The Failing of Green New Deal

There are many groups with different interests in society, each fighting against all others for a greater share in political rule and a greater part in the profits. The longer this competitive struggle remains unchecked, the more difficult it becomes to secure the existence of the present form of society. "Common sense" political movements arise to end the contradictions in one way or another. Existing political parties are both forced and willing to utilise to their own advantage the social unrest caused. They offer programs of action and invent clever slogans in order to get as many people as possible behind their interests and the plans connected therewith. 

They always ask for your support, so that they may profit. They tell you, that all depends on you, on your vote, on your loyalty. You must bring the right people with the right program into office. You become drunk on words, slogans, hopes, and delusions. However, as soon as with your help they succeed in getting control and power, they drop the "you"; they are quite busy then ruling without you and against you. But so far, you have always responded to their call, and consequently, you have always felt cheated afterwards. the Green New Deal fools people into believing that environmental aspirations can be realised under capitalism. In time capitalism will triumph. It served the interests of capitalists by saving their system. The crisis of global warming is today the crisis of world capitalism. Capitalist politicians, whatever their pretensions, cannot act otherwise than in the service of the capitalist bosses. The significance of the Green New Deal consists in the fact that it demonstrates the inability of even the strongest section of world capitalism to solve the problems of climate change. The experiment of reforming capitalism on a gigantic scale has been found wanting. Our conclusion is that only by completely changing the social and economic system can we really and truly give ourselves a Green New Deal for all time.

 The important fact that all the conflicts of opinion and interests revolve around the methods of reforming the structure of capitalism; all are agreed on the necessity of saving it from ruin. For all the articles, books and research papers they may have read, for all their bright ideas, too many environmentalists just didn’t know what they were doing nor what they were struggling against. All efforts to reform the capitalist state from within whether by liberals, left-wingers and progressives are doomed to failure. Instead of overthrowing capitalism, they end up controlled by it. They foster illusions in the minds of people about the real character of the regime by lending it a friendly complexion. No amount of soft-soap can wash clean capitalism's dirty work. Reformists are very cautious thinkers, who invariably hedges their statements with so many caveats, which not only make it difficult to determine an exact position but which also presents the possibility of moving in two opposite directions. all the teachings of socialism and all historical experience inform us that this GND panacea is Utopian in character. The wasteful anarchy and unplanned nature of capitalist society has always been one of the most vulnerable spots. That is the rub.

Essentially the GND is motivated by the fear of decay and collapse of the capitalist system. The politicians convey the idea that it is time to do some serious patching up of the kind which will reinforce its basis, consolidates essential parts and strengthen its whole structure. This can be accomplished by apparent concessions, presented in the terms of eloquent speeches.

The Socialist Party acknowledge the need to see more and more clearly the kind of world toward which we are headed. The Green New Deal is not intended to remove the causes of the climate change crisis. Only socialism can remove those. To understand this it must be examined in its economic aspect. The Green New Deal cannot do away with capitalist property rights. We are not unmindful of the fact that big business will resist the codes of practice of any Green New Deal. The progressives believe in the soundness of capitalist economy, but want to save it from the few “bad” and “greedy” CEOs. The reality they face is that aggressive ruthless capitalist expansion is ready to crush all opposition which stands in the way of a greater commercial empire. Capitalism requires a constantly increasing amount of profitable investment.