alanjjohnstone
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There is indeed over-prescribing of medicines, particularly of anti-biotics, and the medical profession regularly warns of such. Often it is at the insistence of the patient, who has been brought up to believe that a pill is all that is needed. More of a concern is the medicalisation of certain social behaviours to widen the pharmaceutical market. Sadness, for instance is often diagnosed as depression. Even more worrying is the recent reports that the elderly are being doped up in the care-homes to make them more managable.More than 2.5 million Americans are currently addicted to opioids. Drug deaths have shot up since 2010, rising some 28 percent in just the past year, with nearly 175 Americans losing their lives to opioids every day.The healthcare industry is worth billions and we shouldn't be at all surprised that from insurance providers to managers of facilities are making profits from peoples bad health.
http://news.trust.org/item/20180214220424-8hctl/
Quote:"We shouldn't turn Oxfam into a scapegoat. Oxfam isn't the only organization. No one is shielded from this type of situation," said Lespinasse, the former coordinator for the Support Group for Refugees and Repatriated Persons (GARR). "These are problems that we encounter in private institutions, in public institutions and in humanitarian circles," she said.Meel, i think the public should be aware that the EU overall does have a more stringent food safety laws in place than the US and when Brexit happens and the UK and the US make a bilateral trade deal, the import of poorer quality of food produce will increase.Here is a recent news item to strengthen your argument. The US applies twice as much antibiotics to their pigs than the UK. http://www.pig-world.co.uk/news/us-antibiotic-in-pigs-twice-as-high-as-in-the-uk.html
Quote:Ted McKinney, US Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs USDA, said he was ‘sick and tired’ of hearing Britain’s concerns about chlorine washed chicken and US food standards.“We would hold our food safety and environmental and animal welfare standards up against the UK any day of the week and twice on Sunday,” he said.The ASOA’s Suzi Shingler said “If Mr McKinney wants something to worry about other than chlorine washed chicken, he might want to turn his attention to the extraordinarily high levels of antibiotics used in US meat production. “Our investigation shows that US cattle farmers are massively overusing antibiotics. Trade negotiators who may be tempted to lift the ban on US beef should not only be considering the impact of growth hormones, but also of antibiotic resistance due to rampant antibiotic use.”Quote:Kath Dalmeny of the Sustain food and health charity, and author of ‘Ten red lines for UK trade deals for food, farming and fishing’ said: “Trade negotiators are champing at the bit to open up new markets for US meat and using the excuse of ‘cheapness’ to counter health concerns. But cheap meat comes at a high price – often lower standards of cleanliness, animal welfare and high use of antibiotics. Any trade deals must aim to support high standards so that human and animal health and welfare are protected.”Having been in the exact situation myself a couple of times in the past as a postal worker, i note none of the reports mention the mail-workers who handled the envelope prior to the Trump daughter-in-law. I note none of those were sent to a hospital for check-ups. Maybe they were but they were no deserving of reporting it.
No doubt even on suspension, LBIRD will have an eye on the posts so he will be interested in the latest from Cde O'Neills blog, an article by the late Pieter Lawrence on the subject of democracyhttp://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2018/02/democratic-organisation_13.html
Quote:The point is to get democratic organisation and voluntary co-operation into where it matters most, that is, into the work of production and administration. This is the prospect of a fully democratic society in which all people would be empowered in the self determination of their lives.Also interesting is Pieter's view on law and crime http://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2018/02/socialism-and-law.html
And an example of hypocrisy read this storyhttp://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43045126A sex-slave who had been refused sanctuary by HM Government,
Yes, the timing of this exposure does seem suspect and as plenty of informed commentators are saying – it isn't just Oxfam guilty of sex abuse.In France, we have the situation of the French army sex abuse in Central African Republic re-surfacing with charges being dismissed even though the French government admit it happened.http://www.africanews.com/2018/01/20/car-agitated-after-france-dismisses-sex-abuse-case-against-its-troops/However, we should look at the wider picture concerning NGOsBut we cannot overlook that NGOs are part of the machinery of rule that capitalism employs to alleviate and mitigate its problems even if they do perform "humanitarian" servicesHaiti is nick-named "The Republic of NGOs"See a recent post of mine here on "refugeestan" drawing attention to this quasi-state form NGOs have acquiredhttps://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/events-and-announcements/refugeestanIn Africa, or blog has highlighted the contradictory roles NGOs playhttps://socialistbanner.blogspot.com/2007/06/ngos-so-far-so-terrible.htmlhttps://socialistbanner.blogspot.com/2015/05/ngos-white-dominance-and-lack-of-ethnic.htmlhttps://socialistbanner.blogspot.com/2007/11/ngos-no-agents-of-change.html
Quote:One of the most important roles that the state performs in any society is to guarantee the conditions for the reproduction of those social relations that enable the ruling class to continue to rule. If the state fails in that essential function, then the future of the ruling class itself is threatened. The new ruling classes of post-colonial Africa soon learned the importance of that – and those who were slow to learn were quickly swept aside by coups d'etat or civil war. "Development" (or the political economy, more precisely) as defined by the ruling class was the process that would be used to ensure the reproduction of the required social relations that reproduced impoverishment and injustice for the many, and rapid accumulation of wealth for the few. The fact is that many NGOs have, unwittingly or willingly, inserted themselves over the last few decades as part of the very infrastructure of the political economy that reproduces the unequal social relations of post-colonial Africa.Yes, Oxfam has done a good job in pointing to inequalities of capitalism, but many others including government departments and Quangos have done the same.
