Towards Socialism

Our attitude to reforms under capitalism is clear—we accept whatever useful reforms that can be achieved by the working class, but we do not regard the struggle for reforms as an end in itself, and we do not think capitalism can be “reformed” into socialism. Our revolution against current society is not in the name of an abstract principle of justice (which is quite difficult to establish), but for the effective amelioration of humanity’s lot. We have, on the one hand, the labouring class, more or less poor and enslaved, and on the other the privileged minority. The latter must disappear, not physically (it is neither possible nor desirable to kill all the bourgeois. The workers must take possession of the means of labour and life without paying tribute and without serving anyone. This is the expropriation of the bourgeoisie. To be sure, we possess, even today, sufficient means of production to satisfy all reasonable needs, i.e., to provide well-being to all. Socialism isn’t an abstract concept, a scientific dream, or a distant vision, but destined to renew the world and establishing it on the foundations of human fraternity and solidarity.

The rolling back of the welfare state and the increased resistance to any reforms is not something random because of the whims of individual capitalists or because of particular world economic crises, although they do contribute. This phenomenon is due to the nature of the capitalist system itself. In their drive to continually increase profits the employing class attempt to find new markets. However, more importantly, employers continually strive to find new ways to increase profits, by increasing production, whilst at the same time paying less in on-going costs. To illustrate this point one only needs to look at the enormous profits that multinationals have made by out-sourcing their businesses to poorer communities like Bangladesh. Whilst the cost of materials may be lower in these countries, companies move to the developing world because the one production cost they can dramatically alter is an employees’ wage. Capitalists make their enormous profits by paying workers very little and in the developing world this wage decreases dramatically with wages being closer to the subsistence level. It is because the capitalist class continually strive to make a profit, and to increase their profits,  that workers find themselves in constant struggles with their employers for better wages and conditions.

It is clear that the only way to stop this continual battle for a meagre existence for basic working and living conditions is to change the system. We need to change the system yet most people still continue to attempt to work within the capitalist system. These people try to change the system from within, from within the Capitalist parliamentary system rather than focusing their efforts on ending the capitalist system for a new socialist system. If we focus on reforms we condemn the working class to continual struggles for their basic working conditions and we also transform socialist parties into parties of social reformism and legalistic and opportunistic parliamentarianism. What arises is not a dedicated socialist movement but attempts to unite a so-called broad left coalition made up of differing groups with different political objectives which often mean in reality alliances with openly capitalist organisations who have no inclination towards changing the system, and who associate themselves with various sections of the ruling class. Is a broad left coalition going overthrow the capitalist system? The answer is no, some progressive liberals are profoundly conservative with a small c and seek to keep the capitalist system intact.

Attempts to form alliances with these organisations appear to be for more populist reasons than principled, engaging in numbers games hoping to recruit from those of dubious connection to the working classes. It also leads to a form of top-down style leadership where decisions are made by a small group/groups of people, in secret conclaves away from open scrutiny.

Most politicians support reforms as palliatives. Reforms are only made to the extent that they can placate workers by offering them small concessions whilst at the same time retaining the Capitalist system.

The more radical reformists have formulated a policy that attempts to replace capitalism with socialism by stealth, altering the capitalist system from within by using the capitalist apparatus to do so. This theory suggests that we need to end capitalism in small steps or gradual stages thereby putting off the need for socialism to a dimly distant far away future.

This idea of some sort of left-wing unity coalition with reformists does not strengthen the movement but it weakens it. Ultimately it will mean that we will dissolve our movement for socialism into a movement purely in the pursuit of reforms. Reformism is the deception of the workers, who despite some individual improvements will always remain wage-slaves, as long as there is the domination of capital. Reformism actually means abandoning Marxism.

The revolution we conceive of can only be made by and for the people. It demands the assistance of the entire labour masses. Without the majority of working people, it can only be a coup d’etat or a putsch - not a revolution. The workers have no need of chiefs: they are quite capable of charging one of their own with a particular task. Socialism isn’t a religion, we have no religious faith in the working class. But the laws of capitalism are inexorable; they lead the employing class to increasingly exploit their workers. As Marx said it is the workers, the workers are the ‘grave-diggers’ of the capitalist system not some group of so-called left organisations.