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| Taken with thanks from the http://skewednews.net/ website |
The Socialist Party objective is the social revolution – the
abolition of capitalism and wage slavery – and the emancipation of the working
class. In countries with parliamentary democracy we use elections, because it
is there to use; but in doing so the immediate is to win the people to
socialism – to make socialists, in short – and to organise the working class
for the social revolution. The winning of seats in the Commons, at this moment
of time, is of quite secondary importance. What is important is to win votes –
not merely as votes, but as evidence of the growing strength of the socialist movement.
And to our anti-parliamentary rivals we say it is vital that we count heads
instead of heads getting broken. The Socialist Party
enters into politics hostile to all other parties and to the existing regime.
It regards the present class society as only a passing phase in social
development, and works to hasten its destruction. Its objective is not the maintenance
or the palliation of existing conditions but their termination by the abolition
of class domination and the emancipation of the working class. It pursues socialism
by parliamentary means because parliamentary means are those most effective at
the present time.
The two mainstream parties, Labour and Tory, spend much of
their time attacking each blaming one another for the conditions of the people.
Between them they are covering up the fact that it is the capitalist system
which is the real enemy of the people. Both parties in their own way work to
protect the system and the interests of the ruling class. The Left who claim
that a change of Labour Party “policy” will bring relief to the people are
doing nothing but prettifying the mirage of a Labour future. The Labour Party
opposes the revolutionary transformation of society and even attacks the
economic struggle of the working class and its basic democratic rights. Because
of its false facade of “socialism” it becomes the “best” of the bosses’ parties.
It is best placed to stab workers in the back.
The Left Labourites claim to stand for “socialism” because
they support nationalisation. Anyone who works in a nationalised industry knows
what a farce that claim is! State-ownership has nothing to do with socialism. The
Labour Party and its Trotskyist hangers-on stand for state-capitalism. Industries
get nationalised in order to rationalise them. In periods of crisis, capitalist
competition means individual firms cannot raise the investment. The state steps
in, feeds in the investment to make it more efficient and profitable. The
Labour Party in the past have carried out an attack on real wages. The Labour Party
defends the old order, capitalism and seeks to impede the coming of the new.
Principles are fundamental and by showing that the
principles of the Left-wing parties are wrong, we can proceed to demonstrate
the incorrectness of their tactics. And at the same time, by contrast, it will
be conclusively proven that the principles and therefore the tactics of the
Socialist Party are the only logical ones to be followed. If the Socialist
Party’s analysis is correct, then it follows that the tactics reflected by this
analysis are also correct. We must not be swept off our feet by revolutionary
sounding phrases and rhetoric. The SPGB knows that no leaders are going to pull
the workers into socialism. As Marx stated, “The emancipation of the working
class must be the class conscious act of the working class itself.” A
muddleheaded working class will never be able to act correctly or move in the
proper direction no matter how brainy the leaders may be. In order to get the
masses, the Left caters to the ignorance of the masses and so we find its
platforms filled with all kinds of to attempt to garner a large vote. The
Socialist Party holds that the political party must be a party of no
compromise. Its mission is to point the way to the goal and it refuses to leave
the main road to follow the small by-ways that lead into the swamp of
reformism. The banner of revolutionary socialism is to be held high and not
dragged down into the mire of petty reform and gradualism. Capitalism cannot be
reformed. It must be overthrown.
The Socialist Party never compromises truth to make a
friend, never withholds a blow at error lest it make an enemy. We pursue our
course unswervingly and not to gain temporary advantage. In word and deed, we
are ever outspoken and straightforward, believing that the integrity of purpose
is the path which in the long run, win the respect and confidence of those whom
it aims to weld into a class-conscious, organized body for socialism. Our
propaganda is not alone to educate, it is to organize the working class for the
conquest of power, for the complete overthrow of capitalism. Until that mission
is accomplished the Socialist Party will yield nothing.
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