Why do Socialists in America always claim that Europe is an exampale of how socialism works?
You are a good example how American propaganda even contaminates Europe. You think socialism is the same as communism. But there are so many forms of socialism, the most popular one in Europe being democratic socialism. “Europe” is not socialist, you can’t look at it like one country and it is no example how socialism works. But in Europe there is mostly one big democratic socialist and one big conservative party struggling for votes. Some governments work really good with this democratic socialism, for example SPD chancellors Helmut Schmidt and ***** Brandt being the best Germany ever had, and some don’t. If the conservatives fail, it is the socialists chance to bring about change. If they fail again the conservatives gain power, this is so great about European politics. In America there are just two right wing parties nothing social, as a result f their anti-scoialism propaganda, but it needs to be changed!
First off, here in the states we have about 5,000 members of the ‘Socialist Party’ in the entire country. Basically they have zero influence. Second, as far as I know, no country in Europe has an economic system where the government owns the means of production and distribution. The so called ‘liberals’ are mostly a strawman construct of the right wing radio talk show dummies that pimp for the reactionaries that hijacked the Republican Party forty years ago and gifted us with characters like Reagan and the Bush Junta. The current GOP hits all of the high points that define some kind of goofball semi-fascisti bull @#$% where the trans-national corporations and the already well off get a free ride and the 95% of Americans who work for wages get royally $%^ed over. The only thing that working class Americans want is well financed public education through the university level, affordable HEALTH INSURANCE, decent retirement and a clean environment. All of those things should be considered b
Speaking as an American socialist, let me explain: American socialists are out of ideas. They don’t want to be associated with the command economy, so they latch all their hopes to the Keynesian welfare state- which isn’t really socialist. Keynsianism, however, is an attempt to save capitalism from the flaws of Says Law with strategic government spending to up aggregate demand. It’s not socialism. Neither is the modern welfare state, which evolved out of Keynesianism. The welfare state relies on taxes, and if the market isn’t healthy than there’s nothing to tax. The welfare state, however leach-like it is, can only survive as long as capitalism survives. I’d remind you, however, that most western socialists in general do the same thing. I’m sure there are still self-proclaimed socialists in the Labour party that still fall into this trap, just like the mainstream socialists parties on the mainland. Around the world, socialists are so used to being accused of “not being a real socialist
