#socialdemocracy

[omegaphilosophia]

Alternatives to Capitalism

Identifying economic systems that may be considered better than capitalism depends on the criteria used for comparison, such as equity, sustainability, and overall societal well-being. Here are some alternative systems, each with its potential benefits and drawbacks:

1. Social Democracy

Description:

A political, social, and economic philosophy within a capitalist framework that emphasizes social justice, government intervention, and the welfare state.

Benefits:

Equity: Strong focus on reducing inequality through progressive taxation and wealth redistribution.

Welfare: Comprehensive social safety nets, including healthcare, education, and unemployment benefits.

Regulation: Strict regulations on businesses to protect workers, consumers, and the environment.

Drawbacks:

Economic Efficiency: Potentially higher taxes and regulation can impact business incentives and economic efficiency.

Government Size: Large government programs may lead to bureaucratic inefficiencies.

Examples:

Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

2. Democratic Socialism

Description:

A political philosophy that advocates for political democracy alongside social ownership of the means of production, extensive welfare programs, and economic planning.

Benefits:

Social Ownership: Emphasis on worker cooperatives and public ownership can lead to more equitable wealth distribution.

Democratic Control: Democratic decision-making processes in economic planning aim to meet the needs of the majority.

Social Welfare: Extensive welfare programs ensure basic needs are met for all citizens.

Drawbacks:

Economic Efficiency: May face challenges in innovation and efficiency due to reduced profit motives.

Implementation: Transitioning to this system can be difficult and disruptive.

Examples:

Elements found in policies proposed by some political parties and movements in various countries, though not fully implemented anywhere on a national scale.

3. Eco-Socialism

Description:

A blend of socialism and environmentalism, focusing on social ownership and ecological sustainability.

Benefits:

Sustainability: Prioritizes environmental health and sustainable development.

Social Equity: Combines social ownership with efforts to reduce inequality.

Community Focus: Emphasizes local, decentralized economies and participatory democracy.

Drawbacks:

Economic Growth: May limit economic growth due to stringent environmental regulations.

Scalability: Localized economies may struggle to scale and integrate into global markets.

Examples:

Green political movements and policies, though not fully implemented as a national system.

4. Participatory Economics (Parecon)

Description:

An economic system based on participatory decision-making, worker and consumer councils, and equitable distribution of resources.

Benefits:

Democracy: Emphasizes direct participation in economic decision-making.

Equity: Focus on equitable distribution of income and resources.

Efficiency: Aims to align production with social needs and reduce waste.

Drawbacks:

Complexity: Requires significant coordination and participation, which can be challenging on a large scale.

Transition: Moving from a capitalist system to Parecon would be complex and require significant societal changes.

Examples:

Theoretical and has not been implemented on a large scale, but certain cooperative movements and local experiments reflect its principles.

5. Commons-Based Peer Production

Description:

An economic system that emphasizes collaborative, decentralized production, often facilitated by digital platforms, and focuses on shared resources (the commons).

Benefits:

Innovation: Encourages open collaboration and innovation.

Sustainability: Reduces resource waste through shared use and collaborative consumption.

Empowerment: Empowers individuals and communities through direct participation and control over production.

Drawbacks:

Monetization: Can struggle with monetizing contributions and ensuring fair compensation.

Scalability: May face challenges in scaling beyond certain sectors, especially those not easily digitized.

Examples:

Open-source software projects, Wikipedia, and other collaborative platforms.

Conclusion

Each of these systems offers alternative approaches to address some of the shortcomings of capitalism, such as inequality, environmental harm, and exploitation. However, they also come with their own set of challenges and trade-offs. The best system may involve a hybrid approach, incorporating elements from various systems to balance economic efficiency, social equity, and environmental sustainability.

[llewelynpritch]

https://youtu.be/Vl0UvnkbQ24 Richard Wolff talks about democratizing the workplace as one of 3 basic kinds of socialism 2019 Types: 1 Social Democracy 2 Marxist-Leninism Socialism 3 Libertarian Democratic Socialism in the Workplace

[jestesgrupy]

#hugochavez #socialdemocracy #socialdemocracia https://www.instagram.com/p/ClvlaRwtc5P/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[anarchomitsumi]

i can't believe i have to deal with people romanticizing pedro sanchez. im glad you love your wife man but yknow who else it'd be cool for you to care about? the tens of millions of people affected by the unchecked prize rise in renting and the housing market. among others ^-^

[mesetacadre]

One mistake that is very common for communists to make (both online and offline, though it's more annoying online) when talking about and participating in trade unions is forgetting both your and the union's place in class struggle.

