Conservative justifies (virtually extinct) capitalism in the UK (26Aug11)

[TimeWarp66]

Conservatives in the uk are collectivist altruists

[johnny771977]

That lady is SEXY!

[Alan7997]

It's quite simple - a more diverse job market gives people more choice in what they want to do in life with the work force more evenly distributed in different industries, no one industry will have so many workers that pay and conditions plummet. Better pay and conditions in all industries (even burger flipping) and the prospect of career advancement gives people a working identity in life - something that the current job market does not do. This is how you cure disillusionment in society.

[AnnoyedDragon]

News of the world went down because they showed a level of disrespect for the public that morally disgusted them, to the point that companies pulled their advertising; and the newspaper went down.

Now if the government then propped up the news of the world, keeping them open with subsidies, where would be the incentive to avoid this behaviour? They would likely continue it, probably take it a few steps even further.

This is exactly the sort of behaviour our government advocates with bailouts.

[afare1]

Capitalism is a society where the means of production are privately owned, not state-owned, right? Then, the extend to which the state intervenes into markets is not necessarily a characteristic of capitalism. If being a capitalist meant no market intervention, i.e. let the market's supply and demand dictate everything then no country would have agricultural subsidies, that would be bad. This binary distinction on economics that free markets are good and market intervention is bad is too simply

[AmerginMacEccit]

@afare1

Why on earth agricultural subsidies, or any subsidies for that matter, are any good? Who subsidies my small business when my money are stolen in taxes and given to subsidied businesses?

[Sydwayman]

@AmerginMacEccit Is your small business providing the country with food?

[TheSyndicate07]

Capitalism didn't give us this crisis, the lack of free markets and sound money did. Capitalism should not be condemned, since we haven't had capitalism. Government does have a role to play, but it's not proactive. Government's job is to get out of the way.

There is no evidence that capitalism exists today. One may condemn the fraud and the current system, but it must be called by its proper names — Keynesian inflationism, interventionism, and corporatism.

[kbdkbd99]

It's astonishing to me how far the left have been allowed to paint the picture - that what we have now is capitalism.

Firstly, the state spends over 50% of GDP - so at best we only have 50% capitalism. Then you have to acknowlege that the remaining 50% is vastly controlled by government regulation.

It's a FACT we do not have capitalism.

We have state corporatism. Large coporations get favours from government elites to run monoplies.

We have a failure.

But is it NOT a failure of capitalism

[ukipwarrior]

The Libyan Civil war kicking out their socialist corrupt dictator is the start of another revolt!!

[irdial]

None of these people even know what capitalism is. Thats why Moore says, capitalism appears to be in the interest of a very small number of people". QED he does not understand what capitalism is. The writers at the Telegraph are totally mistaken about the things they defend; they do not even know what they are, cannot define them and hence, cannot form coherent arguments about them.

[Clausewitzz]

Strange argument that people who lended caused the crisis...

Who allowed them to lend?

When you and i lend to somebody the risks in getting it back is our own, the risks of all these loans to people who shoundt have gotten it has been pushed on the taxpayers, becaus scamming bankers have more rights then you and i... to big to fail as they call it and you and i are not.

[erelpc]

The markets were left to self-regulate? What planet is she on!? If only they were and the state didn't choose the winners and losers in the market.

[MrAngry61]

Crony Capitalism has existed in the UK for at least 50 years - remember (Old) Labour 'picking winners'? However the ghastly behaviour of Nu-Labour favouring their paymasters, to the point of passing primary legislation to favour them is reminiscent of the corruption of the pre 1850s.

Labour, the unions and lousy management have destroyed UK industry, & the punitive tax regime/oppressive over-regulation stops any replacement of it.

As for the leftie 'economist' talking about "The Collective"...

[gshooting]

fascism/corporatism not communism, lp. Funny how the left-wing leaders in general embrace that idea, brown in uk and obama in the US.

[RebelRadius]

How can this woman possibly be an economist when she hasn't got the slightest comprehension of what capitalism is?

Ah let me guess. She was a product from the London School of Ecomonics.

[Phedrus1975]

@RebelRadius lol!