Comments on: Can The State Still Be Saved?

By: Ulfert Kaufmann

Ulfert Kaufmann — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:55:10 +0000

I`ve to correct and supplement my reply to David referring to I n d i a. There are nowadays ca. one milliard inhabitants and the social majority in India suffers from poverty.
Are the so called knowledge workers the new workers` aristocracy (worldwide)? If, this can`t be a political aim for social democracy.

By: Ulfert Kaufmann

Ulfert Kaufmann — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:17:15 +0000

Dave, what about the social majority belonging to the working class, too? Workers are usually forced to work in factories – if they are happy to get a job there/ or on tea plantages/ or on cotton fields driving a big machine etc. etc. ? And look, Germany for example is a full industrialized (high tech) country – … but a b r o a d education for Your ideal of “knowledge workers” absolutely can`t be seen. There is obviously enough money to save & keep a greedy banking but muchmuch less money to develop a broad good school-system for all Your dreamt knowledge workers.
Nowadays Germany even has to import “knowledge workers” from India ( ca. 1 Miilion inhabitants). Of course the individal winners are these Indians and probably and individually the owners of – for example- their IT-firms.
Whatever, in my opinion Your ideal of a society of knowledge workers isn`t the solution for a Social Democratic policy , brain workers – like You – should think, write and act more pragmatic in order to overcome class gates in our captalistic organized and structured countries all over the world.
Anyway…, don`t misunderstand, I`m taking off the (my) hat in front of all individal human beings, no matter whether they are knowledge workers , just skilled as normally…or analphabets. Social Democracy should further on stand up for better education systems to overcome a new (global) class splitting and avoid (national and international)educated elites not caring of …aids, change of world`s climate, world`s economy crisis, terrorism, an ageing population etc. etc. …. If these politically responsible elites care,it goes without saying that they can work… at home ( even sometimes in bed ).

By: Dennis Cato

Dennis Cato — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:18:24 +0000

If you’re looking for further inspiration and contribution you should take a closer look at Brian Barry’s writings.

Barry, Brian (2005),’ Why Social Justice Matters’

best wishes

Dennis

By: Csaba Loppert , SZDP (Hungary)

Csaba Loppert , SZDP (Hungary) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:58:11 +0000

Dear Karin,

we consider the ideas set out in your article so important for the debate actually in process in our party (Szociáldemokrata Párt, Hungary) about the problem of taxation, that – with your subsequent permission – we have put it to our web journal (MAgyar Népszava).
http://www.egy-ketto.hu/wordpress/

Thank you for the excellent contribution and you are wellcome for any feedback.

with best regards

Csaba Loppert

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:41:46 +0000

Social democracy is most successful when it uses levers of power above and below the nation state.

People expect choice, autonomy, self management, participation and co-production in public services, and they will only pay high taxes if they get these from public services. They are less willing to submit themselves to vertical hierarchies or bureaucratic management regimes nowadays.
The challenge is to reconcile citizen’s greater desire for autonomy and power, with tackling the economic challenges created by economic globalization and an ageing society.

The knowledge economy is our best hope for financing the welfare state with an ageing population. Knowledge worker’s can work well into their old age. They don’t require physical strength and they can work from home. Pro-knowledge economy growth strategies are critical to social democracies future.
Preventive healthcare, anti ageing medicines and healthcare co-production can potentially greatly ease the financial burden of curative healthcare.