Change your minds - Change your world

The Socialist Party stands for the transformation of human society, from its current basis of exploitation and oppression to a commonwealth, a classless society based upon a worldwide system of democratically planned production to meet human need and social ownership in harmony with our planet’s ecosystems. The working class is the only social class that has the potential to replace capitalism with socialism, not only because its organisation and centrality to production under capitalism give it the ability to do so, but because it is the human embodiment of socially cooperative labour.  Capitalism has “united” the world, but to maintain its exploitation of the working people, the capitalist class creates numerous inequalities that work to prevent the exploited uniting — racism, sexism, discrimination based on national or ethnic or religious origin, persecution on the basis of sexual orientation. Exploitation and oppression cannot be finally overcome while capitalism continues to exist. But partial victories against them can be won, and can contribute to the weakening and eventual overthrow of capitalism.

Revolution is seen as being impossible. People are told we are too apathetic or ignorant—we’ll never fight back. They tell us the working class has been bought off, so forget change and instead, relax and enjoy life the best you can hope for. Workers are brought up to believe that capitalism is normal. Society tells us that anyone who believes the status quo can be changed is simply extremist, utopian or unrealistic. This leads people to believe that capitalism cannot be brought down by the mass of working class people, and that we have to rely on parliament for reform. Nevertheless, over and over again, people unexpectedly, out of nowhere erupt and engage in radical struggles. Then we are told such momentous events cannot happen here. But they do. The working-class struggle for socialism is prepared by and grows out of the contradictions of the capitalist social order.

Large numbers of people want change - radical, revolutionary, real socialist change. They don’t just want to elect a different government but to do away with rulers and ruled, to do away with rich and poor, to entirely do away with bankers and bosses. They want to run their own lives, in what is called participatory democracy, the idea that we should have the right to make the most important decisions that affect our lives, and that we should determine the conditions under which we live. As people begin to see that there could be change, new movements that had not previously existed arise. We expect that the future will bring many new experiences, which we must think about, learn from, and incorporate into our theory and practice. The Socialist Party want people power and an end to our exploitation and oppression. All of us are called upon to make a decision. There’s nobody who can liberate you but yourself. The first thing you have to do is liberate yourself; liberate your mind. Decide that you will not put up with injustice, oppression, exploitation and war that you’re not going to go quietly being processed to put up with all they want you to accept. You have to know who you are, and which side are you on. You have to know is that you cannot liberate yourself by yourself; you can only do it with other people. There’s no way to end your own oppression and exploitation without collective action, collective struggle, joining with other people to change this world. And so all of you have to start thinking through what that means; how you’re going to educate yourself, to raise your own and other peoples’ consciousness, to create the sort of effective organization that can lead to a successful liberation. The historian Howard Zinn said it is who’s “sitting in the streets, occupying, protesting and demonstrating” who are more important that who is sitting in the White House. No socialist president alone can change the system. That is a job for the people themselves. We need to build a mass movement for revolutionary change. Socialists aim to change the world and have always sought to organise themselves as effectively as possible in order to achieve this goal. The lessons are that we should be preparing now for the future explosion by building revolutionary working-class politics and organisation. More important than what we have done in the past, is what we will do together in the future to build a society that makes possible the full development of all human beings: the socialist society.

