Well - actually - the genuine, the 'red' Left if one is to understand Left as 'Communist' took its exit with the death of Joe Stalin,-
then you had a slow approach to a capitalist system in the former Soviet states - still going on, still structures in place which are non-democratic - same in China. The Left in Europe always - indignantly - insisted on being Democratic Socialists - as distinct from the tyrannical and murdering crew in charge in Russia and its satellites.
Eventually the socialists got absorbed into the Western capitalist system and became a reform party in Western democracies. All now pray at the altar of 'Mammon' - the only thing left of socialism is a token nod of allegiance now and then to representing the working man and woman, but everyone is agreed that capitalism achieves more for the greater good of all. So far so good - fast forward to our technically advanced bag of tricks, which can create enormous wealth for some;
These days, when one observes how goods are transported - and I quote the case of bread, breadrolls etc, an exposè of which I watched recently - on U-Tube ! - (unfortunately in German, otherwise I would give you a link) prepared and deep frozen in one place then transported across borders, hundreds, often thousand of miles to a chain store outlet and then again put into cold-storage, until ready to be baked within less than an hour and sold for a pittance - I do wonder what capitalism is doing to us, our environment, to the state of our food (the finished product has close to 100 additives, which includes enzymes to stabilise this and that - [not notifiable] before you have it as breakfast toast. This applies in Australia as well as I found out recently when buying some pre-baked breadrolls, but 'just-baked' so you can put them in the oven one more time at home. Bread rolls from Coles that were actually made in Ireland - so they came here by ocean liner! Total perversity!
This story can be repeated about many foods and many other consumer items - the result is a good lifestyle for many of us, but the cost to environment and in the case of some food stuff health will be paid for years later and maybe a generation later and all of this to-ing and froing isn't good for our environment either.
So, yes, capitalism has created wealth for many of us, a better living standard, but without some control by the so-called 'Left' it is going to take us all downhill. I see it as a duty of anyone, with half a brain to protest and speak out. Unfortunately, as soon as one does that, one is tarred with the 'leftist' brush. It is a total nonsense to defend practices which will destroy all of us in the end by using primitive and emotive rhetoric, or rather for the people who have the influence, not indulge their search for ever-increasing profits, without checks.
Like children, the super-capitalists want more and more (and lets face, we would all like to be super-capitalists) but they will lead us to our doom. Checks and balances are a life savers and the left-leaning democratic forces are doing or should be doing their job.
Taurisk
