WE HAVE A VISION

Socialism is a common-sense path to a fairer, more prosperous world. The Socialist Party understands socialism as a fundamental change that is an outgrowth of capitalism. The working class consciously organizes itself to achieve the transition from private to common ownership of the means of producing within the economy. The working class as a whole are the overwhelming majority of society. The working class creates everything that the world’s people need to survive and thrive – from food, housing, healthcare, energy, education to transportation, music, and art. Because working people make society run, they are also uniquely positioned to change the society. Workers, when united and working together have the power to change the world.  We are a party of working class internationalism. Capitalism is a global system of exploitation and oppression. What is done to workers in other countries profoundly affects workers here and vice versa; their triumphs are also our triumphs.

The capitalist economic system is based on the continual expansion of production. So capitalism will reproduce environmental problems as long as it is in existence. We can’t have a healthy humanity without a healthy natural world. The capitalist economic system often presents workers, their families, and communities with an impossible choice: either work in destructive industries, or face unemployment, hunger, and deprivation.

 There are no models or blueprints for building socialism. Nor is there a blueprint for the revolutionary transition from capitalism to socialism. It will be the product of a complex process. Our fellow-workers will collectively orchestrate that process.   The Socialist Party does not hold the view that a socialist revolution is can only be brought on a collapse of the economy or by a general strike.  We don’t agree that it is necessarily violent or a cataclysmic event. The electoral process will be part of that process. It will be a deeply democratic process, one that unleashes the creative energy of millions of people in motion. The Socialist Party recognises that social change can only be accomplished through the united action of mass social movements which express the majority will of the people. Peaceful methods of change are not only the right thing to do, they are the most effective way to unite and mobilise the greatest majorities.  The defence of democracy is central to defence of the interests of working people and will be based on the working class principle of “an injury to one is an injury to all.”. Our party believes that it is possible to make fundamental transformations using the electoral process. The Socialist Party does run candidates for elected office, however, we don’t yet run candidates in many places. This is due to several factors: our small size, the financial and resource demands of campaigns and the high costs of advertising.  Only through democracy can we advance to socialism. We go further than calling for political revolution. We fight to get rid of capitalism and replace it with socialism.

In a socialist system, the ownership and control of the means of production would be in the hands of those who do the work. As a result, those of us who produce would make these important decisions together. This would correspond to the way we produce the wealth together. With the people in the driver’s seat, and with profits no longer an aim, the things the people think are most important would come first. Enough resources would be available to do many things. Fellow-workers can have the confidence that together we can build a political and economic system of the people, by the people, and for the people.  The Socialist Party is a political party of the working class, for the working class.