LABOUR IS ALSO THE BOSSES’ PARTY

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.