Is Socialism dead?- What's happened to ideas like equality and workers rights? Are they still important where you live? What do you think of the new breed of left of centre politicians - like Tony Blair, President Bill Clinton? Are you impressed by their pragmatism or worried that with no ideology there can be no ideas?

PW Jimminy, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA:

I'm afraid socialism will never simply go away. As a powerful version of totalitarianism it's an indelible stain on history, and so will forever exist, on paper at least. With the big problems of diminishing resources - water, air, land; also with the explosion of human populations and the disappearance of animal species, there's no time to waste on word games of who's in charge - socialism, versus this -ism and that -ism. We have to use the tool of culture, the most powerful force in the universe.

Why do you think it is that the USA has had so little experience directly of Socialism?

Because we have been blessed with a fluke of fate - some great leaders, and thinkers.

You say you've been blessed - does that mean you think you've been spared some sort of evil?

Well you could read that into it. We're all blessed to be alive at this time of great bounty but we can't all have everything that we want to the nth degree. But we all have to live for the future with personal responsibility. We need to defy elitism and live for the future.

Trevor Johns from London _ is there a country in the world that you would regard as a better example of Socialism in practise?

If you look at Sweden before it joined the European Union under the Social Democratic Party it was a kind of Socialist Democracy where you had some mixed economy but they had a roughly egalitarian society.

And is it your feeling that since 1989, since the collapse of the Soviet Union and all the countries around it in Eastern Europe, that Socialism really has now had its day, in practise if not as a theory?

It hasn't had its day as a theory because in the NHS (NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE in UK) for example there's a socialist philosophy being implemented. But as a former state control and controlling the nation-state it seems to have had its day but the philosophy will be in bits and pieces like in the NHS in the UK- that is a Socialist institution.

David Winters is calling from Sasabo in Japan.

Socialism will never die, Socialism has never lived. Assets are limited and that is why Socialism will never live - there is no motivation in a system such as that to increase the wealth and that's the one thing that is necessary with our limited assets and our expanding population.

You think it's dead and deserves to be dead?

It never lived. It requires a selfless man and that's a creature that still has never evolved and although the Communist man, the new Communist man was foreseen as the evolving creature, he never developed, or even began. There has been no enlightened self-interest. What we must do and what is done is simply to harness self-interest to serve the greater good by creating wealth. And that is what Capitalism has done. Now Capitalism has to be watched closely because greed and self-interest are dangerous things but there are the only things that have the necessary force to continue to create the wealth to allow us to survive.

Let's return to Socialism _ we have a call from Colombo in Sri Lanka - Lionel Fernando - Socialism is it dead or alive?

I would say that the Unions which are supposed to be Socialist are un-Socialist in the sense that they don't have social responsibility at all. We have been having a postal strike for the last two and a half months and when the government wants to negotiate they (the Unions) have refused to do so and what they have demanded is the removal of the Postmaster-General.

The Trades Unions are meant to defend and protect workers' rights, are you saying that that's not what they are doing?

Yes, they are doing that but at the same time they are not respecting the needs of the public.

New comments: - the discussion continues

From John Johnson, Dayton, Ohio, USA,

I enjoyed today's Newstalk programme regarding the question...is socialism dead. Robin asked the fellow from Colorado his opinion about why socialism is or has never been a popular movement in the U S A. Robin did not get an answer. Perhaps our (Americans) intrinsic values of the free enterprise system brings us back to taking care of one's-self instead of asking a government for support. Certainly other countries are as generous as Americans, however we donate millions of hours and dollars to charitable causes. Our commitment to ballance was illustrated several years ago when President Clinton's health care program was stopped and a more conservative reform was voted to law. Thank you for your program and the opportunity to comment.

From: Ralph Brandi, New Jersey, USA:

I have long held that parents who give their children ridiculous names should be jailed for life, with guards stopping by every 15 minutes to tell them the same joke, because essentially, that's what they've sentenced their children to.

From: Gareth Monkman, Denmark With reference to your currently running phone-in on Socialism: Had Marx studied mathematics he would have known that it is virtually impossible to solve a differential equation by setting all the variables to a single, and equal value. Consequently socialism is fundamentally flawed and cannot work in practice until the day we are not only all born equal but also remain so in every way we look, think and act.

