A new society

Many people wonder what the future holds for them, their family and their friends. They want to know if it is possible to see a future free from poverty for millions and the homelessness. They seek to learn if there will there be peace in the world or nuclear annihilation? People ask if there is a future at all. They fear the destruction of civilization as they know it from the ravaging effects of climate change. They ask if this is all because of mankind’s “human nature” and its “in-born” greed. It is not “human nature” that is the cause of the problems people face today. It is the way society is organised, with a minority of people owning and controlling the wealt and the industry of our world, excluding the vast majority of the people from any real say in the running of society. This is what lies at the root of the problems that we face. It is this system, which we call capitalism that cannot guarantee security, cannot provide the good things of life for all, cannot give a constantly improving standard of living for the millions and cannot guarantee peace in the world. It is this that must be changed. The working people who have produced all the wealth around us must come into ownership and control of what is their own by right, so that they can then build the society and produce the things they want. The vast majority of the people gain nothing from capitalism and would lose nothing with its passing. With the ending of capitalism the people would also decide how this planet will be run. To be put the need for change into practice, to become reality, ideas must be adopted by the people. To bring about change, therefore, demands explanation of the facts and in a way that can be understood by the people. No progress will be brought about without the struggle of the people. Decisions can never be left to others.

To win fundamental change for the better for the vast majority of the population, the question of the ownership and control of the means of production is crucial. Democratic control must be brought into the economic world. This means that the land, minerals and factories must be made the property of all. All for all. Political power must be taken out of the grasp of the capitalists. Capturing the state machine and using it to build a socialist society is what the Socialist Party mean by the revolution. All the reforms that have carried out to date, taken in their entirety, have not shifted us one inch along the road to people’s rule, to socialism, so no continuation of the reforms will end in socialism. For sure, some workers can defend and improve living standards but they cannot solve the problem of wage slavery or win the struggle for economic democracy while capitalism continues. This capitalist society demands, not patching up and a few blood transfusions of reformism, but the death blow to enable the introduction of socialism, an order of society that can manage the technological revolution to the benefit of the working people.

No individual, no political party can do the job for the people of ending capitalism and building socialism. This can only come about when the people themselves engage in action and learn the need for the fundamental change that the revolution that will end capitalism will be able to succeed. Against the dominance of the ruling class, the working class has the potential weapons of unity and organisation. The working class make up the overwhelming majority. No power on earth can stop their advance if they are united and have the understanding of how a socialism can be achieved. The tremendous force that the workers’ movement will have when opens the possibility of forcing through the social transformation of society, the revolution, without civil war or violence. This is in no way to suggest that things will be smooth and easy, everywhere. We can see what vehemence the ruling class resists reforms in their system that go against their interests. How much more will they have to prevent their means of exploitation and power being taken away and transferred to the people. None the less, it is to close one’s eyes to reality not to appreciate that at least in our country the working class could prevent the capitalists resisting by armed methods and foisting civil war on the people. To do everything to make this possibility more real requires the building, cementing and strengthening of the movement of the people. The Socialist Party road to revolution is based on a careful study of the actual conditions, not wishful thinking.

From the present day organisation of production for profit, the aim will be changed to production for use, production of what is wanted and needed by the people. Work will become more interesting and more meaningful as its results will go entirely into benefits for the people. As more goods are produced, so working hours will be shortened. Production will be planned by those who own it, the people, and as much as feasible at a local level through the factory committees of workers.  Industry will have a completely different purpose inside socialism - to serve the people. Priority will be given to improving working conditions, expanding the social services, education and the care for the sick, the aged and the young. The present enormous wastage by which the same goods are sold by different competing companies, which spend millions on advertising to convince you that their product is best, will be replaced by real choice in goods, more real and less of an illusion. Removal of wastage will protect the environment and to improve life. Democracy will be extended in a way not possible under capitalism. Life for the people will become secure, with the knowledge that there will be new freedoms added to those already won. There will be the freedom to work and with the harnessing of science and technology to industry, boring and repetitive work will be eliminated. Work for all will become as it is today for only a very small minority—interesting and satisfying where we will each enjoy the freedom to have extended holidays and enhanced leisure-time. We will have the proper facilities to bring up a family. To have increased opportunity for education, training and the like. We can share the freedom to live in peace and friendship with other peoples, to the freedom to develop one’s abilities and talents.

Socialism will enable us to overcome the brakes on progress of capitalism. It will release the creative energies of the people, making it possible to meet their needs in food, clothing and shelter, and will open vast horizons of cultural and educational possibilities for millions. Mankind will be freed from worry about basic material needs as we know them today, and will be able to meet new ones of which we as yet have no conception. Classes will cease to exist, as all people make their contribution to the productive life of society. The oppressive functions of the state as we know them will become redundant, and will wither away as they fall out of use. What will remain will be only a democratic administration of production in the hands of the people. The separation between urban towns and countryside will end, as housing, travel and become available to all people. The separation between mental and physical labour will be removed as all people receive the freedom and means by which to exercise their potential, their talents and abilities. When problems arise they become worthy of our time and attention. Life for all will be plentiful, secure, happy and interesting. It will not mean the end of every problems but the end of those worries about wages, housing, poverty, peace that dominate our lives today.

The building of this new society is the aim of the Socialist Party.