Scotland or the World? - Your Choice.

The struggle in Scotland is not, as the nationalists would have us believe, the struggle for independence. The struggle in Scotland, as in the rest of the world, is a class struggle: the struggle between the workers and the employers.

 Scottish Chambers of Commerce found more than half of respondents rated the level of debate so far as "poor" or "dismal". Issues around currency, taxes and business rates were found to be the most important for firms. And should we be at all surprised by such concerns from the Scotland’s capitalist or aspiring capitalists?

 Over half of businesses polled saw potential opportunities from independence,  with Yes Scotland campaign declaring small and medium seized businesses appreciate the benefits that taking responsibility for managing our own affairs and economy present. The SNP tell us that independence from England and the control of our own budget will cure all our ails. What they purposefully neglect to tell us is that the problems they are going to try to solve are an integral part of the capitalist system and history has shown that within this system there is no satisfactory solution to these problems apart from socialism.

The SNP talk about a Scottish culture and a Scottish way of life. But in what way is the life of a Scottish wage-slave basically different from that of an English or, for that matter, a Russian wage- slave? There is little difference in the way of life of the world’s working class because we all suffer from the same problems such as poverty and insecurity. Independence from England will not end those for Scottish workers, because there will still be the wages labour and capital relationship. An independent Scottish government would still have to operate within the constraints of the world capitalist system. It would still have to ensure that goods produced in Scotland were competitive on world markets and that capitalists investing in Scotland were allowed to make the same level of profits as they could in other countries. In other words, it would still be subject to the same economic pressures as the existing London-based government to promote profits and restrict wages and benefits, just as it was for the government of Ireland, which broke away from the UK in 1922 and where things have never been any different.

Since it is this class-divided, profit-motivated society that is the cause of the problems workers face in Scotland, as in England and in the rest of the world, so these problems will continue, regardless of whether Scotland separates from or remains part of the UK.

Independence for Scotland therefore is a myth put about by the SNP and their fellow-travellers on the Left, which further confuses the Scottish section of the working class and blinds them from the real struggle - the class struggle.

The outcome of the class struggle is the abolition of capitalism and an end to deprivation, and alienation. Socialism is a sane and rational society, where the means of life will be owned in common by the whole of the world socialist community. By the means of life we mean the land, mines, factories, railways - in short, the means of production and distribution. In socialism the rule of life will be: from each according to his or her ability, to each to according to his or her need. There will be no need for buying and selling, just a free world for a free people.

The Socialist Party declares that to save humanity from the economic chaos, social injustice, and environmental destruction, it is necessary to abolish the capitalist system altogether and replace it with a humane, democratically-run socialist system. We are for the expropriation of the capitalist class and the abolition of capitalism. We are for its replacement by socialist production to satisfy human needs. It has become apparent that only a socialist revolution and a planned rational economy can make the changes in our production and use of energy and resources that are essential to prevent, or at least mitigate, catastrophic climate change and other environmental degradation.

For neither Scottish nor British capitalism but for world socialism

There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about what “socialism” means.  One misconception is socialism existed in Soviet Russia or in China. No totalitarian or autocratic system like the USSR or China can be considered socialist. Socialism is also a label affixed to the type of “social-democratic” capitalism that exists in Scandinavia and some other parts of Europe today. None of them conforms to the definition of socialism that we use.

The kind of democracy we envision is one in which the formal law-making bodies of capitalist democracy, such as parliaments, will be replaced by organs of direct democracy at the level of the workplace and community. These in turn will be coordinated at broader levels by democratically chosen delegates answerable to, and serving at the pleasure and at the discretion of, the local bodies that appointed them.

Socialism is an economic system under which all natural resources, as well as all means of producing goods and of organising the delivery of services, will  be owned and managed by various democratically-run committees for the benefit of the society as a whole that will take full responsibility for meeting everyone’s fundamental needs – food, clothing, shelter, health-care, education, transportation, while preserving a healthy ecosystem.

Rational planning, not competition for profit, will drive the allocation of resources, with the goal of meeting the needs of society as a whole. Under capitalism, advances in technology are used to replace workers, so that the wealthy owners of large enterprises can increase their profits, while the displaced workers are thrown out on the street and left to fend for themselves. Inside socialism, in contrast, advances in technology – environmentally sustainable – will be planned and implemented so as to reduce the level of human drudgery. Advances in productivity will result in reducing working hours and raising the standard of living for everyone, rather than enriching a privileged elite. Everyone will reap equal benefits from, and thus have an equal stake in, improving the way goods and services are created and delivered. Everyone will enjoy an  decent standard of living, and an opportunity to enjoy the richness of life.

As machines and technology replace more and more manual labour and perform routine chores, people will be freed to devote more time to leisure pursuits such as recreation, creative endeavours, and social relationships. Meanwhile, better education, improved technology, humanely and democratically operated workplaces, a shorter work week, and an emphasis on cooperation will all combine to make work a more rewarding, less stressful experience. Few (if any) will be reluctant to make their appropriate contribution to society. All workers will be motivated by a positive desire to help others, rather than by the need to avoid hunger and homelessness. Where jobs involving drudgery, danger, and difficult working conditions remain necessary, they will be filled on a voluntary and rotational basis. Those with unusual talents or skills will be encouraged to use them to the fullest extent, for the benefit of society. Extraordinary contributions will be rewarded through public recognition, allocation of resources for additional future projects, and the satisfaction inherent in the work itself, rather than through money or material privileges. Those who can create new or improved products, processes, and services will still have the incentive and the opportunity to do so, but the results will benefit the entire society, not just a privileged few. Goods whose scarcity is intrinsic and/or cannot be reproduced will be allocated fairly, by various appropriate methods, influenced various local customs such as by waiting list or lottery.

 It could be like that now, so why not do something about it? The world is ours for the taking. So why not take it?