The Socialist Party is an independent political party that
has been going since 1904. We stand for socialism as a society of common
ownership, democratic control and production for use not profit. Socialism has never
been established anywhere and certainly not in Russia. We are a single issue
party and try to put information out to convince people of the merits of
socialism. We're going to parliament as rebels and not reformers, changing one
law here or there is ineffectual, especially and until we have a mass movement
for the abolition of capitalism and the wages system. All politicians assume
that capitalism is the only game in town, although they may criticise features
of its unacceptable face, such as greedy bankers, or the worst of its excesses,
such as unwinnable wars. They defend a society in which we, the majority of the
population, must sell our capacity to work to the tiny handful who own most of
the wealth. They defend a society in which jobs are offered only if there is a
profit to be made.
The Socialist Party urges a truly democratic society in
which people take all the decisions that affect them. This means a society
without rich and poor, without owners and workers, without governments and
governed, a society without leaders and led. In such a society people would
cooperate to use all the world’s natural and industrial resources in their own
interests. They would free production from the artificial restraint of profit
and establish a system of society in which each person has free access to the
benefits of civilisation. Socialist society would consequently mean the end of
buying, selling and exchange, an end to borders and frontiers, an end to
organised violence and coercion, waste, want and war. You can support those
parties who will work within the capitalist system and help keep it going. Or
you can show you want to overturn it and end the problems it causes once and
for all. When enough of us join together, determined to end inequality and
deprivation, we can transform elections into a means of doing away with a
society of minority rule in favour of a society of real democracy and social
equality.
The most common reaction to elections is "it doesn't
make any difference anyway who gets in". Which corresponds with our
analysis and shows that workers are not stupid: a lot of them do realise what's
going on. Only they don't think they can do anything about it, so they just
abstain and don't bother to vote at all. It is highly likely that, tomorrow,
the abstainers will be the absolute majority. So, why if it makes no difference
who gets in, do we in the Socialist Party stand? First, to use a period of
heightened interest in politics to put across our case for a society of common
ownership, democratic control, production for use, and distribution on the
basis of "from each according to their ability, to each according to their
needs". And, second, because if workers use their votes intelligently in
their own interest they could change things, they could use the vote to help
get rid of the profit system and bring in socialism. It's voting for leaders to try to run the
profit system in the interests of the majority that makes no difference, not
voting in itself. That's why, where there's no socialist candidate, instead of
abstaining we go to the polling station and vote, even if it's only a write-in
vote. A way of keeping a potential weapon sharpened for the time when a
majority are ready to use it in their own interest. Where there is a socialist
candidate standing, we vote for them. Remember, we are the party that makes no
promises - it's you that makes the promise when you cast your vote to say
"I am a socialist, I will work for common and democratic ownership and
control of the wealth of the world between me and my fellow workers." We
don't want passive voters, but people to join us, or at least join the debate.
Politics should be a two way process, not the passive spectator sport of the
professionals in the mass media.
It's no wonder that people feel no pragmatic connection
between their voting preferences and the outcomes; and no wonder that people
feel so little connection with any of the parties. All these become are
technocratic career structures for advancing politicians, a platform from which
to project policy ideas to be reflected off the undifferentiated mass, which
has no control over what is projected, beyond passive reflection. This process
of “mass culture” has, of course, been assisted by the spread of the mass
media. The social relationship is the same, a few technocratic
broadcasters/media barons, projecting images and ideas to be passively
reflected by a land mass of consumers. Indeed, representative politics follows
the same course. Instead of abstractedly measuring response in terms of money,
it reads response in terms of flat votes, formally equal but failing to
register differences in value or quality.
Socialism is a world-wide community with common interests.
Where the land, and all the means of production will be owned by mankind as a
whole, with democratic control. Where the sole motive for production will be
the satisfaction of your needs. Simply put, bread will be baked because people
want to eat it—just that. Money will play no part at all in this society
because there will be no need for money. Decisions by the community will be
taken on their merits. The wages system will be abolished along with all the
other stupid trappings of the present system. Socialism will be a system of
co-operation; where each will give according to ability and take according to
need. Mankind with its knowledge, harnessed to the riches of the earth, is
capable of producing abundance. Why be satisfied with a world of shortages?
Socialism cannot be introduced by waving a magic political wand. It will be the
outcome of understanding and hard work; your understanding, your hard work.
No comments:
Post a Comment