By: Andrej Žitnik (Nova24tv.si)
Why has capitalism succeeded while every other system has degenerated into autocracy and widespread poverty? Because it has taken into account what the masses of people want. Each individual has his or her own desires, which the market fulfils for him or her, and the market is, in reality, a group of companies, which are themselves essentially just groups of people. When they offer us what we want, they actually make money themselves, and in the end, we all win (even the environment, since capitalism has been shown to pollute much less than socialism because of its efficiency). But none of that matters to the chief complainer and pot-stirrer of the most extreme party in the National Assembly – the Left party (Levica). Namely, MP Miha Kordiš believes that it is wrong for people to buy what they want and satisfy their own needs. But who should determine what we really want? The enlightened far-left elites, of course.
“Capitalism produces things we do not need, sub-optimally, on a planet that cannot bear this,” was the daily dose of wisdom from the young “silovik” Kordiš.
In a post published on the Left party’s Facebook page, the self-declared communist criticises the energy sector and the inefficiency of capitalism in today’s society. He points out that capitalism produces unnecessary things in an inefficient way because of the need for endless accumulation and growth on a finite planet. He argues that only a handful of individuals in tax havens end up profiting from this. He also mentions the waste of energy due to personal mobility instead of sustainable
solutions, inefficient production due to market competition, unnecessary global production chains, energy-wasting marketing activities, casino capitalism and unnecessary packaging. In his post, Kodriš then also highlights the military industry and useless fashion.
Kordiš believes that every part of capitalism is a consumer of huge amounts of energy that does not bring any real social benefit. Instead of thinking about energy without taking into account social needs, he believes that we should think about how to go beyond the ideology and system of capitalism.
What does Kordiš stand for?
His words are nothing special to those accustomed to contemporary left-wing phraseology. Just a young gentleman who cares about the environment and the little man. But if we examine his words a little more thoroughly, we can quickly see where this road is taking us. Kordiš is committed to dismantling a system where the means of production are in the hands of private individuals and a system where customers decide for themselves what they want and what they do not want. It is very clear what would happen to us if Western Europe, and indeed we ourselves, were ruled by ‘Kordišes.’ They would determine what you can wear, what commercials (if any) you can watch, what you can wrap the product you buy in, and also how much we will be allowed to resist fascist Russia when it comes for us – when we are disarmed, of course.
Kordiš advocates a system where everything would be in the hands of the state and where the state would not only limit energy consumption but even micromanage people’s lives in such a way that, in the end, they would only have the right to accept the government’s solutions and only buy government-backed goods and services. The political commissioners, the likes of Kordiš, would tell you whether you are spending too much and, as a result, polluting too much. The climate crisis would be solved by energy poverty and degrowth.
There is a better way
Greta Thurnberg‘s generation, and indeed her intellectual peer Kordiš, see the world as a zero-sum game, where the planet is already on the brink, which is, of course, not true. Climate change is real, and it is right that we tackle it, but it is not as catastrophic as the hysterical youth, supported by the renewable energy industry, paint it. Nor will this crisis be solved by government decrees. It will be solved by technological development, which is primarily driven by capitalism. So, the very thing that Kordiš is fighting against. In reality, carbon neutrality does not require the abolition of private property, nor does it require degrowth, energy poverty or the reintroduction of socialism.
In fact, all we need now are minor technological breakthroughs. We already have the technology to tackle climate change effectively, we just need to build nuclear power plants. Lots of nuclear power plants, in addition to some hydropower plants, too. Renewable energy sources are just the side dish to the main course. The main course has always been and always will be nuclear energy. And until our society reaches a consensus that this is the only solution, extremists like Kordiš will be extremely popular, who would deprive us of our basic human rights in the name of their extremist ideology.