Capitalism V. Socialism

“My friends, things cannot go well in England, nor ever, until everything shall be held in common, when there shall be neither vassal nor lord and all distinctions levelled, when lords shall be no more masters than ourselves.” John Ball, 1381

The Socialist Party sees itself as building a better world for all. In place of a world driven by competition and conflict, there is the prospect of a united humanity.  Instead of being driven by the economic laws of an exploitative system there lies the potential for a society that would work democratically in the interests of all people. This is the prospect of a new society based on common ownership, democratic control and production solely for needs

Capitalism is not essentially a system of production but a system of capital accumulation. Every capitalist hope is production, profit, capital accumulation, but because all these hinges on market capacity, which is limited, a good deal of the time it is no profit, no capital accumulation, no production; and this is an obvious fetter on the development of the productive forces. Another factor which prevents the full use of the world as a single productive unit results from national economic divisions. Each national capitalist class has to attempt to balance its books as a national enterprise, so the pattern of trade, imports, exports and therefore the order of world production is constrained by the problem that governments face about the balance of payments. With socialism, humanity will enjoy unlimited options about what it might choose to do. At any point in history, the options open to society are given by the actual circumstances of development, and this social framework of options will also exist with socialism. However socialism, by sweeping aside the economic shackles of capitalism, will widen the possibilities of social action with the objective of satisfying human need. It is also self-evident that since we now suffer a shortage of wealth in relation to human need, production for use will be required by necessity to increase production as quickly as possible. The first task of socialism will be to solve the great social problems of capitalist society. This will be co-operation to produce more food, to provide housing, sanitation and clean water for the hundreds of millions who endure sub-standard conditions or who live in squalor; to provide health services; to construct a safe world energy system, to stop the despoliation of the planet and the pollution of its atmosphere, seas, forests and lands; to provide for education, enjoyment and world contact. These are the great projects for which world socialism would release the immense resources of useful labour that are now exploited, misused or wasted by the insanities of the profit system.

It has been suggested that a business can be run in a “socialistic” way, as for example with workers co-operatives. Certainly, a unit may be organised along more egalitarian lines but this cannot escape the economic pressures that determine whether or not it can survive. whatever way they are structured, authoritarian or democratic, and in whichever scale they may operate, as a part of social production they are a link in the economic circuits of capitalism and can only continue to operate within the pattern of buying, selling and profitability. The irresistible mechanisms which only allow production units to operate on a capitalist basis rule out any possibility of combining the productive relations of capitalism and socialism. It is impossible to combine the class ownership of the means of production with common ownership by the whole community: it is impossible to combine a worldwide division of wage labour with the work of free men and women co-operating without wages in their mutual interests: it is impossible to combine the production of goods for sale on the markets with the free distribution of goods solely for needs. It is impossible to combine profit and the accumulation of capital as the motive of production with the democratic choices of communities about how to deploy their resources. All these things which clearly distinguish capitalism and socialism are mutually exclusive. The commodity, the article for sale, is invested with all the anti-social features of the class society that has created it. We can only gain access to it by paying money; it serves our need only on condition that it first serves the profits of those who market it; it has been produced by wage workers whose economic function has been to generate more wealth for the company which exploits them. 

Contrast this with a simple object of use which could be produced by free people in democratically run communities. Such an article of use would express all the life-enhancing qualities of work carried out voluntarily by people co-operating in each other’s interests. It would not carry a price tag, it would not be sold, it would be freely available for consumption. By co-operation, we do not mean relationships in which people sacrifice their self-interest for the good of others. Co-operation is in the interests of both the individual and the community and is the natural expression of our social being. It is through co-operation that we best express and develop our individuality.  Across the entire world, the vast majority of people have a great need to live by the creative values of social co-operation, to share in the work of running their communities and providing for each other.

 Capitalism and socialism are fundamentally different systems that cannot operate together. A society to be run democratically in the interests of all its members can only be established by conscious, democratic methods. For modern socialists, the key to the question of the change from capitalism to socialism lies in the work of building the socialist movement to the point where there exists a majority of socialists. With this level of understanding and commitment, there would be no difficulty in enacting the common ownership of all land and means of production and distribution. On this basis communities would them commence the work of co-operating to organise the new society. This policy is the only practical way to establish socialism and it makes redundant the whole question of how a so-called “working class government” could convert capitalism into socialism over time through a programme of nationalisation.

