A Path Not Taken

 

When it comes to politics, workers are presented with various paths that lead to many possible destinations as the turnings on the road. Their decision on what direction to take is a crucial one.

 

Capitalism is a system of minority rule that operates for the benefit of a tiny segment of the population. Workers have no stake in the existing division of the world. The crisis of capitalism manifests itself on a world scale. Economic and political instability characterises all of the capitalist countries. Economic crisis and war occurs as on obvious result of capitalism itself. Yet all that stops the production and equitable sharing out of wealth is the capitalist system of production for private profit. All that is needed is to produce goods that people want and need, is a socialist system of production for use instead of profit. We will vote the capitalists out of power, and these defeated capitalists will give us the key to every office and factory.

 

It has been said that there can be no blueprints for the future because the people themselves will decide how to build the new society as they are building it. Fundamentally the Socialist Party concurs, and has therefore declined from attempting any blueprints.

 

Nevertheless, it is appropriate to put forward a few ideas for discussion about what might do to start building socialism. “No blueprints” does not mean “no ideas”. The Socialist Party has an analysis of the present society which holds the promise for the future, aims that people can decide whether or not they want to fight for in a revolution. Reformists make proposals as to how the present regime should deal with various problems, with or without a change in the system of society. Revolutionaries raise the question of a new type of world administered very differently from the old order. 

Revolution means that we, the working class take over the running of industry and make the decisions ourselves. It means abolishing the market economy. Production will be geared towards social needs rather than profits. Promoters of cooperatives only means preserving market relations between independent enterprises, still not working to a common social plan. We do not just want to create some free space within which slaves can manage some of their own affairs while leaving the ruling class to manage big industry and the affairs of society as a whole. The question of centralisation and decentralisation of enterprise management, is quite separate from the question of abolishing commodity production. We want to overthrow the slave owners and abolish slavery altogether.

 

Capitalism’s essential features is a system of exploitation, oppression and aggression, marked by injustice, inequalities and social scourges. Capitalism is a system in which exist exploiter and exploited classes, a class that dominates and another class that is dominated, a class which rules for themselves and another that are ruled, a class that upon which rests concentrated wealth and profits and where the overwhelming majority of the population live in poverty and misery. Capitalism is a system in which the most developed, richer and stronger countries exploit, dominate, subdue and oppress in the most varied ways the less developed, poorer and weaker countries, maintaining and creating, worldwide, immense zones were hunger affects and kills millions of people. Historically, the capitalism is marked by wars that has killed thousands of millions. Only someone who gains from such a system can consider capitalism as a system that benefits the needs, the interests, and the desires of the people.

 

The indignation against the evils of capitalism persists and the ideal of a better society keeps remains a valid aspiration, a society in which exploitation, inequalities, injustice and great social scourges are eliminated and in which the needs of working people are fulfilled.

 

The Socialist Party seeks to wipe out capitalism irreparable evils. It is true that the task of building a new society – the socialist society – has revealed to be more difficult, complex and lengthy than we expected. The progress of socialist thought was believed to be irreversible. We underestimated the ideological power of capitalism to dissuade people of their real interests. And we were unprepared for the distractions of the of the Bolsheviks and of the reformists. Both tendencies led to workers abandoning the socialist goal.

 

There are some persons, good and true, who respond to the inhumanity o capitalism in horror.  A politician may then make humanitarian speeches in the media – and perhaps also act with humanitarian concern in his or her personal life – but politician’s primary task is to make capitalism “work”.  No administration can get rid of the evils of capitalism so long as capitalism exists, and to effect its abolition is the purpose of socialist parties. For a socialist world! To this inspiring task, we summon all who are oppressed by capitalism. Only a socialist world can give us peace and plenty. Look how the capitalist world forever totters on the brink of self-destruction.