Socialism is communism.

Words have power, though some would like to deny that. I get tired of seeing, from across the pond, the likening of socialism to communism. I guess people love seeing things in black and white. If only life were like that.

Of course, it isn’t like that. There are shades of grey, and when you start to see colours, what colour is it? Red, but what kind of red? Blue, but what shade of blue?

My friend Martin Scott remarked that linking socialism to communism is a bit like saying every capitalist is a fascist. It’s that silly.

So, having a health service free at the point of need is communism? Mad. Long may it live.

I have heard many argue that what went on in Eastern Europe wasn't communism, but state-controlled capitalism. I’m inclined to agree.

Do we have to capitalise everything? So, water, light, energy, heat, housing — they all must make a profit. Really, why? Now, don’t tell me you can’t make a profit out of light, can you?

Well, if you go around the UK, you will see a strange thing in many old buildings. You will see windows—well, once windows. Now they are blocked up. Do you know why? Well, they were to save money on tax. Light tax. So, the amount of light coming into your home was taxed based on how many windows let it in. So, to save money, people bricked up windows.

(England introduced the Window Tax in 1696 to raise government revenue without directly taxing personal income, which was viewed at the time as a severe invasion of privacy. The purpose of the tax was to raise emergency funds: King William III needed money to pay for mounting debts and wars.)

So yes, you can capitalise light.

If you try to understand socialism versus capitalism, you are going to have a problem. Many Western countries are what is called a mixed economy. So, it’s a mix of capitalist projects and socially beneficial projects.

What is wrong with having things that benefit the whole community but aren't profit-based, such as health, housing, and water? Why do we think that they should be capitalised? Why do you think only people with money should be healthy?

If you want a bit of socialism history, have a look at my blogs:

https://adrianhawkes.co.uk/socialism-2/ or https://adrianhawkes.co.uk/left-or-right/

My cry is: let us stop using words so puerilely. Let us think and hopefully move to a situation that benefits us all rather than just the few.

W.426
www.adrianhawkes.blogspot.com
01.10.26