A trade union is by its very nature a reformist entity that fights partial struggles at best and reinforces the state's management of capitalism at worst. The purpose of any trade union is to represent a group of workers at the a company or sector at the same level of the capitalists who run it to achieve better conditions for the workforce. Two crucial aspects of this are (1) that it simply puts the workers at the same level of capitalists to negotiate, it does not question the very role of the capitalist in the wider economy, and (2) its ultimate goal is always to reform the contract that defines the relationship between the worker and the capitalist, not to remove it altogether. It does not matter the amount or length of strikes the union might organize, or how much they embolden workers to act in their (supposed) interest. Every fight organized by a union is, by definition, reformist. The only situations in which unions seize to have this character are in either a dictatorship of the proletariat, and like any other element of the superstructure it's put to work in the interests of the working class, or a situation with a strong communist party pre-revolution that has been able to influence the union in such a way that it becomes internally aligned with the interests of the vanguard.

Does this mean that unions are worthless and that we should ignore them because they don't immediately acquire rifles and take over human resources? No. What we should do is avoid creating false illusions or misplacing importance on these fights

An organized (that is, in a communist party) communist's role is to elevate the working masses to a revolutionary conscience, so that the party can have the sufficient amount of people, and organizational capability, to exploit the crises of capitalism to their favor. And this never changes, no matter the context of your intervention. When you go to a protest, you are a communist in that protest, not just another protestor. When you do work in a union, you are a communist in a union, not a unionist. This means that your work and your interactions with other workers should always be done as a communist. You may be an active member of a union, in fact that's the main way for organized communists to act in a workplace, if their party does not have the sufficient strength to act on its own. But you're a communist first, a communist who understands the utility of unions to create the seed of revolutionary-political conscience in workers.

And a misunderstanding of any of these two concepts usually manifests in what I see some communists do, which is taking the reformist slogans of trade unions ("fight for a just wage", "united we bargain", or just an oversimplified "join a union!", for example) and parroting them without much apparent thought. Trade unionism and socialdemocracy go hand in hand, these two currents hinge on the idea of promising workers a bigger slice of the national wealth. But the difference between these two, and part of the reason why many more communists are less critical towards unions I think, is that unions take the position of workers, the "underdog", while socialdemocracy deals directly with putting reforms in place. But ultimately they both misdirect the spontaneous conscience workers acquire by the everyday class antagonism towards policies that reinforce capitalism and the system of wage labor through which workers are exploited in the first place.

[ikno-io]

Explore the intricacies of the Labour Party, its history, ideologies, major policies, and contemporary relevance in politics. read the full article: https://bit.ly/4csOl5U #LabourParty #socialdemocracy #democraticsocialism #workersrights #politicalhistory read more: what is labour party

[manuelntl]

Il partito guidato dal dimissionario Enrico Letta vede il segno meno in un pendant tragico: -0,7 per cento rispetto alla scorsa rilevazione, scendendo così al minimo storico, 14 per cento. Un tracollo che assume i contorni della tragedia. Il Pd è il vero malato cronico, che discetta di date, primarie, voto on line, mentre i dati segnalano un vero naufragio. Il sondaggio registra un nuovo tonfo in attesa di “messianiche” primarie, di discussioni inconcludenti e di un nuovo segretario. . . . #politics #political #politic #politicians #politicaitaliana #politicalnews #politicalcompass #politicstoday #newpolitics #politicsnews #punjabpolitics #aktiv #congress #democrat #democrats #breakingnews #jornalismo #noticia #liberalismo #socialchange #socialdemocracy #ideology #socialmovements #democraticdebate #larepubblica #centrodemocratico #político #amanoamano https://www.instagram.com/p/CnQNNPcqeI7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[tracyfance]

Capitalism Does Not Work

I’m not really a political animal, mostly I don’t get it all & I don’t have the time or inclination to change that, however I recently read the book The Myth of Being Normal by Gabor Mate & it really fired my mind as it is a thought that I’ve had for some time but had not crystallised.

In October 2020 the Swiss bank UBS reported that during Covid-19 the market turmoil the international billionaire stratum had grown their fortunes to over ten trillion dollars between April & July alone. The world’s richest individual at the time, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, had increased his wealth by over $74 billion; Elon Musk of Tesla increased his by up to $103 billion. The top 20 of Canada’s richest billionaires became collectively $37 billion richer (reported by the Toronto Star). That’s in the midst of an economic crisis that left millions of Canadians unemployed or working reduced hours & struggling to pay their bills, with governments borrowing to fund emergency financial aid for individuals & businesses to stave off even greater hardship.

The notion that capitalism is meant to provide equality & opportunity for all must be taken on faith, since history & material reality provide no evidence of it.

