TWE socialists agree on equality

P1 AGREE

all want to create more equal society.

strongly agree inequality is biggest issue facing soc. all humans r socially equal. entrenched heirarchies of wealth and pwr should b confronted. as seen by parties eg lab + green.

strongest alignment - btw marxists + social democrats- enduring class structures r primary drivers of inequality-evident in shared support for trade unionism and labour reforms. + soc functions best w mutual responsibility.

even 3rd way= class based inequalities must be addressed, focus on social inclusion + education policies.

ALL= reject natural heirarchies, innate human rights. seen thru legalising homosexuality, divorce law. 3rd way reflected by incorportation of ECHR into uk law 1998

P2 DISAGREE

what type of equality should be the ultimate goal.

marxist revolutionaries= absolute equality achieved thru abolition of capitalism. communism operate “from each according to his ability to each according to his needs”. any form of inequality represents structural exploitaiton only removed thru revolution.

social democrats: promote relative equality. narrow income gaps thru taxation, public services. crosland: modern capitalism can be tamed + reshaped to support local justice. w/o destroying market structures.

contrasting welfare: social dem: cradle to grave welfare state- historically seen in post war brritain.

3rd way: social inclusion and equality of opp, not equality of outcome. giddens: “equality should be a had up not a hand out”.

marxists view this fundamentally incompatable w socilist aims.

social democrats: reject revolutionary abolition of capitalism + reject 3rd ways acceptance of large wealth gaps.

socialists profoundly disagree over what equality itself ultimately means.

good words

strongest alignment, crucial area of consensus,agree to a large extent

in sharp contrast, sharp ideological break , profoundly disagree, completely reject, profound division, deeply rooted tension

P3 disagree

disagree whether equality can be achieved thru a revolutionary overthrow of capitalism or thru gradual democratic reform.

revolutionary: deep inequalities cant be removed thru piecemeal change “proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains” -marx. only complete destruction of capitalist system can eliminate class domination.

evolutionary (social democrats, 3rd way) : violent revolution damages human nature and undermines cooperative values needed for an equal society. webb: “revolutions r chaotic and counter productive”

fundamentalists: luxemburg “revolution is inevitable” bc capitalism produces exploitation only radical upheaval can resolve. disagree that revolutionary turmoil harms social stability, destroys economic security . dismiss these as bourgeois caution. accuse revisionists of surrendering to capitalist structures.

marx: equality and capitalism mutually exclusive concepts. revisionists however view fundamentalists as dangerously idealistic indifferent to suffering that revolutionary violence impose on ordinary ppl

crossland: “marx had nothing or little to offer the contemporary socialist.”