it was english, stop trying to make a fool of me:

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/england.asp

(and don't try to seriously tell me you don't know the english bill of rights of 1689 which heavily influenced most modern constitutions)

Could you please give some examples why UK was a feudal society in the 19th century

Could you please give some examples why UK nowadays is "mainly" socialist.

I guess it comes down to the problem that you totally changed the meaning of "socialist" as most americans have changed the original meaning of "liberal".

No, it seems you have changed the meaning.  YOur meaning is what is defined as communism, not socialism.  There is a big difference.  Socialism does not own all the means of production, just that it makes sure there is a cradle to grave caring for all its citizens.  Communism owns all means of production and then gives to the people.

If you want examples of socialism in England, I only have to point you to rent control, guaranteed housing, Universal health care, retirement - all owned and run by the government. 

Feudalism?  Again, who owned the land (the potatoe famine - remember it?  It was in all the papers)?  The royalty.  The serfs merely worked it.  Clearly either we do not agree what feudalism is, or you are missing points in history.

That is what I thought, but then I was pointed out that according to the dictionary, socialism IS a system where the government owns all the means of production. Socialism was a trasition stage towards communism. Soviet russia was a socialist state that claimed to one day become communist, but never made good on that promise.

What we have are mixed systems, those countries have a lot more socialism in their socialism/capitalism hybrid. Which by popular definition is called socialism (where total socialism is called communism by popular definition, despite there never being a communist country)

"Will we still have paper money under communism?"

"No, none of that either."

Taltamir,

According to Marxist philosophy socialism is state control of the means of production and communism is the ideal that is thought to derive from it.

But since Marx' time many socialists have changed their views. The world's most influential non-communist socialist party, the German SPD (Social Democratic Party of Deutschland) advocates a mixed system with some socialism (health care, key industries etc.) and some controlled capitalism. Traditionally the SPD has been almost violently anti-communist, but that has changed in recent years*.

A socialist country is not only a country in which the state owns the means of production but also one where the state CAN take such control if it is deemed necessary. Western Europe's socialist countries have capitalism because the government allows it, not because it's the basic system.

Notes:

*In the German state Hesse two weeks ago the SPD candidate for prime minister failed to get elected with the votes of SPD, Green Party, and the communists (which she tried to despite the fact that she promised before the elections that she wouldn't use communist votes). The reason she failed was that four of her MPs, known traditional Social Democrats refused to vote with the communists in parliament. The four MPs cited the promise to the voters, the history of the communist party, Social Democratic ideals, and concerns about employment numbers as their reasons.

"In Soviet Russia television watches YOU!"

Unfortunately true.

"I disagree, minimum wage can prevent exploitation with pretty well no negative impact on unemployment or inflation. It's only if you set the minimum wage too high that you get real problems."

Is your support really so fickle steven?     

In england too, and soon in the USA.

In America you can always find a party.

In Soviet Union the Party can always find you!

The jokes are Jakov Smirnoff's, for those who didn't know.

They really put things in perspective.

Here are a few more:

"You have such nice things in the U.S.—like warning shots!"

"We have no gay people in Russia—there are homosexuals but they are not allowed to be gay about it. The punishment is seven years locked in prison with other men and there is a three-year waiting list for that."

Seriously, most of things Americans complain about are things that many other people can only dream about.

Don't throw it all away!

Complaining isn't inherantly bad... I mean ... complaining about things like the DMCA and the Patriot act is a good way to attract politicians to your cause, and help protect those very same civil liberties those aweful laws gutted.