Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Socialists: Volunteers for humanity


We must use elections to place before the workers the demands of the Socialist Party in sharp contrast to those of the capitalist parties. We must make the most of the greater readiness of our fellow-workers to read political literature, attend political meetings and take part in political discussions to familiarise working people with the World Socialist Movement. We must use elections to teach workers the political nature of the class struggle, the connection between their employer and the state, the connection between their own class status and the capitalist economic system. The  masses vote for the capitalist candidates, because they are not yet ready for socialism. The working class as a class is still capitalist-minded. It must yet take its first steps as an independent political force.

The two main capitalist parties are as like as tweedledum and tweedledee in their support of the powerful financial and industrial interests of Wall Street. The workers who now want to vote for the Democratic ticket voted are to be duped again. Fundamental education on principle questions of socialism, the class struggle, etc. is missing, with the exception here and there of a socialist candidate who spoke for “socialism” in the socialist manner. The majority vote overwhelmingly for the capitalist system. But there are some who, thinking a little more clearly vote for socialism. It is far more important to present clearly in election campaigns that there is no lasting way out for the working class but the Social Revolution. The object of the Socialist Party at all times, is to educate and to organise. We put forward only the demand for the realisation of the Social Revolution. Our party is the party of class war, class against class, working class against capitalist class. We oppose the ideology of reform and placing poultices on the profit system.

We need no national barriers, the interests of the workers can best be promoted by international fraternity. We need no money we aim at producing wealth for all We need no wages; so long as workers are paid for their labour power others, who are non-workers, will receive the results of their labour. The means of production commonly owned and wealth brought into being for the enjoyment and well-being of mankind. That is our goal and eventually we shall make it. You may be under the illusion that peace and prosperity can be obtained in some other way. There is no other way. Socialism or capitalism that is the choice. Socialism rests on a straightforward, elementary fact that that there is in the world sufficient of everything for everyone’s requirements, and where it is not immediately available (as, for instance, cotton does not grow in England), it exists somewhere, or can be produced end transported. In other words, we have the raw materials, the crops, the factories, the transport, the labour, and the machinery (or the means of making new, extra machinery): all we need is a sane, simple method of setting all these to work, move, and be used by means of a co-operative interdependent plan.

In socialism, there won't be any need for a thing to “pay” anymore. If everything everyone requires is provided, that is all there is need to worry about. The worker— worker “by hand or brain”—need only contribute the amount of (physical or mental) effort required of him (or her) and all will be automatically entitled to whatever they require in the way of food, clothing, shelter, travel, etc., etc. We must look at the necessary activity of mankind as one process, not as we are encouraged to do under capitalism, as a host of different actions, most of them for different ends.The whole process can be summed up in the time-honoured phrase, “production solely for use instead of profit.” All needs, will be automatically met by the overwhelmingly plentiful production under a planned socialist economy. But it is a fact that the deliberate miseducation of the masses which is a fundamental part of the capitalist art of government has succeeded in presenting this as a major, practically insoluble.

The World Socialist Movement has stood like a rock for socialism; every other party has wobbled and gone after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When you find out that there is wrong in human society, check us out.

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