Liberate minds not lands

 Without doubt, the world is ripe for socialism, so far as its objective economic development is concerned. What delays the coming of socialism is not the lack of carefully worked out schemes of socialist reconstruction (these can easily be elaborated after the capture of power by the working class), but the absence of the most elementary means for overthrowing our capitalist masters. Short cuts and illusory quick and easy paths to socialism will only lead the movement to setback and defeat. There can be no substitute for the basic ideas of socialism.

The Socialist Party aims at the overthrow of capitalism, not its reform. This system cannot ensure the harmonious growth of the economy, cannot avoid economic crises cannot ensure the well being for all the people.

The capitalist class demands sacrifices from the workers in terms o further reduction in real wages, increases in productivity, cuts in welfare services etc., as the condition of ensuring recovery. But in reality the bosses has no control over the course of the crisis;It is simply a demand that the workers accept the burden of the crisis on their backs so as to ensure the recovery of profits which is the real concern of the employers. The motive of capitalist production is profit and the only issue of “recovery” for the investor class is recovery of profits. Such “recovery” will not alter at all the condition of the working class as wage slaves, or change the conditions of the exploited in relation to the exploiters. In fact, the recovery of the profits of the bourgeoisie can only take place on the basis of the further intensification of exploitation, the further impoverishment and ruin of the masses of the people.  It is a lie to get the workers to make further sacrifices, to accept still more of the burden of the crisis on their backs so that the bourgeoisie can achieve the recovery in profits it is seeking.

Crisis is an inherent feature of capitalism and cannot be eliminated without eliminating the root, the capitalist system.  The anarchy of production and crisis will not be eliminated without putting an end to the capitalist system, thereby removing the contradiction which is at its root, the contradiction between the social character of production and the private capitalist appropriation.

The motive of capitalist production is the securing of maximum profits. Production of goods is in fact an incidental aim of capitalism, as is employment. The bourgeoisie organises production for the purposes of increasing profits. When conditions are such that profits can be increased by increasing production, the bourgeoisie does so, and when conditions are such that profits can only be increased by cutting back production to keep up the price, then that is what the bourgeoisie does. Thus if it serves to increase profits to increase the numbers of workers in production, then this is done; but if profits can only be increased by intensifying exploitation, getting more or the same amount of work out of fewer workers, then this is done instead. These fundamental features of the capitalist system cannot be eliminated without removing the capitalist system itself.

Reformists keep urging workers to use the vote – which is a potential class weapon – to further the interests of British capitalism. In the absence of genuine socialist candidates a policy of abstention or spoiled or blank ballot papers would seem to be how Socialists should act. This would at least be a class-conscious act, a determination not to vote for capitalism whoever runs its political affairs, Labour, Conservative or Liberal. All the capitalist parties, all the parties dedicated to the continuation of the capitalist system of wage slavery, are against the most basic rights and interests of the working class. The workers can only wage their struggle in opposition to these forces. In particular the struggle cannot be one simply to remove the Tory government and replace it by a Labour government. The working class must be prepared for putting an end to the capitalist system.

The so-called left-wing  pretends that crises are not the result of the capitalist system but merely a result of “erroneous policies” of this or that individual manager or government. Through this it strives to divert the working class away from the struggle for its economic and political liberation into parliamentarism, into a struggle to change such and such a policy or government. They preach reformism to the workers. The right wing reformers, the class- collaborationists, advocate de facto submission to the capitalist, giving way to all the demands of the capitalists for the sake of “recovery” that will bring “jobs” and “prosperity for all”.  But, in reality, means recovery of the bourgeoisie’s profits at the cost of increased unemployment and impoverishment of the workers. The “left-wing” representatives criticise the measures of this or that capitalist government while calling on the workers to limit their struggle to one for reform of the capitalist system and  putting faith in the Labour Party.

The working class cannot realise its strategic mission to put an end to capitalism, without the most determined struggle against capitalist apologists and their class-collaborationist politics. The working class cannot achieve its goals and build its unity without the most determined struggle to get rid of this influence of the reformists from  the working-class movement and to break its hold which has been established over the movement. This task can never be reduced to a struggle  to a question of “removing” this or that individual  trade union chieftain. It is a struggle to build the unity of the class in action against the class enemy, opposing their nationalist chauvinism and organising the class to end the capitalist system of wage slavery. The workers can and do fight the encroachments of capital, but they cannot restrict themselves to addressing only the symptoms; they must in the course of their class struggle, prepare for removing the source of the disease, the capitalist system of wage slavery, that is the source of all the problems facing the people, and all that is happening around the world show the urgent necessity to overthrow capitalism and establish socialism through revolution. The working class   engages in powerful mass struggles against the capitalist, in defence of its rights and interests, in the course of this fight, it needs to be  acting with the perspective of preparing the conditions for the success of the revolution to transform society from capitalism to socialism.

The pro-capitalists politicians dismiss this as “unrealistic”. They pretend it is so laughable as not to deserve serious discussion, but behind this stance there lurks the very real consciousness that is precisely the danger facing the wealthy and their exploiting capitalist system. The media do everything to try to ensure that the idea of the transformation of the social system is not even discussed precisely because that is the real danger to the capitalist system. The Socialist Party of Great Britain takes the position that socialists should be organised into an independent political party with only a ‘maximum’ programme: socialism.

‘Utopians’ are still among us, with their scheme for bringing peace, prosperity, and brotherhood to mankind. The ‘utopians’ aim to abolish the profit system and replace it by a system of production for use. They look forward to voluntary labor of a few hours a day, no poverty – in a word, no capitalism. Revolution is not only a possibility, it is a necessity in order to avert the grave dangers facing people of more destitution and  more misery. The working class  have been taking increasingly militant action in defence of their conditions, wages and livelihood. They have shown increasing resolve and spirited  willingness to defy the bourgeoisie and the repressive forces of the state. People have also become increasingly conscious of the necessity for a determined struggle against capitalism. These struggles must be escalated, deepened and intensified and it is essential to see that the advances which have to be be made come from the workers relying on their own strength, unity and organisation, keeping the initiative all the time in their own hands. Workers must fight each and every attack, bearing in mind that the only way to put an end to these attacks and to bring about any security in life is to put an end to the capitalist system.