The BBC has long pandered to the idea that Capitalism is finished and that a great new idea must replace it, a great leap forward in the way mankind provides the necessities, and luxuries, of life for itself. It’s complete rubbish of course, Capitalism, like Democracy, maybe the worst form of running our affairs, except for all the others. It does need reining in naturally but it has lifted so many billions of people out of poverty and hard laborious lives that for all its ills it is still the only true way of life that provides material benefits and the essential freedoms necessary for a civilised society such as individualism and choice in how we conduct our own lives…and of course the essential ability to have a say in and influence on how a society is run.
The BBC would like to see the end of Capitalism but what would it replace it with? You don’t hear much about that, which could be a problem. More of a problem is that nearly all other systems are run by dictators at the point of a gun and necessitate the use of force to run ‘smoothly’, or at least give the impression of running smoothly as all information to the contrary gets suppressed.
You just have to look at the petty class-war nastiness we get from the Left already to know how full blown Corbynism would play out. People pay for the state education system regardless of whether they use it or not, and the richer you are the more you will pay towards it. If you send your children to private school you are making the state system less crowded and are ensuring that each pupil in that system gets more money per head and yet Labour want to take away the charitable status of private schools. Similarly we now hear that Labour wants to make hospitals provide free parking, as they should, but to do it by taxing private health care more. As with schools the Rich pay for the NHS regardless of whether they use it or not, and they pay far more than somebody on a low income. Again by not using the NHS they free up resources for NHS patients that would otherwise be spread more thinly. And yet Labour wants to punish those who use private health care. Moronic dogmatic ideology, they should encourage people to take out private health care and education so that those in the state system get more resources and attention per pupil or patient.
You may have received your tax summary for the year recently which tells you how your tax contributed to public spending.
Income tax and National Insurance are not the biggest source of income for government, surprisingly maybe, indirect taxes, such as VAT or the fuel levy, are. In effect, whatever you earn, hardly any of it goes into your own pocket at the end of the day. But here’s the most important point…all that Government income comes from Businesses, Capitalism, one way or another. So again, how does the BBC propose to replace that system of funding and provision for all necessary government spending to feed, school, house, clothe, care for, defend and entertain the masses? An allotment with a goat and a couple of chickens out the back just won’t cut it. Maybe if you have a magic money tree….didn’t end well for Adam and Eve did it? Keep away from the trees and snakeoil salesmen like Corbyn.
Government spending is huge and most, around 70%, goes on what might all be lumped together under the title of welfare…the top four items being Benefits, Health, Pensions and Education. The next highest cost is national debt interest, that’s just the interest on the debt not paying off the debt itself. It is higher than defence and public order and safety. More than housing, more than on business and industry, more than on transport. And yet Labour and the BBC keep telling us we must rack up more and more debt…which accrues more and more interest payments. Labour says this is good…borrow to take industries like Rail, Water and Power out of private hands and stop profits going to the banks…hmmm…and who do they borrow the money off, and who gets all those interest payments? The Banks. Labour’s policy is all smoke and mirrors, lies. Shame the BBC doesn’t point that out.
No such thing as a free lunch or indeed a free renationalised rail service.
The BBC’s position on Business is of course a complete farce so muddled and contradictory is it. On the one hand they roundly oppose what they call consumerism, on the other they constantly criticise government for not increasing productivity and not making Britain a more successful place business-wise. I would like to know how they define consumerism…how much is too much…and which jobs and industries would they like to shut down? Which products and how many, should people buy?…..sounds dangerously close to Communism where the government decides all that.
Maybe the BBC has a five year plan. Or an orchard.
How many times does it have to spectacularly fail for them to realise it is a bad idea?
Our state broadcaster is an object lesson in how communist philosophy goes awry. Funds from rich and poor are taken equally to run it but it does not create some wondrous world where all are equally served; inevitably a tiny elite in no way representative of the majority takes control and tells them what to do. So we get a powerful clique lording it over others just like before. Just as Orwell demonstrated so brilliantly in Animal Farm.
How much better would their output be if they were left to the free market and had to rely on subscriptions only? The would have to stop patronising and insulting us.
Beeb Bro.
Once again you’ve hit the bullseye as you so frequently do. Thank you.
I’m getting old
I knew this when Corbin got elected leader of the Labour Party and then when I saw the manifesto for the last election .
But then I remembered that politicians depend on both the gullibility of voters along with their lack of memory
So voters swallowed the uncosted promises of endless benefits and spending plans . And al beeb let them drone on about ‘ haven’t got the figures with me ‘ and ‘ I need to check my iPad ‘ and ‘ politics isn’t about numbers any more ‘.
