Socialism - The Solidarity Economy

The class division of the capitalism we live under is not a supposition but a fact; and the Labour Party is not going to abolish the class system, its class division, and class privilege. What they offer instead to any who do not see through the subterfuge, is to blur the class lines by stopping labelling employers and investors as the capitalist class, and justify privilege by saying that it is committed to social mobility. This will be satisfactory to the capitalists and their hangers-on, political and managerial, but what is there in it for the workers?

Fellow workers, when will you realise that you need not go short of anything that you, collectively, are capable of producing? Between the present extremes of wage-slaves, who can afford little more than the bare necessities of a working life, and capitalists, whose wealth finds expression in idle and extravagant luxury, lies the possibility of all people having their reasonable needs satisfied. This entails the abolition of capitalism and the establishment of a system of production solely for use, needing no money and therefore producing no money problems of any sort. It is within your power to bring such a society into being if you will only think and act in your own class interest, instead of in that of a class of parasites. Your wages will not buy the things you need, and you ask for more in vain because your masters also want more at your expense. It will remain so while they have the whip hand of ownership of the means of living and until you decide to relieve them of it by establishing socialism. In politics, the division is between those who want the capitalist system and those who want a socialist society.

The  Socialist Party is an independent political organisation that has neither allegiance to nor sympathy with, any other political party or group in this country. Socialism is a wage-free, money-free, class-free society of production for use in which each member of society would contribute to the wealth of society in accordance with mental or physical abilities and take from the wealth of society in accordance to needs. It is a system of social organisation where the basic problems that we live with today under capitalism—problems like poverty, insecurity, slums, crime, and war - that arise naturally and inevitably out of the capitalist scheme of production for profit would cease to exist. Socialism offers us an escape from the evils that afflict our society. Capitalism has fulfilled its historic mission: it has opened the womb of social labour and developed the resources of society to a point where social distribution is possible now.

In order that  a change to socialism, may be brought about it is necessary that a majority of the working class, armed with the knowledge of what Socialism involves and entails, should use the means at their disposal, the power of the vote—which they now dissipate in trying to make capitalism work—to consciously institute the change. Socialism, by its very nature, requires the conscious and knowledgeable participation of the majority from the outset. It cannot be brought about by minorities or "action groups" leading the way, no more than it can be introduced gradually by tinkering with reforms of capitalism. It is too easy to achieve a following in crises. In the heat of class struggle immediate and fickle political alliances may be achieved but, in the long run, such a struggle allows for few real conversions and when the crisis recedes the real casualties will be the working class,  splintered and fraught with bitterness. Capitalism is discrimination both political and economic.

 Even when its full range of “civil rights” have been achieved by the working class its problems remain—each finding its victims mainly among the working class. Indeed those sincere and idealistic people who carry on the struggle for “civil rights” do a disservice to freedom when they channel the discontent of the working class into the safe stream of political reformism and assert, if only by implication, that working-class problems will be either solved or basically eased by this or that reform. Why should members of the working class involve themselves in a campaign against some of capitalism’s lesser evils, a campaign rendered more difficult by capitalism’s built-in bias for the creation of sectional interests?

We hold enough power now in the votes of the working class to banish capitalism and all its problems and establish a free society of production for use. What the working class lacks is an understanding of the alternative to capitalism, Socialism. This can only be achieved by a sustained campaign among our fellow members of the working class. The present social and economic system stands self-condemned. It is our sincere belief that a world without money, a WORLD COMMONWEALTH, will make this planet a better place for us to live on. There will be many of our fellow-workers who will refuse to accept it because of its very simplicity. "It's all very well" they will say, "but--." Others will say "It's a lovely dream, although--." Still, others will say "There are so many snags, the unforeseen, the unexpected--it's just impossible." To these and other critics we pose the simple question, "Is there any practical alternative solution to the world's problems which offers so much for so little for all humanity?" That there will be snags is not in dispute, but have there not been difficulties in the way of every human achievement, and of every inhuman achievement as well? And were not those problems overcome? Could we not by our combined efforts, and with this goal in view, overcome those difficulties that might arise in the development of the WORLD COMMONWEALTH?

Why struggle for the apple when the same effort can bring us the orchard?