I am also rather depressed by the apparent inability of
the younger generation to think about serious issues like the future of the
planet.
Of course
there
are exceptions but most young workers today seem obsessed with getting
richer. Tony Blair is so much an animal of our time. Never trust a man who
ceaselessly grins. Such a lot of teeth.
Yours, Harry
Dear Harry,
Well, for a leftie, you seem extraordinarily misanthropic. For my part, I am
rather depressed about our Evening With Tony Benn last night. Until then, I
had admired him as a brilliant parliamentarian and debater, even if I seldom
agreed with him. My better half, who does not share my politics, was equally
disappointed, and disillusioned. We certainly did not expect the baloney we
got. To compensate, I bought a copy of his diaries and a video of his best
speeches. But last night the man couldn’t even bring himself to mention
socialism in a whole hour’s exposition of his political credo, and then
completely waffled away from my question as to what socialism was and where
it had ever worked.
Bestest, David
Dear David,
You seem to have judged Benn entirely on his failure to answer your
question. Perhaps he thought the answer so obvious that it was not worth
repeating. Why did you go and listen to him when you had decided in advance
that everything he said would be rubbish suitable for the music hall?
With comradely greetings, Harry
Dear Harry,
Your closed mind misleads you into assuming that mine is closed too. In
fact, I went because I expected eloquence and cogency; instead I got waffle:
Benn’s profound answer to my question was that socialism is a journey, not a
destination. If the answer to my question is so obvious to you, what is it?
Salutations, David
Dear David,
There are very good examples of the success of socialism. The reason you
have not noticed is that information is invariably manipulated by the fat
cats who run the media. With regard to your constantly repeated remarks
about socialism always failing economically, I would point out the clearly
remarkable economic growth of China. In the Observer, Jonathan Fenby, former
editor of the South China Morning Post, writes: “ China is
growing with bewildering speed and is on the way to becoming an economic
superpower... nowhere on earth is changing so fast and on such a scale....
China's gleaming airports put Heathrow to shame...Car production is rising
by millions of vehicles a year. There are about 300 million mobile phone
users. Shopping malls are crammed with designer clothes.... Despite a dip
last spring because of the Sars epidemic, China's economic growth should
still hit the 7 per cent target for the year, with industrial production up
by 16 per cent in the first six months..and even higher in the special
economic development zones... The Three Gorges dam, with its enormous
hydro-electric potential, has gone into operation, and there are plans for a
mammoth waterway across the country to check the recurrent pattern of
droughts and floods... It is breakneck momentum of socialism with Chinese
characteristics”.
Best regards, Harry
Dear Harry,
I thought information is invariably manipulated by media fat cats? Yet
the whole of your last letter relies on it. Anyway, thank you for Fenby’s
interesting piece, but your comment that it shows socialism does not fail
economically is bizarre because, in his very first paragraph, Fenby says “market
economics (my emphasis) and rampant consumerism (my emphasis)
meet the remnants (my emphasis) of Maoism” - this is socialism? He
also says: “It is not clear if even the leadership in its heavily guarded
Beijing compound knows exactly what is going on” . Is a heavily guarded
leadership a hallmark of the kind of socialism that you think is so
wonderful? - a system like that which produced the shameless massacre of
young people in Tiannamen Square? Fenby says China “remains stunted under
the authoritarian hand of a Communist party for which the retention of power
has become an end in itself”. What is so wonderful about that? Fenby refers
to China’s “tycoon class” - how can that be socialism? Fenby says “income
inequalities are enormous” - what kind of socialism is that? “There are
periodic demonstrations by workers who have not been paid”, says Fenby: that
is socialism? Harry - you have lost the plot completely.
Salaams, David
Dear David
Are you saying that China is a fine example of free market capitalism? You
must be off your trolley. You are amazingly prejudiced once you get a
crackpot idea in your nut. I see no reason why a socialist system should not
produce financially successful individuals. I am not talking about China
being wonderful in every way, only showing that yet again you are wrong in
saying socialism is always failing economically. The economic growth of
China is clearly remarkable. I am glad you are going off to France on
holiday. Perhaps it will concentrate your poor old brainbox a bit.
Cheers, Harry
Dear Harry
Yes, China’s economic progress has been remarkable - thanks, as Fenby says
in his very first paragraph, to market economics and rampant consumerism.
You think that's socialism? You extol the wonders of China’s economic
miracle as if non-socialist Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea had
never existed and despite the huge economic advance of India in the ten
years since it abandoned socialism. Are China's millionaires, to whom Fenby
refers, a demonstration of “from each according to his ability, to each
according to their needs”, the classic definition of socialism (as distinct
from T. Benn’s drivel)? Come off it! It is right always to kick against the
pricks. Hence this missive.
Yours biblically, David
