"You ascribe to my posts positions I have not taken,
How?
You compare the development of North and south Korea - chalk and bananas
North and South Korea differ basically in the fact that The North was devestated to the level of people living in caves, while the South was nowhere near as badly damaged yet baled out by vast amounts of Western money
Simple as that
"evil things, therefore it can't really be Communist!
This is really basic stuff no country ever tried to change oe system to another - they all aimed to - basic Marxism
The programme of the British Communist Party was 'The British Road to Socialism' not 'The British Road to Communism'.
Communism was to be the end result, not something you put on like a new coat
There are loads of reasons why the experiment failed - not all of them internal, but that aside
Russia was a conglomerate of colonies from poorly industrialised Capitalism in the West to primitive feudalism - occasionally nomadism in the east
It could never adopt communism as a system without industrialising and widespread education, which is what happened
Russia should ner have had a revolution when it did - it wasn't ready, but it had no alternative.
Germany would have made a better job of it and it very nearly succeedded
Despite this, within a few decades, despite a crippling war that had left the country in ruins and slaughtered millions of its youth, a Civil war participated in by 14 hostile countries and another world war made the greatest sacrifce of all the particpants, Russia was throwing up Sputniks by the 1950s, wa fully industrialised and was a world contender.
China achieved the same some thirty years later.   
Both could have been well on the road to Socialism (not Communism) if it hadn't been for appalling leadership and constant outside intervention.
I never described communism as "unrealisable" nor would I
The present situation of a widening gap between rich and poor cannot sustain itself and will eventually go the way of the Roman Empire, -
whatever tortuous path it takes the world has to end in a more equitable society otherwise it will just end.
"Most anti-Semites are hypocrites"
I hope this spiteful aside is not aimed at me
I heve never at any time in my life denigrated the Jewish people and i have offered a prize of a generous donation to any named charity to anybody who can quote me doinf so
My quarrel is with the Israeli regime and it is antisemitic by definition to claim that criticism of Israel is antisemitic (as the Israelis are guilty of doing constantly)
What are you people on, whith your antisemitic, underhand smears?
If you are accusing me of being antisemitic because I criticise Israel, it is you who is the Jew-hater - not me.
Go read a book and come back with some real arguments we can discuss - this is Joe McCarthy stuff
You might throw in some real arguments about Britain and the West dealing with, propping up and even installing dictators, while you're at it
Jim Carroll