From Gabornes Haletsoge Country Cote D'Ivoire

No country-not even the USA-can claim that Socialism is dead. The huge debate in the US over the reduction of state welfare is a case in point. Food Stamps, Welfare will always be a part of the US social system as long as there is a USA. Gabornes Haletsoge Abidjan

Your email comments

Sir/Madam, The ideology of Socialism has always been contrasted with Capitalism, the state as opposed to individuals. The key is that Capitalism is directly or indirectly linked to Darwinism, being that the fittest survive in conditions that favour the best. Capitalism allows the most innovative, creative and entrepreneurial to be the best that they can be, because it is understood from modern socio-biology that no one is equal and the same. Everyone has different abilities and Capitalism makes allowances for that. On the other hand, Socialism assumes that everyone is equal and deserves equal resources, however this distorts the market and offers disincentives for being creative and innovative. The only way to improve on Capitalism is to invest heavily on education and some healthcare so as to offer a more level playing field. To offer everyone the "same" opportunities is to allow everyone to have a decent education so as to allow everyone to have the "same" start, as far as possible. This may be the only way to reduce the disparity between the rich and the poor in Capitalist societies. Xu Si Han Singapore

With regards to the issue of socialism, there is no doubt that the popularity of this ideological concept of people management has waned, as you yourself have pointed out along with a number of callers. What we need to remember is that Socialism is a transitional stage in the development of a society from capitalism to communism. The 1980's and 90's highlighted a unified movement away from this ideology, however in another time in different economic conditions, there may be a clear shift towards socialistic style of government which may be viewed as popular and an acceptance form of government. Congratulations for raising such an interesting topic. George Angelopoulos Melbourne - Australia

Kark Marx's idea that communism is farther up the natural scale of social evolution is beyond belief. Look at China and you will see the point. Socialism(?)/communism was employed to get a disorganized, economically bankrupt society under control. The only thing communists had to fear was the information age. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, and the Chinese people can see what is possible, there will be less and less satisfaction with control over every aspect of their life. China is evolving. Great program! Thanks. Maury freedman

Since the workers have minimal say in the structures of production, they tend to blame the managers for the problems that arise therein. In that management for the most part creates those structures, they tend, in turn, to blame the workers for all problems that arise therein. The former will always be the better explanation. Gary Otteson Philadelphia, PA USA

With reference to your currently running phone-in on Socialism: Had Marx studied mathematics he would have known that it is virtually impossible to solve a differential equation by setting all the variables to a single, and equal value. Consequently socialism is fundamentally flawed and cannot work in practice until the day we are not only all born equal but also remain so in every way we look, think and act. Prof. Dr. Gareth Monkman

V Tarpinian USA

I think that socialism is actually what we do every day at home ,sharing. the practical problem is when governments try to apply it to masses . socialism never was created, never ended and will never end. We live it regardless of what ideology one has.

From Marc Bidard Canada (Quebec), Montreal

The pendulum of history will be reaching its maximum right sooner or later. There will be in the future a resurgence of socialism in different ways. We will be seeing smaller fragmented community where those who want to live in a more socialist way will do it and may serve as models for the sceptics. Large structures are on the way out. Smaller structures will neutralized the worst effects of laissez faire. At least it is my hope... Marco Tanja Mueller. Japan

Hi, my name is Tanja, I am originally from Germany, but I live in Japan since about a year. and I lived and worked in Cuba and various African countries before. Just two thoughts concerning socialism today: first there is Cuba, a country I know very well from various visits: and even in all the problems facing Cuba now, the spirit of the people is always impressive for me, how after all they stand together and did develop different values from their Latin neighbours. and in the end its people and their benefit that counts, not whether what you call a system Then there is Eritrea, a small African country, its youngest nation. even though embracing free markets in the areas where markets do better, the spirit in the building up of this small country, which is developing into an example for African spirit to overcome any obstacle is very socialist (whether you call it that or not). It is the common good that counts,

From Lando Germany & South Africa

Socialism is not equal to what is discussed generally, i.e. Communism/Stalinism etc. The Russian/Soviet, Maoist etc. systems all use the Socialist Ideology as basis but are mostly very bad derivatives the present day so called socialists propagate.

