>
> In terms of economics, this is more or less how the Keynesian Left
> (including some who would call themselves Marxist) also define socialism: If
> the economy is in difficulty, the government should spend its way out of
> trouble.
Who are you talking about here? The original left Keynesian Joan Robinson meant rather more than that - for her the central aspect of socialism was expropriation of the wealthy and redirection of their consumption expenditure into development.
Mike