Part of the point of my post is that socialism and how it operates isn't starting from a blank sheet.We are going to inherit a system that we will need to mold and shape into something different but there will be plenty of similarities with the old that we will probably maintain. We are going to build upon the social organisation that capitalism has bequeathed us and as LBird reminds us, one of the most important elements will be new democratic ways of how we control production and distribution and as Robbo tells us, that will not involve us all voting on decisions.Collaborative Filtering is one means that the Standard raised as a possibility. But in theory that there will be an issue that we all wish to voice our opinion and offer or deny our approval. It isn't as impossible as some would make out. I simply don't think there will be many questions requiring a planetary vote. At least none that cannot be answered by delegatory decision-making. See CFhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2000s/2005/no-1210-june-2005/pathfindersBut by now i am sure there are even more and better communication systems. Trial and error will inform us on what is fit for purpose. And there will be also plenty of differences around the world as i also tried to indicate. Village democracy will not be the exact same as city democracy, just as factory democracy will vary with the type of manufacturing process.
I'm not blowing my own trumpet, Brian, but as you see from this forum topic, i have tried to focus our case on what is possible and how it can be made possible.Apart from yourself with an example of practical application and LBird, nobody else seemed much interested in adding his or her thoughts about the matterhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/general-discussion/blueprints-and-projections
On re-reading my last post, it may seem that i envisage a socialism that is merely capitalism – but only better.In a sense that is correct. Capitalism has already organised production socially – but it is not socially owned or controlled, remaining in the hands of a few individuals and acting in their interests of them and not society's.But i fully take on board what others have said that our attitudes and psychology to what we consider to be our needs will change.This was brought out in the Marxist Animalism thread. Our ideas will change but what that topic also brought out – those will develop and evolve inside socialism and cannot be imposed on cultures that are not ready to adjust.Certainly, a lot of change will take place in the process of revolutionary action to establish socialism and the transformation of our belief-systems will have to undergo great changes for us to succeed in the class war. Doesn't Marx talk about the process of revolution is required to rid us of the shit of the past? Even today, membership of the SPGB is based on the conscious rejection of racism, nationalism, sexism and the other isms.
You can only have free access to what has been made available…and even then it is limited. I'm not going to have free access to a locomotive engine, am i?What people individually want, is already roughly known today. How much groceries and of what. Socialism is going to do away with the scrimping and saving and the best will be available. And again the best is roughly known today from consumer surveys and users groups. (The Ferrari isn't going to be popular or anywhere near the top of demand for a vehicle but i think the recognition and recommendation of its quality built will be.)What i feel socialism will do is to fine-tune the demands that market researchers have already broadly determined and reduce the waste by ending the shoddy manufacture. Goods will be made by the three Rs, re-cyclable repairable and re-usable.Local customs and traditions that have existed despite capitalism will vary and be applied in a democratic process of decision-making. As i said not every production plan requires the approval of a central board. But there will be necessary world and regional administration to acquire what is needed and ensure they are delivered at local and community level.Again we have a sophisticated logistics and supply chain to inherit from capitalism. The field to fork is adaptable to our needs. I have been around the world and off the beaten tourist path – and never had a problem getting a cold coke…where coke went, so did the chill cabinet or ice maker.Yes we need to spell out it out more fully….but whenever i suggested it on this forum …i'm told we do not do blue-prints of future socialism