Refusing the homeless

Local authorities have a legal obligation to find accommodation for people facing homelessness. Legal experts told the BBC that people were being unlawfully turned away by councils, despite their statutory duty.

The Legal Services Agency, a charity which provides legal advice to vulnerable people, said last year they saw about 200 people in Glasgow, many of whom had been turned away unlawfully without accommodation or help

Solicitor Alastair Houston said people were either being told straight away they were not entitled or that there were no temporary places available. Mr Houston said it was a "breach of their statutory duties" for local authorities to fail to provide temporary accommodation to someone presenting as homeless.

Government statistics show that most people are made homeless following a family breakdown or household dispute.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-42988881

The Problem Of Voting For Leeches

Despite any improvements in the condition of the working class, the gap between the amount of wealth they enjoy and that of the capitalist class has continually got wider. 

The Canadian Centre For Policy Alternatives, (I wonder if they've ever suggested socialism?), has been monitoring this gap for the past eleven years.

 Their findings are that the average workers pay increased in 2016 by 0.5%, whereas the average increase for Canada's top 100 CEO's was 8%. 

The average annual income for the Canadian worker in 2016 was $49,738; for the top CEO's it was $10.4 million.

 Some may think the working class is very considerate in allowing their bosses to exploit them to such a great extent, but I don't think they are considerate enough. The most considerate thing the working class can do for them would be to write ''Socialism'' on their ballot papers, then all the ex-capitalists can start living lives as useful, productive members of society, not as leeches.

For socialism, 

Steve, Mehmet, John & contributing members of the SPC.

What we want is socialism

The features of socialist society are dependent on each other and can only operate together as basic parts of an integrated social system. In combination, these define a way of organising society that in every important aspect of production, distribution, decision making and social administration, is clearly distinguished from the operation of capitalist society.

1. Common ownership means that the entire structure of production and all natural resources be held in common by all people. This means that every person will stand in equal relationship with every other person with respect to the means of producing the things we need to live, that is, mines, industrial plants, manufacturing units, all land and farms, and all means of transport and distribution. This also means the common ownership of all natural resources. Perhaps "common ownership" is partly a misnomer because what is meant is that means of production and resources would not be owned by anyone. In place of the property relationships of owners and non-owners, means of production will simply be available to the whole community to be used and developed solely for the needs of all people.

2. Democratic control means that social policy would be decided by communities. In place of rule by governments, public decisions would be made by people themselves. One great advantage of democratic practice in socialism would be not only the organisation of decision making but also the freedom to carry out those decisions. This freedom of action would arise from direct control of community affairs following the enactment of common ownership and removal of the economic constraints of the capitalist system. Without powers of action, decision-making is meaningless.

3. Production solely for use means just what it says. People in socialism would be free to co-operate voluntarily with each other in producing goods directly for the needs of the community. This would be useful labour co-operating to produce useful goods solely for consumption. Production solely for use would replace production for sale at a profit. Things produced for sale under the capitalist system are of course intended to supply a need of one kind or another but as commodities, they are produced primarily with a view to monetary gain and the increase of money capital. As a general rule, the market system is a system of "no profit no production". In socialism, this profit motive would be entirely removed. In a moneyless socialist society, the factors of production would operate only in a useful form and not as economic categories with a price. Labour would not be wage labour serving the interests of an employer but would be free labour. People at work would be creating only useful things and not economic values from which profit is derived.

We can estimate that at least half of all the workers running the capitalist system would be redundant in a sane society where work would be organised economically solely for the needs of the community. This means that, including the present millions who are unemployed, socialism would more than double the numbers of people available to do useful work. Also, these vastly increased numbers would be free to use and further develop the most advanced techniques of production. All this would add up to a huge increase in our powers of production.

At first, to solve problems, production in socialism would have to be expanded. The priority would be to ensure that every person is comfortably housed and supplied with good quality food of their choice. The construction of a safe world energy system would be another urgent project. The present great differences in the world distribution of machinery, plant and up-to-date production methods would need to be evened out. But with an adequate structure of production in place we can anticipate that in socialism, we would soon be in a position to relax in the necessary work of providing for needs.

