The Best Karl Marx Documentary

The process is so complicated that it offers ever so many occasions for running abnormally.
Karl Marx, Das Kapital, Buch II, p. 500

It is a great comfort to the Oracle of Ottawa that there are still in existence some organizations that have the greater good at the top of mind. One of those organizations is the great BBC of the United Kingdom, and another is the Open University. Recently they have collaborated to produce a series of documentaries of the worlds greatest economists. The first episode covered the legacy of John Maynard Keynes, The second episode was on Hayek, and the third and greatest episode was on the subject and modern rising influence and seeming rebirth of Karl Marx.

Karl Marx - 1870

 The series was hosted by a most beguiling young lissome lass by the name of Stephanie Flanders. The host and the series reminded the Oracle of Ottawa of John Kenneth Galbraith and the series The Age of Uncertainty. It was eerie how Ms. Flanders has the same ability to captivate as did the great John Kenneth! The Oracle of Ottawa loved the lavish production in HD. And the stops at all the major way-points of the life of Karl Marx. It was just entrancingly fascinating. You could really tell that Stephanie Flanders totally "gets" Karl Marx, and it truly did shine through and is most worthy and without fault.

Stephanie Flanders

 What the Oracle of Ottawa enjoyed the most, and found most impressive, was the quality of guests that made themselves available for very frank and candid interviews for the Karl Marx segment! The Oracle of Ottawa won't give them away, save for one, Sir Mervyn King, yes that Mervyn! Governor of The Bank of England! Damn! That Stephanie Flanders sure has some kind' a pull. The Oracle of Ottawa damn near fell of his chair! And dear reader, it was all awesome, and perfectly and seamlessly edited. And Sir Mervyn really knows his stuff, you could tell that he actually read a lot of the texts of Karl Marx.

Could it be? This documentary was very recent. Could it have played a role in present day events? Could this appearance and rather forthright honest opinions have cost Sir Mervyn his reappointment? Is this the real reason that Mark Carney, the Judas head of the Bank of Canada and the International Stability Board has been named the next Bank of England Governor? The Oracle of Ottawa is of the opinion that the only thing that Mark Carney knows about Karl Marx is that he never made partner at Goldman Sachs...

But be that as it may. The Oracle of Ottawa digresses. There were two small omissions that were missed that would have really rubbed salt into all the right wingers watching the aforesaid segment, that the Oracle of Ottawa must really point out. The first being the lack of mention of Karl Marx's neighbor in Highgate Cemetery. And that is the fact that Herbert Spencer  , who coined the term "survival of the fittest" has a forever face fronting view to the great monument erected in the honour of the now great and again up and coming friend and contemporary Karl Marx! In one of the most ironic grave placements in the history of economics and science, they are forever "grave buddies"! And as you watch the whole episode you can readily see who has won the prize for fame for all time! The second slight omission  was at the last of the episode when the question was bandied about what change could be possibly made or what could replace capitalism as it now exists. 

Well the Oracle of Ottawa has the answer for this! It is the greatest economic concept that you have probably never heard of. And it was coined by the aforementioned John Kenneth Galbraith. And that concept was called "countervailing power". Perhaps you should look into it.

The fastest and most brilliant hour of television of 2012... They can't make this go away, it will always pop up somewhere... (But as of January 2015, it has been made to completely vanish...)