orwell despised Stalinism).
I believe that aspiring to create a better society where people are guaranteed such fundamental human rights is what modern progressive Socilaism is about and why it still has a role to play in our lives.
As for the redistribution of wealth issue. A Maoist would take away a billionaire's wealth at gunpoint and redistribute it among party officials but there are other better alternatives!
The best way to create redistribution of wealth is not to focus purely on making the rich poorer but to ensure the poor are equipped to cope in a capitalist economy. This might be achieved by investing money in rescuing people from 'ghettoism' where each generation facing a daily grind of poverty, desperation, criminality, and hopelessness creates and then reinforces another.
By raising taxes on the super-rich (not by much - maybe 3-5 per cent) governments could put money into education, trial some innovative social programmes which give individuals and communities a way out of poverty and state dependency. Give a man an education and a worthwhile job, and you give him hope and something to live for. Give him unemployment and surround him with crime, is it any wonder that he'll give up and snort his way into oblivion.
To me Socialism is about giving everyone a stake in society and a chance to play a role in its betterment. I think that's still worth believing in.