Socialism can't promise infinite riches. Socialism isn't a magic wand. There exists a style of boss politics - vote for me and "I'll get things done for you." A kind of gift relation, we give our votes, they give us public service. Someone once asked asked our candidate 'What are you going to do about the potholes in the roads?' It was suggested giving the guy a shovel. That's not far off our attitude, not necessarily dig it yourself, but you can organise yourselves, and if you have a problem, get it sorted, without asking the boss man to do it for you. Anyone can go around saying 'I'll do my best for you' and promise to nag officials to do their jobs but we're interested in that. Our view on political power is so long as the mechanics are in place so that a majority of workers can organise to effect socialism, then it doesn't matter precisely how you count the votes. So far as we're concerned, it is the movement of the vast majority in the interest of the vast majority that matters. Getting a technical victory by counting one more nose than the rest isn't what we're about. What we remain more concerned about is the rights of minorities to try and become majorities, which are hampered by the mainstream media focusing on the existing parties and making it difficult for candidates to be heard on the stages where they need to be in order to make their case. We hold that there is a political decision to be made about the type of society we are living in, and that is the platform we stand on.
In a world that has the potential to produce enough food,
clothes, housing and the other amenities of life for all, factories are closing
down, workers are being laid off, unemployment is growing, houses are being
repossessed and people are having to tighten their belts. And for once the main
parties are being honest in offering more of the same, competing with each
other as to which of them is going to impose the most “savage cuts”. Inconsistency
and sacrifice of principle for the sake of votes marks most of the political
parties. “Be all things to all men” might be the watchword of all the political
leaders. All the other the parties serve capitalism, in one way or another.
Capitalism in relatively "good" times is bad
enough, but capitalism in an economic crisis makes it plain for all to see that
it is not a system geared to meeting people's needs. It’s a system based on the
pursuit of profits, where the harsh economic law of "no profit, no
production" prevails. The headlong pursuit of profits has led to a
situation where the owners can't make profits at the same rate as before. The
class who own and control the places where wealth is produced have gone on
strike – refusing to allow these workplaces to be used to produce what people
need, some desperately. So, as in the 1930s, it’s poverty in the midst of
potential plenty again. Cutbacks in production and services alongside unmet
needs. Why should we put up with this? There is an alternative.
But that's the way capitalism works, and must work. The
politicians in charge of the governments don't really know what to do, not that
they can do much to change the situation anyway. They are just hoping that the
panic measures they have taken will work. But the slump won’t end until
conditions for profitable production have come about again, and that requires
real wages to fall and unprofitable firms to go out of business. So, there's no
way that bankruptcies, cut-backs and lay-offs are going to be avoided, whatever
governments do or whichever party is in power.
What can be done? Nothing within the profit system. It can‘t
be mended, so it must be ended. But this is something we must do ourselves. The
career politicians, with their empty promises and futile measures, can do
nothing for us. We need to organise to bring in a new system where goods and
services are produced to meet people's needs. But we can only produce what we
need if we own and control the places where this is carried out. So these must
be taken out of the hands of the rich individuals, private companies and states
that now control them and become the common heritage of all, under our
democratic control. In short, socialism in its original sense. This has nothing
to do with the failed state capitalism that used to exist in Russia or with
what still exists in China and Cuba.
African American
‘Soledad Brother’ George Jackson explains socialism:
"Consider the
people's store, after full automation, the implementation of the theory of
economic advantage. You dig, no waste makers, no harnesses on production. There
is no intermediary, no money. The store, it stocks everything that the body or
home could possibly use. Why won't the people hoard, how is an operation like
that possible, how could the storing place keep its stores if its stock
(merchandise) is free?
Men hoard against
want, need, don't they? Aren’t they taught that tomorrow holds terror, pile up
a surplus against this terror, be greedy and possessive if you want to succeed
in this insecure world? Nuts hidden away for tomorrow's winter.
Change the
environment, educate the man, he'll change. The people's store will work as
long as people know that it will be there, and have in abundance the things
they need and want (really want); when they are positive that the common effort
has and will always produce an abundance, they won’t bother to take home more
than they need.
Water is free, do
people drink more than they need?"
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