Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat
Individual Freedom For Everyone

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Mark Belfast: 'Newsnight - The Meaning of Socialism in 2010 - 7th September 2010'

Source:Mark Belfast- U.K. Labour Party member Tony Benn, talking to BBC's Newsnight in 2010.
"Newsnight debate in the middle of the Labour leadership campaign on 7th September 2010. Features veteran Labour politican Tony Benn and Political Editor of the 'New Statesman' Mehdi Hasan, interviewed by Jeremy Paxman." 

From Mark Belfast

The meaning of socialism as it was in 2010 and is now going into 2012, has the same meaning in Britain as it does in America. And its democratic socialism or social democracy meaning that the people have some personal economic liberty and there's private enterprise, but that it's heavily regulated and taxed to finance a large welfare state to provide a lot of social insurances. Like health care, health insurance, education, pensions, transportation, etc, even media. Basically the economic system that Sweden has. 

When most people in the West or developed world at least are talking about Socialists and socialism (at least in the positive sense) they're talking about social democracy. And in an economic sense that means having a strong, vibrant private economy and private sector, where individuals are highly taxed to fund a large welfare state, to provide the basic human and economic benefits that Socialists tend not to trust the private sector to provide individuals, like health care.