Greg Scoflield has raised interesting issues. I am more pessimitic than he.
But there are some optimistic predetermined milestones. If one defines a democratic socialist society as one moving in the direction of equality of citizenship and equality of human rights then, from the Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 [http://www.udhr.org/UDHR/default.htm] through to the various covenants (see below), there seems to have been international agreement (moral principle and legal status) on the progressive advance of human rights and to be achieved consistently, that is without backsliding. But it is notable that the United States, that one-time great leader in the advance of human rights is now a follower! One illustration serves. The Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified or acceded to by 191 of 193 nations. There are two hold-outs, Somalia and the United States! [See Stephen Lewis, The Rise and Fall of Social Justice, http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/ECON/needhdata/Lewisprog.html ] What the hell goes on in that country? It does not bode well for the establishment of a full-democracy of human rights and the realization of Scofield's optimism. I should quickly note that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Canada's record has not been the most commendable. Indeed, filled with hypocrisy. [But see the commendable part of Canada's involvement with the creation of the Declaration http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/ECON/needhdata/humphreyref.html Neoliberalism and neoconservatism and the likes of Thatcher, Reagan and Mulroney have been consistent in backsliding on human rights. The organization "Low Income Familes Together" or LIFT,located in Toronto, had the temerity in 1998 to write a wonderful report titled The Ontario People's Report to the United Nations on Violations of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Province of Ontario. I understand that since then funds for LIFT have been difficult to obtain. See also: Bruce Porter, Social Rights and the Question of the Social Charter. Presentation to the Symposium on the Social Union, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, September 18, 1998. http://www.equalityrights.org/cera/social.htm. I think Greg Schofield idea can be furthered by the academy if they/we first reflect and then act on the moral obligation outlined in the premable to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Following various important whereas statements the preamble includes: "The General Assembly proclaims This Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction." and article 30 states: Article 30 Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein. LIFT is clearly acting consistently with the progressive advance of human rights. The problem, taking LIFT as an illustration, is not with the people, it is first with the corporate sector and the unthinking ill-advised governments that support capitalist goverance in the denigration of democracy and the advance of human rights. How many university teachers teach human rights? How many economists think of constraining their models so as to be consistent with the Declaration and related Covenants? Generally we take the system as given and, sadly, in doing so human rights are left to the market. Cheers, W.-Robert Needham United Nations Covenants/Conventions Avaialble: http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/newhvstatbytreaty?OpenView Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Convention on the Rights of the Child International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children child prostitution and child pornography Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights The United Nations, INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html The United Nations, INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS: http://www.hrweb.org/legal/escr.html Status of Human Rights Documents; http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/Statusfrset?OpenFrameSet Status of United States of America: http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/newhvstatusbycountry?OpenView Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment-Ratification 18/04/88 20/11/94 21/10/94 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Signature only17/07/80 12:00:00 AM Convention on the Rights of the Child Signature only 16/02/95 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination-Ratification 28/09/66 20/11/94 21/10/94 United Sates: International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families-No Action International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights-Ratification 05/10/77 08/09/92 08/06/92 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Signature only 05/10/77 12:00:00 AM Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women-No Action Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts Signature only 05/07/2000 ____ >I would find it helpful if you specified what you mean by 'socialism' >and 'socialisied'. > >I am skeptical because some of the past uses of 'socialised' in this >context do not seem applicable today. There was an argument based on >certain isomorphisms of socialist and capitalist production and >administrative systems in the heyday of mass production. Hence the >convergence literature of the sixties, and some of the arguments >advanced by Harrington >and Galbraith in the seventies. Since then, the state socialist half of >this isomorphism has collapsed, and the capitalist half has moved on. > >But maybe I'm just out of date. So please expand. > >Fred Guy > >Greg Schofield wrote: > >> My point is that historically this is not so, that the level of >>socialisation already established by the bourgeoisie, effectively means >>there is no great day when leading elements of capital must be >>socialisied, as this is already achieved. > >_________________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com »«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«» Dr. W.R. Needham Department of Economics 200 University Avenue West, University of Waterloo, N2L 3G1 Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Tel: 519-888-4567 ext: 3949 Fax: 519-725-0530 web: http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/ECON/faculty/needham.html ***************************************************************************
