Reply To: Russian Tensions
“If we can agree that in all countries of the world today, the dominant economic system is capitalism, whether the fictitious “free enterprise” or mixed “command” economy”
We don’t agree. In China capitalism is not in charge. It plays its role in the development of the forces of production but the Chinese state is not a vehicle for maximising the interests of the capitalist class. You are not a socialist, you are an idealogue. Your opinions about what is or is not “socialism” are of no value to socialists.
“what is the inherent common quality of such society?
The Marxist would say it is the profit-motive, the accumulation of capital that is driven by the expansion and growth of the market.”
China is run by Marxists as is Vietnam, Cuba and Laos. The leaders of all these countries disagree that the profit motive is inherent to their societies. It is a temporary and necessary stage on their road to communism.
“If all nation-states are subject to this imperative, regardless of intent, they will inevitably come into conflict with others.”
The above mentioned countries are not subject to this “imperative”. Their imperative is development and the building of socialism.
“There can be no win-win.”
Says the man who claims he has no crystal ball. Found it did you? Why should we pay any attention to you? You can’t even figure out what’s going on in the biggest conflict to hit Europe since WW2.
“For one national capitalist class to succeed and thrive, its rivals must lose.”
Not true as you say yourself.
“Not necessarily immediately as we see both the US and China can increase their trade and reach a certain amount of mutual benefit from their imports and exports, offshoring and out-sourcing factories.”
China’s capitalist class does not rule China. They are developing the forces of production and their population for communism.
“Just this week despite the increased military tension and a trade war commerce between US and China reached a new record – $690.6bn (£572.6bn)”
Indeed. Not likely to last long though.
“But in the long run, competition will intensify and national capitalists, the nation’s corporate interests and what Marx called its executive committee, a country’s government, will engage in economic warfare, as we see happening with those industries facing a direct challenge are protected by the government tariffs.”
Marx was not around to write about the behaviour of a socialist government.
“Of course, there is an internecine phase where Big Business squabbles over the taxes paid (or more often than not avoided and evaded) and both US and China have had corporations reined in by the government in recent years.”
Taxes do not fund federal government spending.
“The economic war to preserve and expand one’s market is also played out on the world stage as we see in Africa, client-states being fought over to capture raw materials and resources.”
China is not “fighting” anyone in Africa.
“Another aspect to consider. One of the assumptions of Brexit was that the UK could win new business agreements with non-EU countries but the reality was that by not having the leverage of a strong trading bloc, the UK has lost out on negotiating advantageous terms for itself even with so-called allies such as the USA and Commonwealth countries. There is no loyalty to be expected from supposed friends in business. The UK GDP has fallen because of Brexit.”
Britain’s ruling class is as dumb as a sack of hammers but then so is that of the continent. They’re running their respective countries into the ground. Good. Once they’ve lost their legitimacy they can be overthrown. But don’t expect any members of the SPGB to be manning the barricades.
“I began by saying that capitalism can be identified by its need to make profits for its owners, whether private investors or state-bureaucrats.”
A false dichotomy from a false socialist. Socialist governments use the profits for development and emancipation from want.
“Marx’s achievement was in revealing the source of profits – the surplus-value extracted from the unpaid portion of the worker’s labour-power.
If the Labour Theory of Value is true there can also be no win-win for the employee. That is why wage labour is described as legalised robbery by all Marxists.”
No, only if the employer is a capitalist.
“There is no fair pay. It is the reason why Marxists say that all wealth is created not by entrepreneurship but by labour. We are robbed regardless of whether we work for a privatised company or a nationalised one.”
You twist the words. There is fair pay in a government run by socialists.
“But to answer the question, socialism or barbarism? , if a nuclear war doesn’t get us, climate change will.”
Something we agree on.
“And that is another direct consequence of capitalism’s greed for profit.”
We agree there too. But that’s no reason to give up the struggle. We’re all gonna die anyway. Heck, even the universe has a used by date.