We want a revolution … Now!

No matter our passion for a single issue, we can’t move forward without challenging capitalism itself. There is still perhaps opportunities for reforms in the present social system, but this is of minor consequence compared to the crying need for social reorganisation.  Have there been reforms? In many cases, yes–even significant ones like large-scale social welfare programs. Has exploitation been ended, the enrichment of a few on the labour of the many? Hardly. Poverty? Inequality? The subjugation of peoples? None of these. Is the economy planned by and to benefit the people? Of course not. What is more, and this is crucial, all the reform organisation do not aspire to do these. They are content with class divisions, the dominance of the capitalists and do not challenge the existing structures.  Speculations as to the future of society need not of necessity prevent men and women working together for a common object, but when there is a complete divergence of view as to the steps to be taken to achieve our goal such co-operation is absolutely impossible, and thus it comes that there can be no place in a Socialist Party for reformers.

Capitalist-owned industry for individual profit is no longer compatible with social progress. The next great change in history must be the socialisation of the means of production and distribution.  Despite all the advances in invention and discovery, the monumental achievements in new technology, this world of ours still cannot feed itself.  There is no longer any excuse for a hungry person. All the resources and materials are at hand and easily available for the production of all things needed to provide food, clothing, and shelter for every man, woman and child, thus ending poverty and misery. But these tools and forces must be released from private ownership and control, socialised, democratised, and set into motion to operate for the common good of all instead of the private profit of the few. A privately owned world can never be a free world but will be a world is a world of strife and hate, of warring classes.

To stir the people to better themselves, to think for themselves, and to offer the ideal of mutual aid and good will, based upon common interests, is to render real service to the cause of humanity that the Socialist Party sets before itself. A socialist party should be a class party, which means it should be a mass party, a democratic people’s movement  to transform into common property all means of production — the means of transportation, the forests, the mines, the offices and shops, the machines, the factories, the farms – the Earth. Political action is to help to break down the domination of the master class and hasten the emancipation of fellow-workers. The Socialist Party's primary function is to organise a political party, independent, and class-conscious. The object of a Socialist Party is the realisation of socialism.

The Socialist Party remains steadfast committed to its Declaration of Principles but we do concede that the means to be adopted to give practical effect to those principles change with time, and place, and circumstances. The object aimed at, the end to be attained, remains ever the same; the policy to be followed to attain that end requires to be sometimes modified, as circumstances change. The members of the Socialist Party are agreed upon their object, that goal being social and economic freedom and equality for all, with the realisation of the highest individual development and liberty conceivable for all, through the common ownership and democratic control of all the material means of production and existence. They must all agree upon this in order to be socialists. We are told sometimes that “we are all socialists now,” but only those who believe in the object as here defined can be properly so described. Those who so believe are socialists, and those who do not so believe are not socialists, whatever they may say to the contrary. But agreement on the object does not presuppose universal agreement on approaches, and it is no reproach to socialists that in this respect there are wide differences between ourselves. There are matters to discuss, to argue out, to confer about, and, so far as the practical work of the moment goes, to come to an agreement upon. It is for such purposes that our Party holds annual conferences and party polls. Members of the Socialist Party will fight again and again until at last the co-operative commonwealth shall be established and the red flag flies.

Peace between the peoples! War against the exploiters!