There exists a crude view of humans as little more than machines encoded by their genetic molecular make-up with predisposed behaviour traits. While accepting the influence of genes, socialists see humans as responding and adjusting to their material environment. It is claimed by the critics of socialism it’s in our nature to look after ‘number one’ and that mankind is just too selfish for it to work together for the common good without being made to, either by stick or carrot. If you study the current capitalist society today the argument certainly seems true. It is a rat-race of rivalry and completion. Nations compete with nations, even in sport. Capitalists can only survive in business if they are more competitive than other capitalists. Workers are driven to turn against one another to acquire a job. In schools, children are brought up to participate in races for the best exam results.
Despite all this there is a deep element of cooperation under capitalism, for capitalism it not only involves people competing with each other, it also involves them working alongside one another on a scale never before in human history. In the modern factory or office hundreds or even thousands of people work together. Workers give such cooperation even when it is against their interests individually and as a class to do so. The most blatant example of this is wartime. The same cooperative selflessness which took place where millions with courage and bravery were prepared to sacrifice their lives for an ideal of “their” mother country will be available in a socialist society where selfless solidarity will again prevail.
Human beings have the capacity to reason and to reflect on our actions, but also we debate and discuss them with others. Thus, we can make our history. The Socialist Party cannot transform society but what we can start doing is help transform the people who may remake society – our fellow-workers. Our task is all about making socialists, not just recruiting members. It ought to be obvious to every socialist that socialism will not come into existence unless the majority of the people are willing to struggle for socialism and that means that they have some idea of what it is. If people who vote for a Socialist Party candidate do not do so because he or she is a socialist but because they do not know what is a socialist, of what earthly use can that be for achieving the socialist goal? Socialism must depend on the consciousness of our fellow-workers and not upon their lack of knowledge. Socialism cannot be introduced without organised support for the socialist idea. Whether that support is won at the ballot box or through revolutionary action of workers’ councils is not as important as that it be won. One thing seems evident, though. If we cannot get people to mark a cross on a voting paper for socialism, there is little hope of getting them to take to the streets on behalf of the cause. Moreover, as long as the ballot can be used, even under difficulties as it is today, it should be used. But if that method is withheld from us in the future, we shall go forward until we do gain the socialist commonwealth by the best means at our command.
From the point of view of achieving socialism a hundred votes, obtained conducting a campaign where socialist ideas is at the forefront, are worth much more than ten times the number of votes gained from a campaign where the necessity for the struggle for socialism has not been made clear. A campaign of value is one that teaches socialism. During an election campaign, the workers are more likely to listen to a discussion on economics and politics than at any other time. Nor should the Socialist Party be shoved into the background. In convincing fellow-workers of the desirability of a socialist society, it is inconceivable that a real socialist campaign should not also attract members to the party. Obtaining votes for socialism and new members for the party go hand in hand. It must be remembered that a big vote can be piled up by a reformist party more easily than by a revolutionary party. And to be disappointed or disheartened by a small vote is not to understand the nature of a socialist election campaign. Votes obtained by a campaign conducted on revolutionary lines mean that those persons who voted can be counted on as being genuine socialists while votes obtained by offering all kinds of false promises are votes of those who will vote shift to some other party the next election who offers better but equally as unattainable reforms as before.
The Socialist Party is the only party that points out during elections that there is no alternative for the working class other than socialism. The Socialist Party clearly states that that the fundamental issue in an election campaign is socialism versus capitalism. The case put to fellow-workers by the Socialist Party is that the problems confronting them cannot be solved in a permanent manner except through the destruction of the capitalist system. One can shout from now until doomsday that socialism is necessary and that it is better than capitalism but to educate fellow-workers The Socialist Party explains history and economics to agitate the minds of people.
The basic idea of socialism is that all the means of production and distribution be owned in common by all of the people and that every person, who is not too young, or too old, or too sick, cooperate in producing those things which every member of society needs and uses. Instead of having individuals or corporations or the State own all the factories and hire workers to produce goods only when a profit can be made from their sale, society as a whole will own the factories, and the workers will produce the things required to feed, house and clothe all of the people, and to satisfy all of their needs. An administration in various forms depending on local history and traditions will be elected by the people and they will figure out approximately how much of each article will be necessary to satisfy the local regional and global requirements of society and the factories will be set into motion to produce more than enough of each item. Every district and region will produce that which it is best fitted to produce. Instead of the anarchy and competition that prevails at the present, production and distribution will be thoroughly planned by recallable delegates at every level of production and distribution. It is impossible, of course, to furnish a complete blueprint indicating every detail of the functioning of society under socialism. The whole conception of socialism is based on the idea that industry has developed to such a point that more than enough can be produced to satisfy all the reasonable needs of the population. We socialists contend that technology has developed to a point where an abundance of goods can be produced to assure everyone a very high standard of living.
History teaches that when a system of society outlives its usefulness, when in the womb of the old society there has been prepared the possibility of a new social order, when the masses suffer needlessly, and when the ruling class is unable to solve the problems facing society—under such circumstances—the ideas representing the new social system are accepted and all the force and deceit at the disposal of the ruling class are helpless to preserve the old order. A revolution occurs and the next society in social evolution comes into being. And once people begin to rally around the ideas of socialism, nothing in the world can stop their progress. Nothing will save the present system.
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