States that are heavily influenced by Socialist/Marxist/Communist principles are invariably characterised solely in terms of being dangerous, undemocratic and authoritarian. Many are, but these elements can be just as prevalent in countries that would be described as having a Capitalist ideology.
There isn't a country in the world that can truly be described as Socialist, and Communism is just state capitalism. Some countries have, though, endeavoured to create a society which could broadly be described as having "socialist" principles - i.e. a more equal distribution of wealth and natural resources and much wider access to good quality health care, education and public services in general. Sweden, for instance, uses the tax system to provide a fairer distribution of resources.
The letter from the 41 economists was headed:
It is the current government’s policy and its objectives that are extreme, not the Labour leadership candidate’s
It includes the words:
" .... it is the current government’s policy and its objectives which are extreme. The attempt to produce a balanced public sector budget primarily through cuts to spending failed in the previous parliament. Increasing child poverty and cutting support for the most vulnerable is unjustifiable. Cutting government investment in the name of prudence is wrong because it prevents growth, innovation and productivity increases, which are all much needed by our economy, and so over time increases the debt due to lower tax receipts.
It ends:
We the undersigned are not all supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. But we hope to clarify just where the “extremism” lies in the current economic debate.
One of the signatories was Danny Blanchflower, a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee - which can hardly be described as a hot bed of left wing thinking or a thorn in the side of the establishment.
Alphabetical girls and boys names January 2024
NEW GAME - ALPHABETICAL groups/bands