Do you think you can be a socialist and

[Swedes]

1. Pay for your child to be independently educated?
2. Buy a house in right catchment for the right school?
3. Feign religion to get your child into a faith school?
4. Object to a lottery system for school places with urban areas (ignoring all convenient environmental issues)?
5. Vote Tory? (because some people seem particularly confused)

Although someone's got to go to the ropey schools. It's not like an inferior brand where people can boycott it.

to OP:

1. yes
2. yes
3. yes - socialists (and I am one, sort of) have no monopoly on morals
4. no
5. no

Will add I have not done 3. My children are too young and anyway, I don't need to feign religion.

I've asked because over the past few months I have seen threads where people object to this and that because it offends their socialist principles. [laugh up my sleeve emoticon]

Some people seem to be able to work for Merrill Lynch (for example), accept their huge annual bonus, pay for private nursery, live in a house which has been paid for by their Capitalist employment, fund their gas-guzzling and environment-damaging vehicle (s) from their Capitalist employment and still claim to be a Socialist.

Their political ideologies are already so stretched and warped that I wondered what was acceptable these days. Is this the New Socialist Party?

Of course, so long as they don't have to live like the people they're being socialist about

And if they asked the so-called other people they'd probably find they aren't socialists and are trying to become capitalists too

We WANT good free education for everyone, but the local schools are a bit ropey and it's an imperfect world.

So,...who goes to the ropey school? Someone else's kids. It may twist us up inside with MC angst, but we accept it. Why don't we see parents of kids at independent schools campaigning for better state education? We don't (unless you count MPs, who are then branded as hypocrites).

Swedes, may I refer you to Dictat 15762, as issued by Comrade Policywonk:

'I believe in socialism, broadly speaking, but in order to function in this society I'm going to have to make some compromises'.

Wrong way round, spockster.

MPs are branded as hypocrites not because they are parents of kids at independent schools campaigning for better state education.

They are branded as hypocrites because they claim the state education system is wonderful, and then choose not to put their kids where their mouths are.

If they'd more often admit "well, I think my local schools are a bit crap, and I'm doing my best to redress that, but in the meantime I'm sending mine private", then I'd have a bit more respect for them. But they don't - they think the state school is OK for other people's kids but not their own.

So, Socialism is alright for other people

Snap UQD

If I can refer you all to your Trotsky primers, you might recall his complaint that it is impossible to achieve socialism in one country. (For this, he got an icepick in the brain.)

Similarly, it is impossible to achieve socialism at 15 Acacia Avenue if one is surrounded by capitalists and operating within a capitalist system. I really do think it's a bit unreasonable to sneer about it.

That said, anyone who calls him or herself a socialist and yet works for Merrill Lynch had better be sabotaging it from the inside.

Yes, because some are more equal than others

But can a Socialist be a Socialist if they don't live like one

Or does it just sound good (to themselves)

But seriously, what is so wrong about aspiring to a fairer society?

(also enviromental issues are a bit of a red herring in this context)

Surely recent history tells us all that capitalism provides more opportunities ie. a fairer chance than any other system

The problem with state schools is chronic underfunding

Working in my local catchment area state secondary school has cured me of any serious socialist beliefs on education that I might previously have claimed for myself. Or at least in so far as they impact on my children's education.

I agree you can't do these things (pay for education and/or houses in catchment area) and be a socialist.

Here, here, Kerry

Is anybody a socialist anymore? It just seems so old-fashioned I imagine socialists to have lace doileys.

...and aspidistras

"Why don't we see parents of kids at independent schools campaigning for better state education?"

This particular parent is too tired. I did once write a letter to my (then) Tory MP who was a tosser, but that is all i have time for. Not meaning to be uncaring but too busy working

.... and albums by Gracie Fields ]

Why aren't the parents of children at state schools campaigning for a better state education ?

Lol desi

But if everybody's educated to a high standard, who's going to clean our bogs?

I find a bit of quiet laughter up one's sleeve a healthier alternative to the sneer. Otherwise, I seek to divert attention away from Socialism by asking the deluded comrade whether they got any bargains in the Whistles sale.