In the realm of political decision-making, a widely circulated US study showed that the views of ordinary people make no difference to public policy: a lack of control on a mass scale. When a majority of citizens disagree with economic elites or with organised interests, they generally lose. Even when fairly large majorities favour policy change they generally do not get it.

‘Why do rich people have so much power?” Asked the New York Times. Because the USA & UK are less a democracy & more like an oligarchy. This makes the leading parties ‘one corporate being wearing two heads & different make-up.’ In many countries, behind the democratic facade the real power is wielded by the moneyed few.

In 1972, the spirited Scottish labour leader Jimmy Reid gave an address that the New York Times called ‘the greatest speech since President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Reid may not have studied the psychology or neurobiology of stress, but he understood everything about uncertainty, loss of control & conflict in lives of the people he represented. ‘Alienation is the precise & correctly applied word for describing the major social problem in Britain today’ he declared. ‘People feel alienated by society…Let me right at the outset define what I mean by alienation. It is the cry of men who feel themselves the victims of blind economic forces beyond their control. It’s the frustration of ordinary people excluded from the processes of decision-making. The feeling of despair & hopelessness that pervades people who feel with justification that they have no real say in shaping or determining their own destinies’.  

Reid’s speech was given at the tail end of a brief post-war era of relatively enlightened social programs at a time the system he excoriated was exhibiting its most benevolent face. What might he have to say today?

Capitalism is not working, it is making the rich, richer and the poor, poorer, plus it is creating a mindset that fuels poor health; job security fears, money worries etc.

(Gabor Mate; The Myth of Being Normal)

#capitalismisfailing #socialdemocracy #moneyhealth

[scouse1g]

#socialism #socialist #democraticsocialism #eugenevdebs #eugenedebs #communism #anarchism #libertariansocialism #socialdemocracy https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch0_NxIrZk4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[goransulaimani]

ئەندامی سەرکردایەتی شارەکەیەتی لە پارتی سۆشیاڵ دیموکراتی ئەڵمانیا لە ڕێگای ئەو پەڕلەمانەوە کار بۆ لایەنی ژینگە و شارەوانی و بەڕێوەبردنی شار دەکەن He is a member of the city leadership of the German Social Democratic Party Through this parliament, they work for the environment, municipalities and city management وهو عضو في قيادة المدينة للحزب الاشتراكي الديمقراطي الألماني من خلال هذا البرلمان ، يعملون من أجل البيئة والبلديات وإدارة المدينة #kurd #germany #kurdistan #boy #party #socialdemocracy https://www.instagram.com/p/CfmWYwZsIxd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[serenata-your-neighborhood-lefty]

Mental health in lockdown

Yes lockdown poses its own mental health challenges. But can we stop pretending our former world of long working hours, stressful commutes, hectic crowds, soulless shopping centres, infinite choice, mass consumerism, air pollution and 24/7 everything was a mental health utopia

[ridenwithbiden]

[anarchomitsumi]

twitter makes me go insane i feel like everybody there is the spawn of socialdemocracy as dramatic as it sounds stop being so celebrity obsessed that man doesn't understand what the class war is

[mesetacadre]

On Spain, Palestine, and socialdemocracy

I'm sorry to my spanish-speaking friends but this post is mostly meant for the various people who aren't that familiar with Spanish politics so they fully understand the context of Spain's recognition of Palestine, so it'll be written in English instead of Spanish.

Ever since the Spanish government decided to recognize Palestine, amongst other events, I've seen many friends celebrating. This is normal, of course, but the over-enthusiasm makes me think some of you are lacking context.

First, the arms trade. At least since 1995, Spain has sold arms, munitions, explosives, and vehicles to Israel, according to the government's own sources. The total value of arms and munitions exports since 1995 amounts to 36,616,066.21€ ($39,730,901) and 800,417.6kg (1,764,616.6 pounds). The total of "airships and spatial vehicles" amounts to 233,622,074.13€ ($253,495,704.46). Officials have repeatedly stated that, since Oct 7 2023, there have been no arms sales to Israel. However, in November of 2023, this website shows an arms export worth 987,000€ ($1,070,961.56) in the subcategory of "bombs, grenades, torpedoes, missiles". In December of 2023 there is another export with the same category as the last one worth 125,240€ ($135,893.85). The government has stated that the November export was made up of "medium caliber munitions without explosives" (which is weird that it was classified under bombs, grenades, torpedoes and missiles but whatever) and that it had already been agreed upon before Oct 7th. I'm sure that the Palestinians appreciate the munitions they are being killed with do not explode, and that the 552kg (1,216.95 pounds) of "gunpowder and explosives" exported in 2023 will also go very well with those non-explosive munitions. And, regardless, we all know that the Palestinian genocide did not start last October. This is also just the publicly available data, but I think we can trust them to be honest :)

