The wage-slaves’ revolt

We urged upon the workers of the world to take control of society. Socialism is nothing other than people's conscious self-organisation of their own lives in all domains. Only within a socialist society can we take control over our own lives and bring an end to war, economic insecurity and sexual and racial inequality. Only within socialism can all people fully develop their potential and capabilities. We must bring about the end of the present economic and political system that is imposed upon our lives – the system of capitalism. This system is inherently based on misery and exploitation. It profits a wealthy few at the expense of the vast majority of working people throughout the world. It generates war. It keeps people divided and powerless by fostering racial and sexual oppression. We believe that this system is controlled by a small number of extremely rich owners and bankers – a ruling class – who use all this country’s major institutions, including the government, to protect their interests and wealth. This class will use any means to maintain their control over our lives. 

The principal task of the Socialist Party is to try to restore the credibility of socialism in the consciousness of millions of men and women.  Our aim is to give a dignified life to everyone. Priority must be given to solidarity and cooperation. Straight socialism and no compromise is our class war battle-cry. Socialism is not just an ideal.  The people will make it a reality. There is only one alternative to barbarism. Frederick Engels said it: socialism

The Labour Party, particularly its ’left’ wing, claims to stand for the workers’ interests and for socialism. Labour claims that socialism can be introduced gradually through a series of reforms using parliamentary means. But the experience of various Labour governments has brought disillusion. Today no-one believes that Labour will establish a new and better political and economic system. Even Labour politicians themselves ask for votes with the claim that they can make capitalism work better than the Tories. The Labour Party represents the capitalists and no other class. The working–class no longer holds any illusion that the Labour Party represents its interests or will bring about any real change in the system. At best, the Labour Party is seen as a lesser evil’ than the Conservative Party. If so-called ’revolutionaries’ support Labour in election campaigns, even as a ’lesser evil’ or with all sorts of qualifications to their support, they are betraying the working class.

Governments have no real solutions for the pandemic in exactly the same way that they have no real solutions for the collapse of eco-systems or for making our economic systems sustainable. Our leaders and our political parties are now controlled by billionaires who are not even pursuing their own nation’s interests, let alone the interests of humankind and the planet. Rather, this billionaire class pursue narrow, self-destructive corporate interests, whether it is banks driving people into debt, oil companies fuelling systemic environmental crises, or arms manufacturers lobbying for endless wars. If our society is to survive we need urgent and fundamental change. We require a greater acceptance that our leaders are incapable of that change because they are trapped in political structures irredeemably defective because they were captured long ago by capitalist interests

Socialism is built upon the common ownership of the means of production. Socialism is a real alternative. It is a a better system to the system we live under. History has shown that societies are not eternal and just as it succeeded feudalism, capitalism will inevitably be replaced by the superior system of socialism. We strive to replace capitalism with socialism. The enemy is capitalism. There is one, and only one, remedy. Help yourselves. Determine that you will not endure this abominable state of things any longer; act up to your determination, and it will vanish. We are many; our opponents are few. Then working men and women of all colours, nationalities and occupations claim your rights to conquer your own emancipation. If you want a thing done, and well done, do it yourself,” and this is precisely what we must do - we must take the work of liberation into our own hands in order to guard against deceitful friends. We proclaim that we no longer want deliverers, that we no longer wish to serve as instruments of others, and that we hold the knowledge to understand our interests.

The Internationale:

No saviour from on high delivers
No faith have we in prince or peer
Our own right hand the chains must shiver
Chains of hatred, greed and fear.