Production for need, not for greed

The aim of the Socialist Party is the establishment by democratic means of a cooperative commonwealth in which the supplying of human needs and enrichment of human life shall be the primary purpose of our society. Poverty, insecurity, slums condemn many families to a cheerless life. The planet's productive capacity is not fully utilized. Its use is governed by the dictates of private economic power and by considerations of, private profit. Similarly, the scramble for profit has wasted and despoiled our rich resources of soil, water, forest and minerals. This lack of social planning results in a waste of our human as well as our natural resources. Our human resources are wasted through social and economic conditions which stunt human growth, through unemployment and through our failure to provide adequate education.

Capitalism is based on the principle of private property of certain humans "owning" the earth for the purpose of exploiting it for profit which consists of taking out more than you put in. This system cannot be reformed. It is based on the destruction of the earth and the exploitation of the people. There is no such thing as green capitalism. Businesses have no reason for existence other than to make profits. Human production and consumption is done within the natural limits of the earth’s fertility but this cannot happen under capitalism, because the capitalist class exists by extracting profit not only from the workers, but also from nature. One of the principles of socialism is production for use, not for profit, a socialism that would not destroy the earth but run in harmony with the environment. Socialism means organising human societies in a manner that is compatible with the way that nature is organised. Capitalist society robs us of community with each other and community with the earth. Consumer goods, beyond those needed for basic comfort and survival, are not really what we crave. Our appetite are insatiable, and often turn away from dehumanizing methods of production and goods that do not satisfy us. Socialism is about bringing about changes that are needed to bring society into balance with nature. It’s about time for the ecology movement to stop considering itself separate from the socialist movement.

Socialism is production for use rather than profit. The World Socialist Movement is fighting against capitalism and for a more just, more democratic and more ecologically sound sustainable world. As we protest, we also propose. Both nationally and internationally we know very well what we’re fighting for, human dignity and solidarity. Our world has never been so rich, and we have all the organisational and technological skills needed, plus the capacity to allocate distribution to satify needs. There are no excuses for not changing the world. It is quite feasible to establish universal welfare for everyone on earth – not as charity but as a right, simply by virtue of the fact of being human. Socialism is an answer to the capitalism that’s destroying everything. The idea of workers controlling the resources of the planet is putting socialism on the political agenda. To change the way the world is organised, with the capitalists on one side and the workers on the other we need a social revolution.

We are living under a system which clearly is the enemy of humanity. It imposes draconian cuts in living standards on the already poor labouring masses, simply in the interest of still greater profits for the capitalist class. Although it has vast productive potential, it brings poverty and hunger to the working people. Capitalism is responsible for the thoughtless destruction of the environment. Capitalism and its armament corporations cynically profits from most of the world’s research and development. The root cause of all this is capitalism’s guiding principle, the quest for profit, which takes precedence over any human interest. Capitalism as a system threatens the future of humanity. Capitalism brings nothing but misery and exploitation. Capitalism cannot be reformed. It has undergone many changes in its history, but these have simply meant finding new ways to exploit the labouring people. It is already an obsolete system. The only solution is to destroy it and build a new social system. Our task is to build solidarity on the basis of these real, shared grievances. The challenges that confront working people across the world are the same.