We live in a world of change. Nothing stays the same. We must embrace change. But not all new ideas are for the best for humanity. We still have something to learn from the past.
An area of today’s world that I find that needs to be rejected is our present belief in free market capitalism. The new free trade agreement between the EU and Canada shows that we have not learnt from the lessons of the 2008 crash. Not all eras of history are as depressing as today’s world. After 1945 the democratic world decided that they were going to reject the mistakes of the past. Social democrats left liberals and conservatives had compassion for the poor. They created the welfare state, created the mixed economy and put job creation at the heart of government policy. They made mistakes, they were human. Their motivation was noble. I wish we would reject neo liberal capitalism and accept the mixed economy where employers employees and state workers could come together to make our world a better place. This is a protect that both left and right could embrace.
John O Brien.
irishfabian+ 