The Socialist Party is the political expression of the interests of the working class and is part of the World Socialist Movement. The economic basis of present-day society is the private ownership and control of socially necessary means of production, and the exploitation of the workers, who operate these means of production for the profit of those who own them. It is the interest of the capitalist class to maintain the present system and to obtain for themselves the largest possible share of the product of labour. It is the interest of the working class to improve their conditions of life and get the largest possible share of their own product so long as the present system prevails, and to end this system as quickly as they can.
The aim of the Socialist Party is to establish socialism and abolish the right of one person to rob another of the fruits of his or her labour. This is what makes the Socialist Party different from all others. Nowhere in the world has socialism been established despite various claims and assertions. Socialism is where the bankers, landlords and profiteers no longer exist. Common ownership prevails. The Labour Party, as at present constituted and led, conducts no propaganda or fight for socialism. It preaches and practices class collaboration, rejects fundamental social change, accepts the capitalist state machine, which it has used and will use against the workers at home and abroad. In other words, it accepts capitalism and has no important disagreements with the Tories.
The capitalist state, by controlling political parties, control the powers of the state and uses them to secure and entrench its position. Without such control of the state its position of economic power would be untenable. The workers must wrest the control of the government from the hands of the masters and use its powers in the building of the new social system, the cooperative commonwealth. The Socialist Party seeks to organise the working class for independent action on the political field for the revolutionary aim of putting an end to exploitation and class rule. Political action means participation in elections for public offices to gain control of the powers of government in order to abolish the present capitalist system and substitute the cooperative commonwealth.
Such political action is absolutely necessary for the emancipation of the working class, and the establishment of genuine liberty for all. To accomplish this aim of the Socialist Party is to bring about the social ownership and democratic control of all the necessary means of production — to eliminate profit, rent, and interest, and to change our class society into a society of equals, in which the interest of one will be the interest of all.
Recognising the class struggle between the capitalist class and the working class, and the necessity of the working class organising itself into a political party for the purpose of obtaining common ownership and democratic administration and operation of the collectively used and socially necessary means of production and distribution, we are opposed to all political organisations that support and perpetuate the present capitalist profit system and we are opposed to any form of trading or fusing with any such organisations to prolong that system. Ours is a great aim to make the working class the masters of their own destiny, to win political power, and establish socialism.
The Socialist Party is the instrument of the working class for achieving this aim. The Socialist Party is based on the task of the emancipation of labour from the oppression of capital, the transfer of all means of production to common ownership. The Socialist Party calls upon the workers to rally under its banner for the purpose of advocating this revolutionary change, building class consciousness among workers and promoting the organisation that could implement this end.
Despite the growing poverty and misery that workers are subjected to, a world of peace, liberty, security, health and abundance for all is within our grasp. The potential to create such a society exists, but that potential can be realised only if workers act to gain control of their own lives by organising for socialism. It will be the workers who make the people's ownership, control and administration of the new social structure a reality.
The Socialist Party calls upon all who may be increasingly aware that a basic change in our society is needed, to place themselves squarely on working-class principles. And to join us in this effort to put an end to the existing class conflict and all its detrimental results by placing the land and the instruments of social production in the hands of the people as a collective body in a cooperative socialist society. Help us build a world in which everyone will enjoy the free exercise and full benefit of their individual faculties, multiplied by all the technological and other factors of modern civilisation.
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