Party with a small "p"

Unless socialism is altogether a mirage, it will rise again as a world movement - or not at all. The propaganda and agitation for socialism have taught thousands that socialism means a society without classes, without the exploitation of man by man, without a production system operating for the purpose of producing profits for a few. The Socialist Party has capably demonstrated how socialism could end poverty, unemployment and war by eliminating private ownership of the means of producing the things of life, by ending competition, and ending the nationalist struggle for existence by this and all other countries. Our case for socialism has mercilessly exposed the evils of capitalist society, its murderous exploitation of the workers, its utter hypocrisy in human relations, and the most evident feature of its class character: the impoverishment of the masses and the enrichment of a small class of capitalists. The necessity of rebuilding the movement for socialism requires the re-establishment of the art of socialist propaganda and agitation, to tell millions what socialism is, its relation and comparison to capitalism, and how it can be achieved. The present capitalist system has outlived its usefulness and is capable of producing nothing but unemployment, poverty, war, the scourge of despotism and suppression of the will of the people. The Socialist Party points a way out of this foul system. No region of the Earth untouched by the ravages of environmental destruction, the state of the world's natural resources is in a rapid downward spiral. Society cannot survive jumping from one crisis to another crisis. But we have to note that the economic system is not broken, it's functioning precisely as it is intended - syphoning the resources and wealth of the many to a tiny elite.

Protests and Demonstrations express our anger and outrage, bringing issues to wider audiences. As necessary as it is, is far from sufficient in itself. Little in the way of lasting permanent organisation is created and, thus, a correspondingly less opportunity to build for the changes hoped for. A mass socialist party is the missing element. Activists who want to create a better world have to get past their criticisms of the party form, and not allow often well–justified condemnation of specific parties to become a universal rejection of all party form and structure. The answer is to learn from past mistakes, not to throw out the past. A mass socialist party as a permanent body can channel the people’s aspirations for social justice into an organised political struggle. We talk of a party with a small ”p” not THE PARTY. Why can’t there be multiple organisations working toward a goal of full human emancipation? No organisation, much less an individual leader, has all the answers.

You can ignore the state all you want, but the state will not ignore you. Without targeting capitalism and the capitalist class, there can be no end to exploitation.

In a democracy, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions. The trouble starts when people think they are also entitled to their own facts. The bigger the claims of "facts" gets, the more the Alice-in-Wonderland logic behind them threatens to seize the popular narrative challenges our capacity to meet the future. Straight thinking is a requirement for those striving to make changes. "If current trends continue and the world fails to enact solutions that improve current patterns of production and consumption, if we fail to use natural resources sustainably, then the state of the world's environment will continue to decline," UN Environment Programme, Executive Director Achim Steiner, stated.

Socialism is centred around participatory decision-making structures and the belief that people should have the say in democratic processes and it reaches out to people who have never been involved in politics before. This process can be transformational on both a personal and collective class level. The socialist movement must be able to recapture the public imagination to burst the bubble of the status quo. The battle of ideas is important to determine what is possible. Engaging the new generation in politics in a global movement for real democracy is an important part of the social transformation.

Socialism is:

 Not a secret-police, one-party dictatorship where you are imprisoned or executed if you tell a joke about the leaders

Not a society where, if you can't afford health care, you are left to die in the street

Not a society where you are worried every day about whether you and your children will have something to eat

Not a society where wage-slavery is legal and the obvious way things ought to be

Not a society where women are supposed to be the property of men

Not a society where most people spend most of their life tilling the fields and toiling in factories