Humanity stands at a crossroad. The knowledge and productive capacity that already exist could, if used rationally, enable all people not only to be supplied with the material means for a full and ample life but also provide for a vast advance in humanity’s social and cultural development. The alternative is also already visible around us. It is the further intensification of human misery and environmental destruction. The threat of extinction of the species homo-sapiens from the increasing pollution of the planet’s air, water and land looms over the whole of humanity. Socialism must give priority to sustainability, not growth without limits, not growth that degrades the natural conditions that make the production and reproduction of life and human society in its infinite variety of forms possible. Humankind now faces changes in our planet's climate that could not only make socialism a mere dream, but make the Earth itself uninhabitable. We are approaching tipping points which if reached will give global warming a momentum that human actions will have little or no control over. These dangers must be confronted now. Only a determined socialist movement stands a chance of defeating an entrenched and powerful economic and political bloc and, in doing so, taking a first and absolutely necessary step to protect and sustain Earth and life on it - and the possibility of a socialist future. The problem is not that there are “too many people” or that our living standards are “too high”; the problem is the completely irrational nature of capitalism, arising from its basis in private ownership and production for profit. There is no reason why we couldn’t massively raise the standards of living for the whole population, whilst at the same time greatly reduce society’s impact on the environment. The productive forces have reached the point where life without starvation and homelessness is within reach, for all. The technologies exist to do so; what is needed is a rational and democratic plan of production to integrate and implement these technologies. Only the rule of one class over the rest prevents it. Clearly the world faces a choice between socialism and an increasingly apparent barbarism. There is no room left for any alternative but revolution. Yet the bulk of the world’s leftists remains dedicated to “realism”, ‘pragmatism”and populist “nationalism”.  In short, what is really needed is the revolutionary socialist transformation of society. The task facing the Socialist Party is to explain the common cause of capitalism behind the various problems facing both people and the planet; to link these struggles together by fighting for a revolutionary socialist change in society.

Only through a revolutionary change in the system of ownership and management of society’s productive wealth can working people guarantee themselves — and humanity as a whole — a future. Ownership and control of society’s productive resources must be taken out of the hands of the capitalist minority and transferred to society as a whole, and subordinated to democratic planning in order to meet humanity’s rational needs. Such a change is not only possible; it is long overdue. It will bring about the next great step forward in the evolution of humanity — the creation, through the transfer of political and economic power to the working class, of the classless socialist society. If our vision of socialism is simply a slightly modified version of what exists, don't expect it to embraced. Only a vision that is modern and forward looking will capture the imagination of the people. It is evident that people are gravitating toward a radical critique of society. Economic crisis alone, however, is not the sole cause of revolutionary change. The ground is prepared via the cumulative impact of many different issues- economic, political, social, and moral - taking place over time, during which people's understanding gains in sophistication going beyond "them and us" and "the system sucks". The “revolution" is a more protracted and complicated political/historical process. Socialism, it is correctly said, must be the product of an engaged, united, and politically sophisticated majority. But it doesn't follow that such a majority will simply emerge out of everyday struggles. It is also mistaken thinking that socialism will be the product of a radical minority. The struggle for democracy (economic and social as well as political) is at the core of the struggle for socialism. It's not a diversion or a second-order task. The point of political engagement isn't to feel righteous or conjure up "get socialism quick schemes." It is to change the world.

The spectre of communism does not haunt the world today and elementary socialist principles have been abandoned. Across our planet, in recent decades the working class has risen up time and again against the murderous and exploitative rule of capitalism. But its struggles have not resulted in socialism. The working class does not need “condescending saviors” in the words of The International. Leaders have been a big part of the problem and not the solution. The working class is capable of achieving socialist consciousness through the lessons it learns in the course of struggle. Under the banner of authentic socialism, in open and defiant hatred of the ruling class, The Socialist Party is dedicated to the struggle to overthrow the employs. In the spirit of the Communist Manifesto, we disdain to hide our political identity. We means what we say. Trickery and opportunism will not advance the cause of revolution – working class consciousness and therefore the truth about what must be done, will. The working class alone has been created by capitalism itself to be its gravedigger and the independence of the working class is a prime necessity for class consciousness. Only the proletariat can make the socialist revolution. In our efforts, the Socialist Party is devoted to exposing, not hiding, the vacillations, capitulations and betrayals of the reformists who have stood as a major prop for the preservation of capitalism. Whichever road reformists choose, they promote class collaborationist populism.

The full development of the forces of production, the achievement of abundance for all and the flowering of humanity and human culture, require the establishment of socialism, a classless society. The Socialist Party proudly tell the truth as we see it to our fellow workers. Capitalism destroys human beings and nature and that we desperately need a vision of the socialist alternative. Our party is committed to destroy the cancerous capitalist system by revolution, nothing less than the complete dismantling of the system. Socialism will foster a society where humanity will organise their economy in accordance with peoples’ needs and environmental demands. 

PEOPLE POWER