The idea of producing enough for the community and then relaxing to enjoy many other kinds of activity which may interest people is impossible under a capitalist system. Capitalist production is not primarily about supplying needs it is about making profit and accumulating capital. It can only work with a constant market pressure to renew its capacity for sales. Under capitalism, a surplus of commodities, in excess of market capacity means they cannot be sold for a profit. This can bring about a recession, with workers thrown out of jobs, governments having to pay out more in doles when strapped for cash trying to finance a reasonable health service, it means companies going bankrupt. It means the whole mad market system being thrown into yet another crisis simply because the goods cannot be sold. These are some of the destructive features of a money-driven economy which is long past its sell-by date.

In socialism, with the abolition of the market, and acting with voluntary co-operation, people will produce goods and distribute them to stores without any of the barriers of buying and selling. The cash tills will disappear, shoppers won’t be held up and the operators won’t have to do their boring, meaningless jobs.

To re-establish common ownership and co-operation would, in fact, revert to relationships which were normal for humanity for the very long period of pre-history. Now, of course, we would enjoy these relationships with all the advantages of modern technology and know-how.

Scotland Supports the USAF

 The Guardian has revealed Glasgow Prestwick airport is a base for live missions by the US Air Force.

In an effort to stem its losses, Prestwick executives have attended military fairs across the US to pursue contracts to service cargo flights, troop transports and air-to-air refueling operations for the US Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, National Guard and the US Defense Logistics Agency.

The USAF confirmed Prestwick was used to support frontline US military operations.

Maj Richard Komurek, a USAF spokesman for Europe and Africa, said: “Glasgow Prestwick airport is one of a variety of airfields within Europe that can be used to support a full range of USAF operations.

“The forward-basing of US aircraft in Europe enhances our ability to conduct rapid global mobility, global strike operations and training to maintain combat-ready forces that are ready to respond to contingencies and support allies and partners.”

USAF Stratotanker air-to-air refueling aircraft operated several sorties from Prestwick while based there for three weeks in May 2017. That month, the USAF also approved “active duty missions” from Prestwick for Hercules C130 cargo planes for its air mobility command, which describes the C130 as “the prime transport for airdropping troops and equipment into hostile areas”.

In October 2016, Prestwick signed a three-year basing and fuel supply deal with the Defense Logistics Agency, helping it almost double its income from fuel sales to £3m last year. Those contacts also led to the USAF earmarking Prestwick to take a greater share of its flights after it leaves Mildenhall airbase in Suffolk, its largest base in the UK, in 2024.

Sweden - The Ideal Society? (book review)

There was a time when many spoke of Sweden as having the ideal society, blending the best features of capitalism and socialism, though meaning enlightened reforms. 

Anyone who still harbours such illusions would be well advised to read Jonas Jonasson's novels. The Swedish humourist digs deep into the dark underbelly of the perfect society as his main characters are not the kind you'd want your kids to marry; such as con artists, violent criminals, junkies, pushers, and hookers. 

In this respect, if one can use the word, his most recent book is outstanding - ''Hitman Anders And The Meaning Of It All'', Harper, $17.99.

For socialism, 

Steve, Mehmet, John & contributing members of the SPC.

An invitation

The Socialist Party's commitment is to the solution of working-class problems confronting mankind.  Our analysis of society is directed first towards a description of the way in which social problems arise and then to a programme of political action which would lead to their solution. Programmes of social reform leave the basic structure of capitalism intact. Therefore programmes of social reform cannot hope to solve social problems. 

The Socialist Party's opposition to reformism appears harsh, seemingly unsympathetic to worthy causes and which removes or organisation from the centre of important action. Neither charge is true. We do not doubt that there are much sincerity and indignation in reformist campaigns, but by itself, this is not enough. Of course, it is important to care but sincerity can be misdirected. The State has a technique for adapting the aspirations of reformists to its own purposes usually achieved by ensuring activists are "practical and pragmatic" and say that politics is the art of the possible. This justifies compromise and concessions, and the sacrifice of integrity of purpose and action. Capitalism generates reform in its own interests. Reform is part of the normal pattern of political administration, its function being to stabilise capitalism. Social reform is the political process through which capitalism continues its own economic development and since government and the state are the political expression of capitalist ownership, social reform will preserve that class interest. Reformism, inevitably then, involves an endorsement of capitalist productive relationships.

