Why do the young not learn at school that socialist populism always produces poverty?
sir – I spent a lot of time in Venezuela on business in the early 2000s, around the time that Hugo Chávez began implementing his vision of a socialist society, since embraced by Corbynistas.
We soon pulled out, as what then happened was so predictable – a brief period of euphoria and boom, followed by prolonged economic decline, currency debasement, a flight of capital and skills, soaring interest rates and hyper-inflation.
At least the Labour Party is honest enough to announce how disastrously it expects the British economy and global markets to react to its policies.
A question which needs answering is: “Why are our children not taught at school the fact that policies of socialist populism always fail in a morass of poverty and shortages?”
Peter Miller
Sunninghill, Berkshire
sir – I think John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, has missed a golden opportunity. Were he to provide free beer for the public it would have myriad benefits.
Pubs that have closed could reopen, with jobs for landlords and landladies, bar staff, brewers and delivery drivers. More jobs in the NHS would follow. The potential for a revival of neighbourhood policing would also ensue.
Keith Sumner
Castle Donington, Derbyshire
sir – Some promote an economic system that they claim is superior to capitalism. The answer is not simply that capitalism is a superior economic mechanism – it is the only economic system that exists, outside subsistence.
Socialism is state capitalism, in which decisions that would otherwise be taken by investors and consumers are taken by politicians and civil servants. Socialism denies entrepreneurs their gift of innovation, and denies consumers their gift of choice.
Economic activity comprises the process of designing, manufacturing, marketing, selling and buying. There is no argument for these processes being better carried out by the state than by individuals and companies. All experience shows that only free capitalism creates wealth.
There are, of course, distortions of capitalism, in which the consumer is denied his or her choice, or resources are misused, but those abuses can easily be dealt with, so that capitalism works effectively.
Anthony Pick
Newbury, Berkshire
sir – Labour does need to make clear its ambiguous Brexit policy. Many of its ambitious spending and renationalisation plans would not be permitted under current EU rules.
Tim Jones
Worcester
sir – At the 1976 Labour conference James Callaghan said: “We used to think you could spend your way out of a recession and increase employment by boosting government spending. I tell you in all candour: that option no longer exists. And so far as it ever did exist, it only worked on each occasion . . . by injecting a bigger dose of inflation into the economy, followed by a higher level of unemployment as the next step.”
Byron Matthews
Boston, Lincolnshire
sir – Only one thing was more noticeable at the Labour conference than the unified cry of “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn” in the presence of their leader. The sea of faces at Brighton was overwhelmingly white.
Where was all their revered multiculturalism? The Labour Party should hold an immediate inquiry.
Edward Thomas
Eastbourne, East Sussex
sir – The Tories should consider, as a slogan to entice the voters: “For the nation, not the few”. That might help to rebalance attitudes.
Evan Llewellyn
London SW3