Some of you are too young to remember when we found the 'black gold' in the North Sea ....
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I remember learning from a friend who lived in Scandinavia why Norway didn't join EU, is to a great extent because they didn't want to be forced into neoliberal policies of privatisation (but they still contribute to all socially beneficial parts of EU, even stuff like counting wildlife and spend their taxpayers money on this without too much drama, whereas even when UK was in EU many folk resented every penny spent on the social aspects (but still wanted the "Common Market" so their businesses could make money
@vfrmedia @Geri I've yet to have any of my Norwegian friends complain about costs and taxes. And it's not like austere soviet Russia, they drive fun cars that are all different, and are very individualistic. But not at the cost of wellness towards others. They like having money for fun stuff, but they also don't want people dieing from lack of basic necessities. The nordic model really does prove you can have have your cake and eat it too
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@Geri Saor Alba
(no offence, you Geri are more than welcome to join us, kettles on 
️ 
)I am not leaving this house
I was born in this house
I will die in this house
Ideally by excessive orgasm
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@vfrmedia @Geri I've yet to have any of my Norwegian friends complain about costs and taxes. And it's not like austere soviet Russia, they drive fun cars that are all different, and are very individualistic. But not at the cost of wellness towards others. They like having money for fun stuff, but they also don't want people dieing from lack of basic necessities. The nordic model really does prove you can have have your cake and eat it too
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Some of you are too young to remember when we found the 'black gold' in the North Sea ....
@Geri there are definitely real issues with how privatisation was handled in the UK, but this graphic really exaggerates the comparison with Norway. Reuters did a fact-check on a similar version of it a while back.
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@Geri there are definitely real issues with how privatisation was handled in the UK, but this graphic really exaggerates the comparison with Norway. Reuters did a fact-check on a similar version of it a while back.
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I am not leaving this house
I was born in this house
I will die in this house
Ideally by excessive orgasm
@Geri
Then I too hope the same for you! 
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Some of you are too young to remember when we found the 'black gold' in the North Sea ....
@Geri private profit, public debt
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Some of you are too young to remember when we found the 'black gold' in the North Sea ....
@Geri Gee. Which of these countries is benefiting from the North Sea oil income?
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@Geri As someone looking to immigrate there, it is really a cool system. The important things the government controls, but there is still a lot of room for fun innovative things. Norwegians are fearless because they can try new things, and if they fail, they fail. It's not the end of the world. It's just money. It's paper. People don't starve because of failure. If they will starve because of failure, then government controls it.
@praetor @Geri In a piece of science fiction I’m working on(not really a story, not quite an RPG world, maybe best described as an act of autism), the Union of Popular Commonwealths has a particular form of democratic socialism. It’s socialist but without state-owned enterprises. The People don’t own the means of production.
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@praetor @Geri In a piece of science fiction I’m working on(not really a story, not quite an RPG world, maybe best described as an act of autism), the Union of Popular Commonwealths has a particular form of democratic socialism. It’s socialist but without state-owned enterprises. The People don’t own the means of production.
@praetor @Geri Each particular firm is wholly owned and organized by its employees and they compete in a market that is mildly regulated by a democratic government(which is of, for and mostly by The People).
This is making me think that certain “natural monopolies” should be owned and operated by The People.
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@praetor @Geri Each particular firm is wholly owned and organized by its employees and they compete in a market that is mildly regulated by a democratic government(which is of, for and mostly by The People).
This is making me think that certain “natural monopolies” should be owned and operated by The People.
@su_liam @Geri if we're talking the Nordic Model, they aren't monopolies per se. They are private for-profit corporations, and the are several of them, but they are managed by the government, and they pay obligatory taxes at very high rate which goes into the social security system. They're almost like your power company. Its capitalism on a very tight leash is what it is.
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Some of you are too young to remember when we found the 'black gold' in the North Sea ....
@Geri Norway has Big Oil. (and some salmon).
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@Geri As someone looking to immigrate there, it is really a cool system. The important things the government controls, but there is still a lot of room for fun innovative things. Norwegians are fearless because they can try new things, and if they fail, they fail. It's not the end of the world. It's just money. It's paper. People don't starve because of failure. If they will starve because of failure, then government controls it.
"People don't starve because of failure . . ."
Oh, it's the same here in the U.S.—if you're rich to begin with.
Thank you for giving us an example of a good thing that exists and is real. Maga only promises things that they say are GOING to happen, if ONLY we all BELIEVE. In two weeks!!
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"People don't starve because of failure . . ."
Oh, it's the same here in the U.S.—if you're rich to begin with.
Thank you for giving us an example of a good thing that exists and is real. Maga only promises things that they say are GOING to happen, if ONLY we all BELIEVE. In two weeks!!
@_chris_real @Geri There have been some really cool Norwegian companies that have succeeded (Vivaldi, and Jolacloud are two), and some flaming cat turds too. As long as you pay back your creditors, the government is like "hey, Norwegian ingenuity can't win all the time. Better luck next time" and some try again. With the same people. It's not devestating. Progress is iterative, but progress should always be beneficial regardless. Not destructive.
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@_chris_real @Geri There have been some really cool Norwegian companies that have succeeded (Vivaldi, and Jolacloud are two), and some flaming cat turds too. As long as you pay back your creditors, the government is like "hey, Norwegian ingenuity can't win all the time. Better luck next time" and some try again. With the same people. It's not devestating. Progress is iterative, but progress should always be beneficial regardless. Not destructive.
I'm using Vivaldi now (you mean the browser, right?)
If this is a product of Norway, I'm impressed!
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@_chris_real @Geri Yup! Vivaldi is a Norwegian company.
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@_chris_real @Geri Yup! Vivaldi is a Norwegian company.
It's a good one. I feel undespairing of America's decline, there are sane adults in many other countries who can pick up our slack.
