The Ballot and The Socialist Party

“The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of working people, and the few who make up the employing class have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the earth and the machinery of production, and abolish the wage system…Instead of the conservative motto: "A fair day’s wages for a fair day’s work," we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword: "Abolition of the wage system…” The Industrial Workers of the World Preamble

The Leave Europe campaigner say it is taking away our ‘sovereignty’ and we will only regain it by becoming independent of the EU.  The Remain lobby has had Cameron saying he protected our sovereignty with negotiation and reform from within. But precisely whose sovereignty are they all talking about?  Not yours. Not ours. Whichever side ends up governing the UK after the referendum, it will be the sovereignty of the ruling classes, the self-important, moneyed politicians whose aim will always be to protect their own investments. Those who own and those who work face each other in a class war. The worker demands a return for his or her work. The owner demands a return for his ownership. The workers receive a wage or a salary; the owners receive payments of rent, interest and dividends.

The gaining of the vote meant that workers were no longer dumb, that at last it had a voice, that could be heard and if united would be heeded. Centuries of struggle and sacrifice were required to wrest this freedom from the clutches of our tyrants and place it in the hand of working people. The abuse of the franchise and not the use of it is responsible for its evils.

 Through centuries working people have moved slowly but surely towards liberty. A necessary step in this direction is to sever all relations with the capitalist parties. They are all alike, differing only in being committed to different sets of capitalist interests—they have the same principles under varying colours, are equally corrupt and are one in their subservience to capital and their hostility to the working class. Workers who supports pro-capitalist parties forges their own fetters and are the unconscious authors of their own misery. They are voting into power the class enemies of working people and are responsible for the crimes thus perpetrated upon their fellow-workers and sooner or later they will have to suffer the consequences of their miserable acts. They can and must be made to see and think and act with fellow-workers in supporting the party of their class.  

Many parties on the Left try seek to make their campaign pledges as palatable as possible and as attractive as they can by dropping whatever policy that may give offence that it serves as a bait for votes rather than as a means of education, and votes thus gained are not sincere votes of support. These votes do not express support for socialism and in the next ensuing election are quite as apt to cast for some pro-capitalist party with a more appealing manifesto

The Socialist Party distains such votes as it does not legitimately register the degree of agreement nor the progress our party. Such votes do not properly belong to us and do injustice to our party as well as to those who cast them. Socialism cannot be advanced by acquiring fictitious vote. We seek only an actual vote for socialism, no more and no less. The vote should express the people’s will. In our propaganda we state our principles clearly to convince fellow-workers and win them over to our cause through an understanding of our aim and goals. We, of course want the support of the people, but only of those who believe in socialism and are ready to vote and work with us for the overthrow of capitalism. We scorn vote-seeking for the sake of votes and holds in contempt office-seeking for the sake of office. The call of the Socialist Party is to all members of the exploited class to muster beneath it banner and put an end to the last of the barbarous class struggles by conquering the state machine, taking possession of the means of production and making them the common property of all, abolishing wage-slavery and establishing the co-operative commonwealth.

Some on the Left argue that unity is more important than standing up for your principles. They call for electoral alliances with not only non-socialists but avowedly anti-socialists. No possible good can come from any such kind of a political alliance with rival parties. The Socialist Party is made up of men and women who refuse to compromise with their oppressors; who desire no votes that can be bought with fake promises and no support under any false pretense whatsoever. The Socialist Party stands squarely upon its principles and relies wholly upon the education of the working class. Ignorance alone stand in the way of socialist success. The capitalist parties understand this and use their resources to prevent the workers from seeing the real nature of the capitalist system. Indoctrination is essential to industrial slavery.

The Socialist party is not a capitalist party, nor a middle-of-the-road reformist party, but a revolutionary working class party, whose objective it is to conquer capitalism on the political battle-field, take control of the State and through the public powers take possession of the means of wealth production, abolish wage-slavery and emancipate all workers and all humanity. With the onslaught of the environmental crisis the old order of society can survive but little longer. Socialism is next for the survival of mankind. Soon that minority will be the majority and then will come the co-operative commonwealth. Every lover of freedom should support the Socialist Party as the only party that is organised to abolish wage slavery, the source of the evils that afflict all the people. The overthrow of capitalism is the object of the Socialist Party. It will not fuse with any other party that does not stand for socialism and it would rather dissolve than compromise. The Socialist Party fully comprehends the magnitude of its task and has the patience of preliminary defeat and the faith of ultimate victory. The working class must be emancipated by the working class so that society must be reconstructed by the working class.