Socialism or nothing changes

When feudalism was overthrown, and “free” capitalist society emerged, it at once became apparent that this freedom meant a new system of oppression and exploitation. The essential feature of capitalism, the very thing which makes the system one of exploitation and robbery of the wage workers by the ruling class of capitalists, is the private ownership.  For the workers, capitalism has meant widespread unemployment, accompanied by poverty and homelessness. At the same time, the exploitation of those in jobs has become more intense. Mass poverty escalates while multi-billion dollar fortunes are accumulated by the big capitalists and landlords.

Capitalism is a system of commodity production (that is, the production of goods for sale and not for direct use by the producer) which is distinguished by the fact that labour power itself becomes a commodity. The major means of production and exchange which make up the capital of society are owned privately by a small minority, the capitalist class (the bourgeoisie) while the great majority of the population consists of proletarians or semi-proletarians. Because of their economic position, this majority can only exist by permanently or periodically selling their labour power to the capitalists and thus creating through their work the incomes of the upper classes. Thus, fundamentally, capitalism is a system of exploitation of the working class (the proletariat) by the capitalist class. As new technology brings about the greater productivity of labour and increased social wealth, it cannot get rid of the evils of capitalism or solve the problems of the working class. Rather, it intensifies them. Only socialism, which results from the class struggle of workers against capitalists, can solve them. Social production and the socialisation of labour are enhanced by the advance of technology, creating a material basis for the transformation of capitalism into socialism i.e. classless society. By replacing private ownership of the means of production by social ownership, by transforming the anarchy of production which is a feature of capitalism into planned proportional production organised for the well-being and many-sided development of all of society, the socialist revolution will end the division of society into classes and emancipate all of humanity from all forms of exploitation of one section of society by another.

If a worker becomes aware that society is suffering from the rotten, cancerous growth, do we continue with more wars; more unemployment; more totalitarianism? Or do we engage in social revolution and cut out the capitalist tumour. Capitalism produces its own grave-diggers, the wage workers are nearing the point where it is no longer possible to live, they see the limitations of the trade union struggle in the persistence of insecurity. More are growing aware that private ownership must go, social ownership must take its place, socialism. The Socialist Party has a basic starting point to its politics - that the working class is the potentially revolutionary class and as such is capable of overthrowing the capitalist system and establishing the socialism. It is an idea we have to defend every day against those who tell us that the working class are so imbued with the ideas of capitalism that they can always be diverted at the crucial point. This does not mean that workers are consciously seeking revolution – it means that the working class are objectively revolutionary. Our confidence springs not from romanticism but from Marxism as a scientific theory. We see the working class as an exploited class, driven by the realities of class society into conflict with their exploiters at the point of production. It means that at moments of history when all the conditions are present, the overwhelming power of the working class, as the producers of all wealth, can be harnessed to make a revolution.

The Socialist Party is Marxist. The Socialist Party is revolutionary. Our goal is the emancipation of the working class. We will not go just a part of the way – or even half of the way – we are going all of the way. The debate is about the road the working people must follow to free themselves from capitalist slavery. That is why the Socialist Party is still involved in this battle with the same energy and enthusiasm that we have put in 112 years ago when we began this socialist party of ours. A real socialist party is one where workers use their collective strength and power to transform society. The Socialist Party bases itself on the idea of a socialism which workers make for themselves. We want the working class to become conscious of itself and its power in society. Genuine revolutionaries understand that all political consciousness begins with the recognition of the fundamental class division: the working class versus the ruling capitalist class. Success in the class struggle demands working-class independence from all capitalist parties. The Socialist Party will use its electoral campaigns to encourage working-class struggle and promote socialist consciousness among workers. But we always tell our fellow workers the truth: serious social change has been achieved just by electing socialist delegates but also by opposing the ruling class in the workplaces and the communities.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight that wins, it's the size of the fight in the dog.