In the forlorn hope that some intelligent debate may arise from the ashes of the defeat of the democrat wing of the Institutionalised War Party, I hereby present the 10 demands of the communist mainfesto.
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3. Abolition of all right of inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5. Centralisation of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralisation of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of the population over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.
Some demands will be recognised as the foundations of the modern state.
So, instead of relentlently presenting marxists as dangerous criminals. it might be of value to discuss these points in turn in a political dialogue.
Can we start with point 1) State or communal ownership of land. Cubans have the highest level of land ownership in the world.
"...Achievements of the Revolution
Housing provision received a relatively high priority in the immediate post-Revolutionary period. Early in the 1960s, legislation was passed to provide security of tenure, to reduce rents and to transform many tenants into owners. Today, many Cubans still have a great deal of security in their housing and pay relatively little for it. Many own outright or pay only around 10% of incomes towards their homes (more like hire purchase than a mortgage). It is illegal to buy and sell housing for profit in Cuba, though residents have rights to exchange housing.
These legal reforms were accompanied by mass building programmes to relieve the worst of the pre-Revolutionary slum conditions. The state took a lead in planning for housing but much of the construction was undertaken on a state-supported ‘self-help’ basis. Castro himself is credited with the idea of initiating microbrigades of workers given leave from their usual occupations to contribute to the construction programmes.
Housing construction continued through the 1960s – 1980s and microbrigades continue to play an important role in housebuilding and renovation today. The long term impact of these policies means that absolute homelessness is practically non- existent in Cuba.
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/cubasi_article.asp?ArticleID=15
Comrade Stalin
