Economic and political developments in the world over the past few decades have resulted in stunning changes. The fundamental, underlying change, which is driving all others, is the tremendous advances in new technology and the growing application of that technology (computers and robotics) to the process of production. This technology is steadily replacing labour in the workplace, creating permanently unemployed/underemployed and driving down the wages of those workers who remain employed. New technology is throwing not only unskilled workers but increasingly they are skilled workers and professionals into insecurity. Most individuals are still very trusting of the capitalist system. They believe it is basically fair, express optimism about the economy even at the lower income levels, and believe that with hard work anyone can make it in the system. At the same time, they think that the system should be made 'fairer'. But with the growing polarization of wealth and poverty developing there now arises a profound lack of faith in the government and the institutions of society. People are feeling discontented and resentful about their deteriorating economic condition. Every reform offered, from different angles and from different perspectives, serves the same end -- support of the capitalist system and the solutions of the ruling class. Many of these reforms serve no other purpose than to channel the fears into either hatred against minorities or against themselves and into unity with their class enemy.
The major issue in the world today is peace. Peace between different ethnic groups, peace between nations. What is the basis for strife if it’s not the division and redivision of scarcity? The control of scarcity is the foundation of social strife. Today that can be eliminated. We’re talking about abundance. We’re talking about entering a stage of development that’s no longer controlled by scarcity. We can talk in terms of abundance and that abundance obviously is here. There is plenty of plenty. Our troubles arise from material scarcity.
The history of all hitherto existing societies has been the history of class struggle. Now, when class struggle is over and when real human history begins. We create our history now, but under defined circumstances that limit our choices. In other words, we are not liberating ourselves. We’ve created our own history but it’s been a limited history. What we’ve created has been limited by the circumstances wherein we carry out our struggles. For example, the struggle against slavery couldn’t really end slavery, it could only transform slavery. We’re talking about an end to the struggle over allocation of scarcity. We’re talking about no longer having to struggle with getting a house.We will no longer worry about getting food, no longer worry about getting an education. We are going to do all the things that make us happy.
Marxism is not about the pursuit of ethics, morality or justice but an explanation on why we have solved the problem of production and now need to solve the problem of distribution so that human needs are satisfied. it’s based on the materialist analyses of capitalism and its effects on the working class and society as a whole. People who believe that socialism springs from some sort of jealousy are most likely just trying to express their discontentment with those ideologies by resorting to historically (and psychologically) inaccurate psychoanalyses of the intellectual leaders of those movements, which isn’t a very compelling argument against socialism. The Socialist Party is built on a political vision to free humanity from the oppressive economic system
Production
There will be a complete transformation in the calculation of resources, and their production and distribution. In capitalism articles of wealth (commodities) are produced to be bought and sold on markets, at a profit. This trade in commodities generates: waste; pollution and externalities; overproduction and underproduction; built-in obsolescence; quantity over quality; crisis and booms; poverty amidst plenty; employment for some and a waste in human potential for most; and obscene wealth for the few.
With no commodity production and trade, there will be no exchange value and prices, just the inputs and outputs of resources and human needs. The decision-making process will aim to ensure there’s sufficient stock control to meet projected needs through calculation in kind.
This decision-making process will also configure: environmental impact assessments; a high standard of quality control and durability; positive recycling - where products will be deliberately designed so to ensure that they last longer and when they are passed their usefulness all their component parts are easily recycled into other useful products; and transportation miles for distribution of human needs so the shortest journey possible is covered. This efficiency of calculation will ensure the energy required for producing needs will be kept to a minimum and promote the production of renewable energy sources.
Decision-making
Here the system will be participatory delegate democracy. In capitalism, political parties represent the sectional interests within the capitalist class with all of them competing for political control of the state and its machinery of government. With no sectional interests to be represented when there is common ownership, there won’t be political parties or a state machinery. Nonetheless, major issues will be thrashed out with decisions being made on what’s the best course of action for gaining a successful outcome.
A bottom-up decision-making process involving voluntary participation cannot be imposed by a hierarchy or a vanguard or the concept becomes meaningless. The basic building block is the community or neighbourhood assembly, face-to-face meetings where citizens meet to discuss and vote on the issues of the day, not that there will need to be a vote on every issue as most of day-to-day work carried out will be routine. These assemblies elect mandated and recallable delegates who then link with other assemblies forming a confederated council, a 'community of communities'. The difference between this form of delegate democracy and our current form of representative democracy is that in a representative democracy power is given wholesale to the representative who then is free to act on their own initiative. In a delegate democracy the initiative is set by the electing body and the delegate can be recalled at any time should the electing body feel that their mandate is not being met, thus power remains at the base.
Culture
Due to the impact of common ownership on the global community, there’ll be even more of an increase in cultural choices and options than there is under capitalism. Unrestricted to the social conformity of private property relationships, individuals and communities will be able to focus on an ongoing celebration of freedom of expression - leading to an increase in cultural diversity.
Leisure activities are likely to increase in scope and decrease in size. Presently, with package holidays the most affordable way of taking a break from the drudgery and monotony of the production line or the office, they are the most popular form of holiday.
In socialism, where the principle of free access underpins the common ownership of the means of living, our options and choices on travel and holidays would be extended and influenced by what positive contribution we can make to the country we are visiting. And with package holidays and mass tourism a thing of the past, it is likely holidays in socialism would not be restricted within a timescale of 10 to 14 days of hectic hedonism, but transformed into a unique opportunity to stay in a particular location for as long as it takes to understand the history and culture of that region. In effect, the transformation in the social relationships from private property ownership to common ownership will radically alter our perception of culture, leisure, and travel.
Human nature
But wouldn’t all this be against human nature? No. Socialists make a distinction between human nature and human behaviour. That people are able to think and act is a fact of biological and social development (human nature), but how they think and act is the result of historically specific social conditions (human behaviour). Human nature changes, if at all, over vast periods of time; human behaviour changes according to changed social conditions. Capitalism being essentially competitive and predatory produces vicious, competitive ways of thinking and acting. But we humans are able to change our society and adapt our behaviour, and there is no reason why our rational desire for human well-being and happiness should not allow us to establish and run a society based on co-operation.
Needs have a physiological and a historical dimension. Basic physiological needs derive from our human nature (e.g. food, clothing, and shelter), but historically conditioned needs derive from developments in the forces of production. In capitalism, needs are manipulated by the imperative to sell commodities and accumulate capital; basic physiological needs then take the historically conditioned form of ‘needs’ for whatever the capitalists can sell us.
Social evolution suggests that no mode of production is cast in stone and the dynamics of change also affects capitalism as a social system. Studies of social systems with distinct social relationships related and corresponding to their specific mode of production have identified, for instance, primitive communism, chattel slavery, feudalism, and capitalism. All of these societies changed from one into another due to the contradictions inherent in that society and also due to technological advancement which each society found itself incapable of adapting to. Capitalism reached this point over a century ago. It’s time to move on to socialism.
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