Agit-prop

The Socialist Party would like the future society to be a society without bosses or bureaucrats.   We reproach our adversaries for being unable to think beyond present conditions and of finding socialism unattainable. When we are told that some people won’t want to work, there are a string of reasons to show that  it is ridiculous to think that healthy people would wish to withdraw from the need to produce for the community when work would not be oppressive, exploited and despised, as it is today. Our task is that of “pushing” people to demand all the freedom they can and make themselves responsible for providing for their own needs.  We must encourage people to do things for themselves and to think by their own initiative and inspiration. Everywhere socialists must endeavour to combat hostile organisations of capitalism, and win the confidence of the workers.  Education and agitation, are the indispensable weapons in the Party’s arsenal because the primary and decisive main weapon of the working class is its large numbers. Only through the majority can the workers be victorious. This presupposes the long existence of unified activity and organisation, and this in turn is only possible by organising openly and democratically.

 The working class have time and again displayed the will to learn and acquired the ability to fight in defense of their living standards against the corporations and in defiance of the government. The more the class struggle develops then the more the workers can begin to see through capitalism.  However, the current discontent has not translated into support for the socialist option. At the present time the socialist alternative does not appear so attractive to many. First of all, the word “socialism” in the popular consciousness was closely associated with the old USSR. While these regimes were not socialist we never stop hearing that these countries typify socialism. Not only did supporters of the ex-Soviet Union ceaselessly repeat this to cover up the exploitation of workers in their societies, but the capitalist media also took up the same refrain, since there was nothing better than to point their finger and say, “Look, that is socialism,” knowing full well that the police-state structure and the faltering economy was unlikely to interest workers. As a result many workers are hesitant to endorse the socialist aspiration or remain sceptical about whether it can ever be established.

This situation presents an important challenge for the Socialist Party. If more workers are to be won to the cause of socialism it is clear that we must greatly advance in our ability to explain the advantages of a socialist society and how we can achieve it. It is clear we must improve our explanation of our fundamental socialist ideas. We must combat the capitalist misrepresentations  and distortions of what socialism is. Working people are looking for change but they are yet to be convinced that socialism can provide them with a better life – greater democracy and improved material well-being. The Socialist Party must push forward the discussion of the experiences of socialism to date and the clearly define and depict the type of society we would like to see. A new socialist society does not exist in some text to be mechanically implemented. Education, debate discussion and agitation are essential if the socialist movement is to win over more workers so that the unconscious working class, that is a “class-in-itself”, is transformed into a conscious “class-for-itself”. We must never cease to expose the brutal class character of capitalism and demonstrate the advantages of socialist democracy. In the battle of ideas every member of the Socialist Party has a part to play to counter the enemy propaganda and state the socialist attitude on every social question. No one can stand aside.