In the early days of the Labour Party , the fundamental flaws of socialism were disguised by the connections to Methodism and many other Christian groups.
The basic problem is that Marx and the considerably more intelligent Engels, produced ideas which were entirely based on the principle that "mankind is the engineer of its own salvation."
This is so out of line with Christian teaching that it must have disturbed many of the early socialists as their political creed was no more nor less than diluted marxism.
Socialism is therefore, an optimistic belief system. Any process which relies on the "basic goodness and altruism of humanity" is destined to be a disaster; indeed socialism today requires a 'nanny state' control of lives and apparently rewards the undeserving to the cost of the decent, hardworking and honest. Surely, only the most politically blinkered could be happy with such outcomes? This has the 'double whammy' of weakening a society and removing the positive virtues such as self reliance.
Capitalism has its many weaknesses - not least the promotion of selfishness but it is difficult to argue that socialism is to any significant degree, less selfish. The dishonest and in some cases evil practices of Trade Unions in the 60s and 70s were hardly any better than the very worst excesses of the capitalist bosses. I have worked in a variety of places where the Unions were entirely motivated by hard left, political machinations and so I know whereof I speak.
Capitalism has one advantage - it works to the 'reality of what man is' and not the benevolent being he is expected to be. It understands the nature of man. Socialists, and today the liberal left, do not. Without massive Christian input - an impossibility today - socialism is a doomed-to-fail belief system.
Top photo Keir Hardie. Second photo Karl Marx.
