Gnome, I agree with much of
Gnome, I agree with much of what you say about Capitalism, and I have liked it much less as time has gone on. We were all told how bad communism was inthe 1970s because it was in direct competition with the USA and capitalism but communism done well has much to commend it. The banks facilitate the process with their lending – One third of the money they created (you may disagree with me in saying they did not create the money, we have discussed this at length already) went on commercial and private property loans between 1997 and 2008. This served to push up house prices and rents, and helped cause a huge building boom of apartments in some cities like Leeds and Manchester. Many of these new builds lost half of their value after the boom years. There was a mania for buy to let lending, which helped to get Bradford and Bingley bank into trouble in 2008. There is no shortgage of goods in the shops, or places to eat out, or types of car to buy. It all strikes me as being very wasteful, with a continuing urge to reduce costs and become more efficient, to out do the competition. It is a mad, hamster wheel of a system. What about the majority of us who want to take it easier, especially as we get older and do not want to have to compete wth younger, fitter workers from Eastern Europe, China or India ? Unfortunately we have to play by the existing rules to survive, we all have to be entrepreneurs, to find a way to "make money" in the market place to live, with huge costs to people's health, and family life. I think it is an outrage that so many live in poor housing, and struggle to pay their basic living expenses like food and energy, when there is more than enough for everyone to have a good life. At the same time, they are forced to pay for expensive energy, an essential for existence, to a profit seeking company. It is no different to having to pay taxes to the local Lord of the Manor in times past. This is fine for the elite few who are very wealthy who are shareholders in these businesses, but rotten or at least a struggle for the rest of us.