Rafael Behr’s article (Even at Davos capitalism’s critics are centre stage, 23 January) seems to be a “will he/won’t he” piece about whether Jeremy Corbyn wants to overthrow capitalism. Really? Is that really a serious question? Once in power is Corbyn really going to set about singlehandedly dismantling a global financial system? Yet Behr wants to know if that’s Corbyn’s ultimate goal. Should we ask if Theresa May’s ultimate goal is fascism? She hasn’t ruled it out, you know.
It’s quite clear that Corbyn wants a form of social democracy, but Behr is not sure if Corbyn wants something more extreme. If only there was some kind of manifesto that laid out Labour’s plans and policies for how they would govern? Oh well, we may never know until we’re in the gulag.
Joe Carlisle
Sheffield
• Once again Rafael Behr’s arrow strikes the heart of the matter when he outs the “capisceptics” who sneer at capitalism while enjoying its material bounty. Marxism v capitalism is the past. In the real world, investors, entrepreneurs, managers, customers and staff care as much about other values as they do about money. The foundations of a future in which measures of social and environmental achievement sit alongside profit are already being built, for example by ethical investment funding and triple-bottom-line company accountancy. The politics of the future needs to build on these foundations.
Bernard Hunt
London
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