Contributions

Here are articles that have been contributed so far to the upcoming debate on “What is Socialism?”

They say this is Anarchism by Ciaran Cunningham:

Connolly’s well quoted advice on the pointlessness of hoisting the green flag over Dublin castle without establishing a Socialist republic is a fantastic and accurate warning against the limitations of nationalism in general... [But] If we were to hoist the red flag over our cities tomorrow, without the rejection of hierarchy we would probably be better off under capitalism.

Also recommended as a response to the piece above and as being relevant to Latin America today is the 1966 pamphlet Two Souls of Socialism by Hal Draper:

Instead of the bold way of mass action from below, it is always safer and more prudent to find the “good” ruler who will Do the People Good. The pattern of emancipation-from-above goes all the way back in the history of civilization, and had to show up in socialism too. But it is only in the framework of the modern socialist movement that liberation from below could become even a realistic aspiration; within socialism it has come to the fore, but only by fits and starts. The history of socialism can be read as a continual but largely unsuccessful effort to free itself from the old tradition, the tradition of emancipation-from-above.

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Also sumbitted to the debate was A statistical comparison of Socialism and Capitalism, based on the UN Human Development Report, by Liam Ó Ruairc along with a more succinct 2004 letter to the Irish News on the same subject:

As a system, capitalism does not work for the vast majority of the world’s population; it fails to provide for their basic needs.
Of the 4.4 billion people in developing countries, nearly three fifth lack basic sanitation. A third have no access to clean water. A quarter do not have adequate housing. A fifth no access to health services...

A common objection is that capitalism might not be good, however there are no alternatives. Socialism does and did not work, the fact that countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union abandoned it and adopted capitalism proves it.
However, the UN’s Human Development Reports show the achievements and successes of socialism.