Would the UK population accept communism?
Discussion
Ignoring the comedy premise of the question in the OP it is interesting to wonder if the UK populace would have accepted communism.
It has been argued that there are certain British traits, queuing for one at a superficial level, that suggests Britain would be more receptive to true Communism.
Another view is to note that the country and the politicians work and pull together when faced with a significant common crisis or danger, eg wartime. Does the public work in a more coordinated accepting way when working together for a joint cause, eg war communism?
Sorry if that's a serious response. However it's too late now imo, that ship has sailed.
It has been argued that there are certain British traits, queuing for one at a superficial level, that suggests Britain would be more receptive to true Communism.
Another view is to note that the country and the politicians work and pull together when faced with a significant common crisis or danger, eg wartime. Does the public work in a more coordinated accepting way when working together for a joint cause, eg war communism?
Sorry if that's a serious response. However it's too late now imo, that ship has sailed.
FiF said:
Ignoring the comedy premise of the question in the OP it is interesting to wonder if the UK populace would have accepted communism.
It has been argued that there are certain British traits, queuing for one at a superficial level, that suggests Britain would be more receptive to true Communism.
Another view is to note that the country and the politicians work and pull together when faced with a significant common crisis or danger, eg wartime. Does the public work in a more coordinated accepting way when working together for a joint cause, eg war communism?
Sorry if that's a serious response. However it's too late now imo, that ship has sailed.
Also if you anyone starts a thread about what would you do if you were PM it reads like thisIt has been argued that there are certain British traits, queuing for one at a superficial level, that suggests Britain would be more receptive to true Communism.
Another view is to note that the country and the politicians work and pull together when faced with a significant common crisis or danger, eg wartime. Does the public work in a more coordinated accepting way when working together for a joint cause, eg war communism?
Sorry if that's a serious response. However it's too late now imo, that ship has sailed.
BAN this
Ban That
Ban so and SO
BAN
BAN
BAN
BAN
BAN
etc and so on
I think the british love to see everything being controlled by the government
FiF said:
Another view is to note that the country and the politicians work and pull together when faced with a significant common crisis or danger, eg wartime. Does the public work in a more coordinated accepting way when working together for a joint cause, eg war communism?
The point is that during a crisis when everyone has a common interest getting people to work together is no great trick. When there isn't a crisis and people are higher up Maslow's hierarchy they quite legitimately have different priorities. Which is when coordination through the market works far better than central govt commanding that everyone does whatever the govt thinks is most important. During WW2 some authoritarian lefties explicitly suggested that the additional govt powers used to fight the war should be continued in peacetime, and some suggest such powers now. George Monbiot for example. Which is why they are constantly describing everything from climate change to obesity as a threat to civilisation. If national survival is at stake then things like civil liberties can be sacrificed.
But when people can see that national survival isn't at stake they won't accept such authoritarianism. The UK did get uncomfortably close to a socialist state under Clement Attlee. Realising this wasn't popular Attlee felt it necessary to say that what was happening in Britain wasn't authoritarian socialism, specifically he pointed out that in the Soviet Union the government could control where people worked whereas in Britain this only happened in wartime. A few months later the 'Control of engagements order was enacted'......
No population has ever accepted communism and the UK is not going to be the first. Even the apparent 'anti business' sentiment is often really an anti big businesses sentiment. Not the same thing at all. In fact it's often based on the threat big firms are regarded as posing to small independent firms, it certainly doesn't mean people want every corner shop nationalised.
McWigglebum4th said:
Also if you anyone starts a thread about what would you do if you were PM it reads like this
BAN this
Ban That
Ban so and SO
BAN
BAN
BAN
BAN
BAN
etc and so on
I think the british love to see everything being controlled by the government
Having said that much of our law is based along those lines, I.e. something is permitted unless rules say otherwise. BAN this
Ban That
Ban so and SO
BAN
BAN
BAN
BAN
BAN
etc and so on
I think the british love to see everything being controlled by the government
Edited to add I'd ban iPhones.
What kind of communism?
