posted 05-31-99 05:59 PM ET        

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35 000 people demonstrating against mass-unemployment, capitalism, the EU and the war in Yugoslavia. For better unemployment benefits, shorter workdays, union rights and a workers Europe. I know we are not as many as in Tianamen Square or in the mass-demonstrations of 1989, but it´s a start. Capitalists, beware !

Bishop

posted 06-01-99 03:45 AM ET            

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That's quite a diverse bag of things to demonstrate for. In this worker's Europe, with better working conditions, how do you propose to keep working (i.e. by remaining competitive enough in global markets) Every attempt at implementing socialism on any large scale has been quite a miserable failure. Living near the California-Mexico border, the inequities of capitalism are quite apparent, but socialism has yet to prove itself capable of raising the standard of living of the working class in a real and sustainable way.

And Saras makes an excellent point - the demonstrators in Tiananmen were highly individualistic, and their drive for political independence was fueled by their experience with economic independence.

posted 06-01-99 07:38 AM ET            

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Tianamen square was a protest against chinese government oppression and for demomocratic values like free speech and stuff like that. Inevetably when you protest against a alledged socialist system you take the position of capitalist spokes-model. That is not because capitalism is so good, it´s because the chinese system was so bad, (like we seen in all the former "communist" states). This is not such a great victory for the capitalist system as you guys make it to be.

And Saras, you actually wrote two whole sentences without one offensive word in them, my hat´s off to you buddy

Bishop

posted 06-01-99 09:50 AM ET            

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Nope, I guess there isn´t

Bishop
"I´m right, and you´re wrong. That´s the way it is"