Thursday 15 May 2003

Advertising socialism

A photography student from Edinburgh College of Art has placed an anti-capitalism poster on a city billboard:
On a billboard in Dalry Road, an advertisement for John Lewis’ newly-refurbished store in the St James Centre has been replaced by a massive poster denouncing capitalism.
Local politicians are upset about "irresponsible, cynical and illegal behaviour" and "especially because it is being done in such a public way". I would be more impressed if the politicians were to point out that capitalism is the only moral system and that socialism, its alternative, was responsible for the murder of 100 million of our fellow human beings in the last century.

We also need to consider this:

The Edinburgh College of Art photography student said he was driven to carry out his expensive fly-posting campaign after studying capitalism at college.
I think that it is highly unlikely that the taxpayer-supported Mr Wellburn "studied capitalism" at college. Had he done so, he would not have damaged other people's property, nor would he hold his medieval beliefs.

It is wonderfully ironic to remember that John Lewis is a workers' co-operative.