interesting viewpoint and worthy of debate i am sure, however i believe that there are threads already devoted to the rights and wrongs of the bail outs and government intervention.

I was hoping with my question to open the debate up wider, does what has happened and the resulting intervention signal the end of capitalism as we know it.

With the state(s) now controlling significant stakes in so many large institutions have we seen the high watermark of the free capitalist economy, and if so, what is the viable alternative for us?