The continuing hold of Labourism over the working class is
an issue which confronts all socialists. The Labour Party, not being socialist,
is useless. Facts show that the Labour Party opposes socialism. The Labour
Party is a party of capitalism, a party of liberal reformers on to which have
been grafted some features and language of social democracy. By social
democracy we mean the political position that in the name of the working class
nominally subscribes to socialism, promotes the gradual evolution to socialism
and places reforms under capitalism as the solution of the problems to which
capitalism gives rise. It has always acted within the boundaries of capitalism.
It has “explained” and “interpreted” the socialist argument in such a way as to
make it virtually unrecognizable to genuine socialists as having anything to do
with socialism. By presenting itself as a workers’ party, the Labour Party has,
nevertheless, attracted working class support. It serves no purpose whatever to
think that the Labour Party would or could act in any way other than it does.
The only real solution for the working class is the
socialist revolution: the construction of a revolutionary socialist party. The
struggle for socialism is the struggle for socialist consciousness. We would
contend that only the Socialist Party is capable of winning the battle of ideas.
Some may question that claim considering our small size and lack of influence
but we believe we are the practical base for building a party really capable of
serving workers’ interests. We can be the party with the organizational
integrity and political honesty that forces the Labour Party to drop their mask
of “socialism”, revealing their true face so that the workers, who are still
following them, will see the ugliness. We decline to separate the Labour Party
from its origin, its evolution, its deeds, its leaders, and the attitude of the
rank and file. Because the Labour Party is in the capitalist camp, it must meet
with the opposition of Marxists. When the Left attempts to persuade socialists
to devote themselves to an impossible ‘reform’ of the Labour Party, it becomes
an accomplice of the Labour Party and becomes itself a reformist roadblock in
the path of the socialist movement.
The Socialist Party is said to be dogmatic and sectarian. We
are dogmatic in so far as we hold ideas that make us strive to end capitalism.
We are dogmatic because we talk about surplus value, another expression for
rent, interest, dividends. We are sectarian because we preach the class war,
another way of asking the workers to stop supporting the capitalist parties. We
fight for nothing short socialism, because we believe that nothing short of
that will save the workers. There can be no substitute for the basic ideas of
socialism and the principles of socialism, for common ownership of the means of
production and distribution. The day is arriving when every man and woman of
our class will have to make a great decision. We shall have to choose whether
capitalism with all its attendant miseries and horrors is to remain or whether
we intend to be free. The Socialist Party comes forward to explain to our
fellow workers the nature of the struggle in. which they are participating. To
tell them of the principles for which we work and fight. We set out the way for
our class to end the horrid nightmare of the competitive struggle which sets
nation against nation, class against class, and individual against individual. The
struggle between individual capitalists to realise profits sets employer
against employer. The conflict between national groups of financiers sets
nation against nation, and produces war. But despite their individual and
national conflicts the whole capitalist class stands united in their common
desire to exploit employees. Hence under capitalism the freedom of the working
class consists in the freedom to starve or accept such conditions as are
imposed upon them by the employing class. But the freedom of the master class
consists in their untrammelled freedom to buy labour-power to create profit. Thus
the workers are not free. Neither owning nor controlling the means of life,
they are wage slaves of their employers, and are but mere commodities. In
opposition to the Labour Party we affirm that so long as one section of the
community own and control the means of production, and the rest of the
community are compelled to work for that section in order to obtain the means
of life, there can be no peace between them.
The Labour Party leaders have not led the movement astray but,
rather, the general movement of the working class, as represented by the Labour
Party, refused to follow the socialist movement. There was a party which has
been for more than a hundred years endeavouring to impress the truths of what
capitalism is and what socialism could be upon the working class – that they
could not trust Labour or Tory, and that if they wanted anything done politically,
and if they wanted socialism, they must join the Socialist Party, and agitate,
educate, and organise for socialism. The Socialist Party has never wearied in
pointing out the right road; but the reality is that the mass of the workers
have preferred to take the wrong path, and there are those who have actively
encouraged them in doing so. Every obstacle placed in our way by our opponents
must be used to show that this opposition is really opposition to the interests
of the workers and in favour of the capitalists. Socialist work means something
very different for a socialist party than the kind of political activity of
labourism. ‘Educate, Agitate, Organise’ is a valid slogan and tactic for the
future and the coming years may give it more effective meaning than it has ever
had in the past. The Labour Party will not lead us to socialism.
No comments:
Post a Comment