The only socialist party in Britain

The Socialist Party constantly counsels our fellow-workers that “One thing we must warn you about, which is do not trust in leaders, trust in yourselves alone. Unless you understand the cause and the solution of your condition no leader can help you, no matter how honest and sincere he or she may appear to be; if you do understand, then you do not require leaders; you will know what you want and how to instruct your delegates to get what you want.”

Socialism has never even been put before the electorate by any party with the resources to ensure that it would get a fair hearing. To adapt a famous saying, socialism has not been tried and found wanting; it has never been tried. 

Who can doubt the accuracy of the socialist case, with regard to reforms, in view of the length of time and enormous efforts which went into the establishment of even these minor reforms? Stated simply it is that whilst we accept all and every reform, grudgingly granted or strenuously wrenched from the capitalist class we do not advocate organising nor working for them. Our work is to organise for socialism, knowing that when large numbers of socialists exist the capitalists will be most lavish in the distribution of reforms in an attempt to retain their privileged position. Until something is done to abolish capitalism we shall have to endure capitalism's poverty, wars and environment damage. We hold that the idea of keeping capitalism but reforming it to prune it of its exploitation and wars is a pathetic and dangerous illusion; and also that until the mass of the working class have been won over to socialism it is idle futility to speculate on ways in which a non-socialist working class that doesn’t understand or warn socialism could establish it. The class straggle is continuous and cannot be suspended. The working class always react in some degree to the continuous pressure of the exploiters, It follows that we do not hold and never have held that the class struggle is confined to small groups of socialists. The slow growth of socialist ideas among the workers is in its way a silent tribute to the efficiency of the media’s propaganda and is not due to the workers’ inability to grasp the cause of their slave position in society. Preoccupied with their very real day to day problems the vast majority accept these ready made ideas unquestioningly and uncritically. Those workers who do interest themselves are more often than not side-tracked into political dead-ends. Politicians take a leaf out of the book of the commercial advertiser and sells the leader or the candidate to the voter by the same methods used to sell patent medicines or washing powder. The appeal is no longer to the reason of the citizen but to his or her gullibility. The workers' minds have been so conditioned for so long that the capitalists “head-fixers” have thought of a good angle to explain away criticisms of their system. Confusion is worst confounded by those parties calling themselves “socialist.” The juggernaut of capitalism lumbers on unheeding to the inevitable clashes, pitting worker against worker in ineffectual and ghastly conflict. The reformers loudly calls attention to its evils (of, which we are already painfully aware) but stops short of unearthing the cause, i.e., capitalist competition.

Capitalist propaganda often takes place without any conscious effort on the part of the propagator. The child upon its mother's knee does not realise that the language it is being taught is suitably coloured to help the continuation of capitalism. Even the mother, unless she be a socialist, does not realise that she is teaching her children the capitalist attitude to good and bad, the doctrine of God and the Devil.

At the age of five the child is thrust into an organised scheme to enable it to know enough to earn a living but not enough to know anything of great importance. It is taught obedience to authority which results in apathy, patriotism which results in racial prejudice, religion which results in blind acceptance, and the history of “great men” which means meekness before prestige. The child turns to entertainments and it finds children's magazines, a brighter presentation of the same dope. The child goes to the cinema and sees the brave king defending his property against a weak, cringing, brutal coward, the glorious British army defeating the enemy with smiles and a stiff upper-lip.

Should the child be unfortunate to have to go to church,  he or she will be exhorted to sing aloud, “All things bright and beautiful” amidst slums and factory smoke.

Having left school into the hurried and worried life of capitalist wage-slavery, reduced to misfortune and hardship he or she will get to know all the capitalist incantations summed up in the philosophy. “All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.”

So many people today think that they will know better next time. Unless they are socialists they will not know better. The dope, whether from the church, the media or the schools will claim them. Rose coloured spectacles stand in the workers' way in their struggle to survive. When they get rid of them, as they will, they will be ready to see things in perspective. They will be socialists.

Reforms do not basically alter capitalism and it is agreed by the members of the Socialist Party that socialist delegates must contest elections solely on the programme of abolishing capitalism and establishing socialism, thereby seeking the votes only of socialists and not of reformists. The sole issue was whether socialist delegates elected on socialist votes would vote for measures which, whatever their origin and motive, would incidentally be of benefit to the working class and the socialist movement. Mention is often of measures to improve educational and healthcare facilities, safety facilities in mines and factories, the removal of restrictions on trade unions, etc. The Socialist Party takes the line that socialists outside Parliament would require their delegates in Parliament to vote for such measures on their merits. The vote would be given not in order to meet the views of reformists but under instruction of socialists. An “all or nothing" position while attractive in its simplicity is less logical than he imagined. It would logically lead socialists to take no action at all except in support of the establishment of socialism. It would for example require them not to support trade union efforts on the ground that a wage increase or resistance to a wage reduction is not socialism.

The solution is a world wide movement by the workers for the establishment of socialist society. However, in time, worsening conditions together with the efforts of socialists will speed the ultimate awakening of the workers. We are working for the overthrow of capitalist society which has already drawn too large a draft on the bank of time. We ask for your understanding, help and co-operation that the necessary knowledge may be spread to the workers and a world wide brotherhood of mankind be established in our time.

Amid the political and economic misleaders of the Left, the Party’s voice has rung out clear, calm and confident, nor has one false note been struck. Events so far have justified its every warning and advice, and while collapsing capitalism is reflected in the hesitating uncertainty and vacillation of so-called socialist parties, the Socialist Party stands solid and unshakeable, on behalf of our fellow wage slaves, building up and perfecting the mechanism by which we may emancipate ourselves. We may be a small party but we are a socialist one, and, the only socialist party in Great Britain.