Take South Africa. The evil Apartheid has been deposed by some of the people I met in East Germany, who are out and out Stalinists. It has nothing to do with Socialism but everything to do with the will to Power! They are right in condemning the growth of the global naked capitalism, but will not solve the problem with Stalinism/Maoism.

Socialism as portrayed by some European states are really an American Pragmatism under the guise of Social Consciousness. Even the German Social Market Economy is breading tremendous resentment as seen recently in the elections with the rise of the Nazis. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.

Alexis de Tocqueville Socialists make the mistake of confusing individual worth with success. They believe you cannot allow people to succeed in case those who fail feel worthless.

Kenneth Baker The ideology of historicist Marxist science fiction has now been superceeded by the historicist triumphialism of liberal capitalism as represented by the thought and work of thinkers like Francis Fukuyama. The increasingly strident and self righteous tone of the ideology of free markets and economic globalisation is as disturbing as the threat represented by any other doctrinaire world domination type of ideology such as communism, socialism, national socialism etc. People need to resist and question the assumptions being foisted on them now of the triumph and moral certitude of unbridled free marketism and the causal linkage being posited between political and intellectual freedom and capitalism.

Andrew O'Sullivan Kuala Lumpur The death of socialism is greatly exaggerated. The tremendous strides in improvement in general health, education, and welfare would not be where it is in many countries without aspects of socialism. Countries that come to mind: Cuba, Nicaragua, China, most of Europe, Uruguay. To think that all the people in the world can live at a level of a rich person in the industrialized world is absurd, and without some form of socialism to better distribute wealth and resources for a decent life, the rich will need to remain in heavily guarded fortresses to maintain their obscene wealth while the masses starve.

Roger Chambers Utica, New York USA I concur with one of the previous communicators in that Americans do not appreciate the difference between Socialism and Communism. One reason for this is the average American's woeful lack of knowledge of world affairs. This is in large part due to the popular media's reluctance to provide foreign news bureaux outside its borders. The lack of social empathy in the U.S. renders this country the most socially backward country in the developed world. I hope that Socialism, i.e., social democracy is a construct that will never fade away. Otherwise, we will be further on the road to becoming social neanderthals. Many thanks to the Beeb for keeping us informed and honest.

This year's Mayday saw the biggest ever workers' demonstration in Taiwan. While the police estimated 8,000 participants, while most of the press put the figure at 25,000. Most of those taking part were employees of state-run firms objecting to privatisation. Of course, until a few years ago, anyone who tried to organise such a demonstration in Taiwan would have been rounded up and imprisoned or worse. Did anyone outside Taiwan hear about this? Unfortunately, most of the media are more interested in reporting how FEW people took part in Mayday marches in some places. The only other way your demonstration is going to get reported is if it turns violent. Julian Clegg Taipei.

I'm listening to your radio show. It seems to me that socialism will come back in some form to countercheck the apparent marginalisation of societies by borderless, multinational and international capital in the name of free market and privatization. so long, Opsnan (Japan)

Sim Chin Heng from Singapore disagrees with the comment from Lanre Kawn, our caller from Nigeria. He asks: If socialism in Africa was so good. Why did Africa need the IMF to implement social adjestments?

Jacek Tittenbrun, a Professor of Sociology in Poland says:

One must distinguish between two ways of conceiving socialism and at the same time currents in the socialist tradition. One is "socialism from above," that associated with the state and its intervention, whether in the West or the East, not overlooking their obvious differences. . Neither has brought the world any closer to solving its major problems. The other is socialism from below, the living tradition of workers' struggles both in the West and in Eastern Europe, but also a plethora of selgovernment and non-government initiatives. Looked at in this way, socialism is by no means dead. On the contrary, all indications are that this communal or grassroots model offers the only way of solving the major problems of the planet such as the environment, unemployment or wealth and income disparities between and within the nations. This is in fact implied by recent pronouncements of such personalities as the EU chairman and George Soros.

Like many listeners, Gerry Taylor from Toronto Canada warns of using the terms communism and socialism interchangeably. Surely this should not be the case. Wasn't it Kruschev or maybe Stalin, who said that Communism's greatest threat came from socialism and not from capitalism??