Reply #39: It's not 'either/or' [View All]

[LeftishBrit]

The choice between extreme doctrinaire communism and extreme doctrinaire capitalism reminds me of the old playground saying, "Would you rather run a mile, jump a stile or eat a country pancake?" None of them is very appetizing - 'running a mile' might be the best choice if faced with either of the extremes!. There are many things in between Soviet Bloc communism and hard-right laissez-faire economics.

I knew people who lived in Poland under communism and then moved to Britain to study; and their experiences were nothing like the nostalgic rosy-tinged view given by the commentators in the OP. Time and distance often bring nostalgia. Life in 1980s Poland was harsh, authoritarian, and though people had the security of being kept from absolute abject poverty, living was far from comfortable.

I also know people who live there now. The recent governments are nasty, bigoted, and prepared to privatize everything that moves. Many people have 'voted with their feet' since they joined the EU and the EU made migration easy between different EU countries. The healthcare system always seems near collapse. The last Prime Minister, Kaczynski, was a borderline-fascist, with a literal clone (identical twin) as President. The current president Tusk is slightly better but not that much: as I said in another thread, he could perhaps be described as the Polish McCain to Kaczynski's Bush.

If I had to choose, the present system is better: you are less likely to be thrown into prison, and you can leave if you wish to. But neither is appetizing. I would much rather live in a more progressive Europaean country with a democratic socialist government and a mixed economy. The UK system is far from perfect and may get worse yet, but is much better than Poland, now or under Communism.