Never mind Merv and Alistair - it could be worse for you!

Generali

lemonjelly wrote: »

Not a chance Gen! You strike me as a principled free marketeer, with certain scruples.

I believe that we may disagree sometimes on philosophical grounds, but maintain healthy respect for one another

But you probably hate my football team;)

Argh, not a Gooner! I think you should change the phrase to maintained a healthy respect.... ;-)

lemonjelly

Generali wrote: »

Argh, not a Gooner! I think you should change the phrase to maintained a healthy respect.... ;-)

Nope.

We did the double over you - & no-one is more suprised than me!

kennyboy66_2

michaels wrote: »

hmm - but Chile thus developed in to a first world country with first world infant mortality rates - compare that to the death rates in the more populist / socialist south american countries. Not saying it was right but just that it has probably saved more lives than it cost.

hmmm - Chile's child mortality rates progressivly reduced from 1952 when they introduced a National Healthcare Sysytem (NHS).

Child mortality (neo-natal) rates were down to mid 20's (per thousand) by 1974 which was miles better than anywhere else in South America.

Equally literacy is higher in Chile than the rest of South America (bar Guyana)

Even the most rapid supporters of Pinochet would struggle to claim that they were responsible for health care improvements & education.

Generali

lemonjelly wrote: »

Nope.

We did the double over you - & no-one is more suprised than me!

Of course you are, how could I forget. We probably kept you up. How I will laugh if West 'am go down instead although I don't want to wish anything bad on that nice Mr Zola.

If we'd done the double over you instead we'd be nailed on certs for the misnamed 'Champions' League. Then again if Spurs were Man Utd we'd have won a ton of stuff in the past few years and the Man U fans would have a much easier journey to the home matches from their homes in Surrey*.

I don't think it's possible for a Londoner to hate Wolves FWIW. Even if they take 6 points off you.









*apologies to Man Utd fans that live in other Home Counties

kennyboy66_2

Generali wrote: »

I can't think of a single capitalist country deliberately creating a famine for ideological reasons.

Would not the ideological adherence to free markets have been a major factor in the Indian Famine (1943-1944) and the Irish famine (1845-52) ?

In both cases, food was still being exported through out the period.

StevieJ

Generali wrote: »

I hope you're not talking about me my citrony gelatinous friend!



China is still run by the Chinese Communist Party. I think they describe the economic system as something other than Communist although I might be getting confused.

I think it was Deng Xiaoping who kicked off the capitalist process, Mao will be spinning in his grave

Generali

kennyboy66 wrote: »

Would not the ideological adherence to free markets have been a major factor in the Indian Famine (1943-1944) and the Irish famine (1845-52) ?

In both cases, food was still being exported through out the period.

The Corn Laws weren't Capitalist, indeed they were anti-free market and AIUI they were at the heart of the Potato Famine. I don't know much (anything) about the Indian Famine rather shamefully. I started reading some Indian history before leaving the UK but have found it hard to keep up over here.

michaels

Thanks for correcting me - I knew vaguely that Chiles stats were much better than its neighbours but hadn't checked whether this improvement had happened during pinochets time or not. Of course we can not know what the counter factual would have been had chile been run during the pinochet era by a collectivist govt. Populism in Argentina has not been a great sucess tho!

kennyboy66 wrote: »

hmmm - Chile's child mortality rates progressivly reduced from 1952 when they introduced a National Healthcare Sysytem (NHS).

Child mortality (neo-natal) rates were down to mid 20's (per thousand) by 1974 which was miles better than anywhere else in South America.

Equally literacy is higher in Chile than the rest of South America (bar Guyana)

Even the most rapid supporters of Pinochet would struggle to claim that they were responsible for health care improvements & education.

Sir_Humphrey

Generali wrote: »

The Corn Laws weren't Capitalist, indeed they were anti-free market and AIUI they were at the heart of the Potato Famine. I don't know much (anything) about the Indian Famine rather shamefully. I started reading some Indian history before leaving the UK but have found it hard to keep up over here.

Interesting that you seem to equate Capitalism with free markets.

Was not Great Britain capitalist at the time of the potato famine?

You can't defend this line of argument, Generali.

ninky_2

Generali wrote: »

I can't think of a single capitalist country deliberately creating a famine for ideological reasons.

but in a capitalist economy without a welfare state certain sections of the population would be allowed to starve whilst others ate. i don't think that is any more acceptable.

also, can you name a socialist country where people are pushed onto the street and left to die from hospitals because they don't have insurance? as is what happens in a rich capitalist country like the US?

btw i'm not defending north korea. horrible regime. but i don't think north korea is evidence that capitalism works.