So if the tories screw it up again labour will offer jam tomorrow and hey presto – Mcdonald/Corbin PM .
As Rees-Mogg recently pointed out there is only private money – any other variety is that same money recycled.
Funny how our Oxbridge-educated BBC employees can’t quite grasp the fact. Either that or they believe Cuba and Venezuela were embryonic beacons of wealth, prosperity and enlightenment which were smothered at birth by the evil U.S. Empire.
Johnny
Yes and that bit on questiontime when he explained it to the audience thereby shutting every one up . Some poor labour mp who obviously didn’t “ do” numbers sat there fearful she might get a question
And following on from my bit above – when a promise became an aspiration. Such as paying off all student debt . And increasingly it didn’t kill of even the slightest credibility Mcdonald / Corbin might have .,Come back Gordon pfi Brown or maybe not …
The fact that the state takes all income up to to a date in May each year concentrates the mind . And that profound concept that socialists think they can spend your money in better ways than you can used to be the big difference until the dreadful red tories came along
The trouble is that we now have a generation that cannot remember Communism in action I am of the generation that remembers that people were shot trying to escape the eastern bloc. People like Corbin seemed to have no problem with their pet regimes actions at that time. It has become apparent that the upcoming generation have deliberately not been taught the shortcomings and dangers of a Marxist regime and all that it entails.
Indeed Swelter.
My 15yr old daughter was moaning to us about how fed up she was of studying the Nazi’s over and over again. So I asked her what they’d been taught about the Communist’s. “who are the Communists?” was her reply. I was shocked for a second or so but quickly realised it’s part of the plan, isn’t it!
Tipple you strike a chord .I recommended to a friends student aged sprogs that they read some Aleksandra Solzhenitsyn . Blank looks and bewilderment from them both. Cancer Ward was required reading when I was at school .The Progressives have got the children I’m afraid .
I try to discuss historical and political matters with her but she’d rather watch YouTube make-up tips or be on her phone to her mates, and that I shout at the telly rather to often for her liking.
Is that monicker reference to Swelter from Gormenghast?
Yes Tipple.my moniker is from Gormanghast. Keep our end up… All the best to you.
Thought so. Could never persuade anyone to read Meryvin Peake books, but I loved them. Could never get anyone to read Conrad either, I imagine it was all just too much detail for their minds to behold.
All the best to you too.
BBC anti-capitalism would be easier to accept if they paid their top executives and on-air talent the same as they pay their canteen staff.
There is always a new generation of idealists coming through who don’t know the history of the gulag and the killing fields and who are susceptible to the Utopian fantasies of the Left. If Corbyn does win the next election, the country will of course go to the dogs. But will the Left start to question their dogma? No, it will be the usual excuse that they were prevented from properly implementing real socialist policies by sinister reactionary forces. Even though socialism has never succeeded anywhere, even though in all its various manifestations it has never once produced a free and prosperous society that people didn’t want to escape from, the fantasy that there is a “pure” form of socialism waiting to be put into practice will live on.
I thought the “Magic Money Tree” was Fractional Reserve Banking?
A possible answer to the central question Alan asks is that while the state broadcaster id renowned for attacking capitalism it is equally renowned for offering no viable alternative.
Perhaps the reason is entitlement
This organisation actually believes it is entitled to the Licence Tax and to largely oppose the views of the majority ( mainly silent) who provide it under criminal proceedings for non payment.
The problem is not capitalism it is the voracious appetite of the entire public sector ( including third lot) and their mindset of entitlement as opposed to service.
S
As you mention the third sector -I’m guessing the worst thing Oxfam , save the kids, unthis and unthat -is that people are lifted out of poverty and educated to think for themselves -perhaps -radically – with a government which isn’t too corrupt .
What would these self service business charities do then?
Al beeb was trumpeting a save the kids survey that all the kids live in war zones and something must be done but of course it serves there purpose that things get worse .
“For only £3 you can buy a kid / donkey / water bucket if you ring this number now – don’t let them die .. “ says millionaire actor wearing a tee shirt
The BBC is prime example of a non capitalist organisation as it feeds off the taxpayer and is gifted a quasi monopoly position in many areas of U.K. broadcasting . From the luxury of this position it can criticise capitalism and the Conservatives free of any sanction . Why do we allow this? Why is the decision about the BBC, it’s format and funding as taken in the 1920s still holy writ? After all no one expects to drive a model T Ford any more.