The surrender of principle is self-defeating. Whether it be through well-meaning ignorance or opportunism, one thing is certain, after over a century of campaigning for reforms, basic social problems remain unsolved. In formulating a political policy our starting point must always be economic reality. It is an undeniable fact that under capitalism mankind cannot control the productive process. We cannot set up productive objectives and then organise social resources to achieve those objectives. This is the price we pay for private ownership and the profit motive. The solution is to bring productive relationships into harmony with human needs. The means of producing wealth must be commonly owned, the earth's resources must be at the free disposal of the whole of mankind. In these relationships, freed from the economic barriers of capitalism, man can co-operate to simply produce the wealth that humanity needs. Socialism will not only achieve productive efficiency but will establish a pattern of relationships in which the dignity of humanity will be enhanced through equality and co-operation.

Socialism means democratic control of society in the human interest. This will be a society where the means of producing wealth and the whole of the earth's resources are held in common and at the free disposal of the whole human family. The object of socialism is fundamentally different to that of capitalism and provides for a completely different social organisation. Whereas under present world capitalism, the motive of production is to produce commodities for sale on the world's markets with a view to profit, so that privileged minorities in rival capitalist states can accumulate wealth, in a socialist society this will not be the case. Socialism will not produce commodities, but will simply produce useful things directly for human need, and there will be a shared interest between all members of the human family in that common object of production. If movements continue to support capitalism they must be responsible for all the ways in which capitalism develops. Because capitalism cannot be controlled in the human interest, we do not know all the ways in which it will develop. We are in the middle of a trade recession and we do not know what political effects it will have.

We invite fellow-workers to join us now in building a better world. We must build on their concern and indignation and broaden their horizons. They should not place their faith in governments; that is a sure recipe for disaster and disillusion. We come back to our first question, how do we control society in the human interest? We must not make pathetic appeals to governments to do something on our behalf. We must take the world into our own hands. Socialism will be a society of mankind for itself. The whole community will relate on equal terms about the means of production and the earth's resources and co-operate to produce goods, services, and amenities solely for use. This will be an association of men and women in conscious control of their own lives, living for themselves with the freedom to decide upon social projects and to organise resources to complete those projects. Socialism places people at the centre of social organisation. Equality, co-operation, and democratic participation will bring productive efficiency in response to human needs. But more than that, it will do so in circumstances in which the self-directed individual will live positively, integrating his own life with the development of the whole community.

Summer School 2018

Capitalism is a society of inequalities, in how both wealth and power are distributed. These inequalities have often affected women more adversely than men, and campaigns for women’s rights have been ongoing for over a century. But the debate around gender equality is no longer just about differences in wages or opportunities. Allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in Parliament and the entertainment industry especially have highlighted how some men have exercised their power. Also, the debate has broadened due to increased awareness of issues affecting transgender people, many of whom have felt marginalised.

How should socialists respond to the new prominence given to gender politics? What does gender inequality tell us about capitalist society, especially how it shapes gender roles? And how does the issue impact upon revolutionary politics? The Socialist Party argues that sexism and misogyny are expressions of how capitalism is inherently divisive and unequal. So, the solution is to address these problems at their source, by uniting to replace capitalism with a society based on equality and freedom.

Our weekend of talks and discussion will examine how gender issues relate to wider society and to revolutionary politics. Full residential cost (including accommodation and meals Friday evening to Sunday afternoon) is £100. The concessionary rate is £50. Day visitors are welcome, but please book in advance.

Details about the venue:

Fircroft College of Adult Education,

1018 Bristol Road, Selly Oak,

Birmingham, B29 6LH

Location and travel directions

E-mail enquiries should be sent to spgbschool@yahoo.co.uk. To book a place online, go to spgb.net/summerschool2018, or send a cheque (payable to the Socialist Party of Great Britain) with your contact details to Summer School, The Socialist Party, 52 Clapham High Street, London, SW4 7UN.