The one where everyone really is equal and no one,I mean no one gets more than anyone else, or the sort of half baked communism we see everywhere else where those in charge still give themselves more of everything than all the little people?
Comminism as in the first example isnt plausible as it fails to factor in human greed.
The one where everyone really is equal and no one,I mean no one gets more than anyone else, or the sort of half baked communism we see everywhere else where those in charge still give themselves more of everything than all the little people?
Comminism as in the first example isnt plausible as it fails to factor in human greed.
4v6 said:
What kind of communism?
The one where everyone really is equal and no one,I mean no one gets more than anyone else, or the sort of half baked communism we see everywhere else where those in charge still give themselves more of everything than all the little people?
Comminism as in the first example isnt plausible as it fails to factor in human greed.
The problem with communisim is that while everyone gets an equal share, its a share of fThe one where everyone really is equal and no one,I mean no one gets more than anyone else, or the sort of half baked communism we see everywhere else where those in charge still give themselves more of everything than all the little people?
Comminism as in the first example isnt plausible as it fails to factor in human greed.
k all.I work with a guy who grew up in a former communist country. From what he tells me it was very very s
t. He's travelled the world and worked in many countries, and he still marvels at how much we have, and how easy things are under capitalism.4v6 said:
What kind of communism?
The one where everyone really is equal and no one,I mean no one gets more than anyone else, or the sort of half baked communism we see everywhere else where those in charge still give themselves more of everything than all the little people?
Comminism as in the first example isnt plausible as it fails to factor in human greed.
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others"The one where everyone really is equal and no one,I mean no one gets more than anyone else, or the sort of half baked communism we see everywhere else where those in charge still give themselves more of everything than all the little people?
Comminism as in the first example isnt plausible as it fails to factor in human greed.
AreOut said:
also every communist country being under cruel dictatorship certainly didn't help the cause
You'll be telling us next that the closed borders were just for decoration.In reality, anyone with a brain can see why it cannot work and will try to avoid or escape it. It can only be imposed, which is why they are forever seeking excuses to do so. And you cannot run an economy on nothing but propaganda forever, but you can make life misery for several generations if you are ruthless enough. See e.g. the USSR. Or any of the others.
steveatesh said:
How anybody votes for this lot is beyond me. Unless they are committed to totalitarianism of course.
I know, but I have spoken to a few seemingly intelligent people who are considering voting Green. I think they see it as a "message vote", rather than an actual endorsement of the Greens' entire policy platform, which has obviously been somewhat co-opted by the far left in recent years. The impression I get is that non-crazy Green voters realise that the party is not going to play any role in government, and merely want to register their support for the core idea of concern for the environment.If the Greens were somehow close to winning substantial numbers of seats under their current platform, I doubt that these same people would be willing to vote for them.
FiF said:
Ignoring the comedy premise of the question in the OP it is interesting to wonder if the UK populace would have accepted communism.
It has been argued that there are certain British traits, queuing for one at a superficial level, that suggests Britain would be more receptive to true Communism.
Another view is to note that the country and the politicians work and pull together when faced with a significant common crisis or danger, eg wartime. Does the public work in a more coordinated accepting way when working together for a joint cause, eg war communism?
Sorry if that's a serious response. However it's too late now imo, that ship has sailed.
I don't believe we would accept communism, while I agree we do accept queuing as an example I think that is more an overt politeness.It has been argued that there are certain British traits, queuing for one at a superficial level, that suggests Britain would be more receptive to true Communism.
Another view is to note that the country and the politicians work and pull together when faced with a significant common crisis or danger, eg wartime. Does the public work in a more coordinated accepting way when working together for a joint cause, eg war communism?
Sorry if that's a serious response. However it's too late now imo, that ship has sailed.
The reason I think we as a nation would not is that we are too questioning. 10 years ago or so I started working for a Chinese company here in the UK, in my first board meeting I asked a one word question of the UK MD, that was a simple "why", it caused many frowns and lots of shocked faces from the Chinese in the room, they quite simply couldn't understand what had just happened, a senior leader being questioned was unthinkable.
That is why I hope that we would never accept such a totalitarian idology as communism.
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