zigacktemento - the way the system was set up before the NPM (NEw Public Management) asset-stripping of the eighties and nineties, and even the noughties, was a post-WW2 system that did appear to be socialist, in that many people needed help from public servants, with re-building, and keeping everyone calm (think: friendly bobby on the beat). There was an element of the government being there to help - but the 70's (post-Vietnam) energy-crisis made it seem that the public service was a drain on resources (akshully it was war-debt, but people don't want to talk about that).

However, such a system has disadvantages: One problem was that the old system relied heavily on hierarchy, and there was a strong wiff of upward-brown-nosing and downward-slave-stomping. This, in theory is cured with a meritocracy - much like the Chinese and the Russians are doing now - as a 'cure' for the traditionally hierarchical 'communism'. (Although arguably the Russians and the Chinese were aware of promoting academic prowess - see the Russian movie: AK47 Kalashnicov - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK-47_(2020_film).

zigacktemento.