For some context on the political situation. In July of 2023 we had general elections in which a coalition government was formed. The biggest party in this coalition is the PSOE, the president's (Pedro Sánchez) party, a socialdemocratic party that has governed on-and-off since the establishment of the current liberal democracy in 1978, this will be important later. The other member of this coalition is Sumar, a further-left socialdemocratic party that is itself a broader coalition of almost all parliamentarty "leftist" groups, such as IU (United Left) and the PCE (Spanish Communist Party, don't get too caught up on the name because their eurocommunist turn in the 60s has rendered then just another socdem party). The election was very closed and the coalition was almost not formed, and in the end PSOE had to reach an agreement with the pro-Catalan independence parties. All of this means that it has been a weak government without much cohesion, which in turns means every member of the coalition has been doing everything they can to reinforce their position. One example of this was Pedro Sánchez's letter contemplating resigning because of the verbal attacks he and his wife had been recueveing from the opposition. That letter forced every entity in the parliamentary and even some in the extra-parliamentary left to express support for Sánchez, and after announcing he would not be resigning, polling shows support for his government increased, though this is disputed by some and I'm suspicious of it myself.

Anyhow, this is important because the parties that make up the government are being very conscious about their support, more than usual. The decision to finally recognize Palestine (and I'm not even getting into the Palestinian National Authority, which is what they're actually recognizing) comes in this context of insecurity regarding their support, and comes after weeks of encampments and other protests in universities across the entire country. The continued arms exports, the delay in taking the decision and the context of the decision makes it quite obviously an opportunistic move to garner support. But is the recognition actually meaningful for Palestinians suffering a genocide? Barely. It might pave the way for Palestine's inclusion in the UN (the US will veto anyway) (and it's not like the UN can do more than stern condemnations). What does not change is the continuous arms exports since at least when export data was first published, and the commercial relations the government and Spanish monopolies have with Israel, all of which allow Israel to carry out genocide. And even if Spain had never sold even a grain of gunpowder to Israel, and even if no economic relations had ever been established, Spain is an important member of NATO and the EU.

A few days ago it was 43 years since Spain officially joined NATO in 1982 without a referendum, since polling showed only 18% supported joining NATO, and 52% outright opposed it. It was only 4 years later, in 1986, when PSOE carried out a referendum on remaining in NATO (note: the PSOE had gone from fully opposing NATO membership when they were in the opposition to defending it after winning the elections). The question was "Do you consider Spain remaining in the Atlantic Alliance under the terms agreed upon by the Nation's Government to be convenient". This question did not actually say "NATO" (OTAN in Spanish) and it did not make clear what people were actually voting on. 52.24% voted yes. One of the unwritten prerequisites for joining the EU in 1985 was to also be a member of NATO.

NATO is an imperialist alliance that has always defended the continuity of Israel, and its member states have always supplied it with the resources necessary to displace, opress, and kill the Palestinian people. The economic benefits of this fact permeates the economy of every NATO member state. The same goes for the EU, which is one of the most significant trade partners of Israel. And the increase of intensity in the genocide Israel commits is happening parallel to the EU's turn towards a military economy. For example, the European Stability Mechanism, founded in 2011, has given the EU member states 400,000,000,000€ ($434,059,923,120) to invest in the "defense" industry and the "green transition". The European Commissioner Thierry Breton said in early April of this year that "we need to change the paradigm and transition to the mode of war production", amongst other warmongering statements by European leaders. Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany have already expanded military service. This is all, of course, driven by the interimperialist war in Ukraine, but the investment in the war industry will undoubtedly continue to fuel Israel's occupation.

There is no group within the Spanish parliament (and very few outside the parliament) that even begins to question NATO and EU membership. The government can get away with this apparent pro-Palestine (more like two-state solution but that's beyond the point) posturing because regardless of Spain's own exports and positions, its membership in NATO and the EU will be the most relevant factor in its ties with Israel. Recognition of a nation as a "legitimate" country does not have a material effect on the Palestinians' situation, and the unquestioned participation in these imperialist alliances does. PSOE's slogan for next week's European elections is "More Europe". Do not let empty actions distract you from the real facts of Spain's unbroken complicitness in this genocide

[milesdemos667]

One Big Happy Family! Why AOC and Bernie Are Donald Trump's Best Friends.

One Big Happy Family! Why AOC and Bernie Are Donald Trump’s Best Friends.

Hello, world, from Millennial Democrats! We hope it finds you well. Earlier today, a debate was held between a few of our members, which led to a consensus decision. Some asked if I would clarify the organization’s reasons for refusing to support Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as there are certainly many people on the left who, to put it mildly, do not agree with that decision. First…