Scotland Needs Newcomers

REDUCING migration to the tens of thousands would cost Scotland’s economy up to £10 billion a year in lost economic growth from 2040, the Scottish Government has said.

External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop insisted the UK Government’s preferred approach to migration would be “catastrophic” for the country.

 “Over the next 25 years, Scotland’s working age population will grow by only 1 per cent, compared with an increase of 25 per cent in the pension age population. It is welcome that people are living longer but this underlines the importance of migration to our economy.

“The UK Government’s policy of pursuing a reduction in net migration to only tens of thousands across the whole UK would be catastrophic for Scotland’s economy and do serious damage to our future prosperity, with the potential loss of up to £10 billion of GDP every year after 2040. That cannot be allowed to happen.

“Even a more modest reduction in migration as a result of the end of freedom of movement of workers through leaving the EU would see a £5 billion reduction in real GDP each year after 2040. That is not an acceptable scenario for Scotland.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15924501.Reduced_migration_would_cost_Scotland_up_to___10_billion_a_year__Government_says/

Wages Rising. Time To Panic For Some.

The main news on the Labour front in Ontario is Premier Kathleen Wynne's government increased the minimum wage from $11.40 an hour to $14.00. 

This has caused many small business owners to get their panties in a twist claiming it will either bankrupt them or cut into their profits. An owner of a cheese shop said it will cost her $50,000 a year. Some have threatened to cut hours, lay off help, put up prices or not hire. Surprisingly the most vocal in opposition isn't a small fry capitalist but the multi-billion dollar coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons, or as they are,''affectionately'', called Timmies. Some Ontario franchisees have eliminated paid breaks, fully covered health and dental plans, and have made it clear to customers that they must not tip the help. None of these changes violate Ontario labour laws, though Ms.Wynne said it was, ''not decent'' as if Timmies had broken some rules in a game. 

As Socialists, we do not oppose workers attempts to improve their lives but realize such improvements within capitalism is not the answer to their problems. At the time of writing it is too soon to tell how it will play out, but one thing's for sure - in a society based on from each according to his ability to each according to his needs the above chaotic situation could not occur.

For socialism, 

Steve, Mehmet, John & contributing members of the SPC.

This is Socialism

Our age is one of continuous discovery, yet the problems of humanity seem to be  insurmountable. Our age is full of contradictions. We could send men to the moon, yet many on this world have not enough to eat.  Science serves the ends of the capitalist system. It serves the military, not the community. The scientists are fettered by the prejudices of private property and refuse to recognise that the cause of the many social problems is capitalism itself. The drive for greater technical efficiency is basic to capitalism's insatiable thirst for profits; humanity's real needs are not considered.

Capitalism has engulfed the whole world. Every nation is involved in world trade and cannot escape its influence. Capitalism spreads it its own ideology and culture. Globalisation destroys diverse communities with their rich traditions. Today we all live very similar lives with same social ills. We are all cogs in the machinery of capitalism, and are exploited in the same way. Dress, diet and dialect may vary, but the workers day-to-day worries are essentially the same. Apart from socialism, nothing can stop capitalism. It subjugating greater numbers of people to wage slavery. Under capitalism the privileges of class ownership of wealth dominate community requirements, the needs of the majority take second place. World capitalism as the dominating system of production and distribution can never be rationally organised in such a way that it serves the needs of the community. Private ownership, economic exploitation and the distribution of commodities through a marketing system with a view to making profit from the barriers that prevent man from making the fullest possible use of his labour, technology and natural resources. This is the nature of the problem of poverty. Any attempt to deal with world poverty within the framework of capitalist society is bound to fail, since it accepts all the pre-conditions of the problem. The priorities of capitalist society are privileged property rights and the pursuit of profits. We must constantly draw attention to the contradiction inherent within capitalist society. The problem of hunger cannot be isolated from world poverty maintained year after year by the economic barriers of capitalism. This is not a technical problem: it is not a problem of overpopulation. It is a question of the kind of social priorities that people choose to accept. If it is to be capitalism, it will be production and distribution geared to the private accumulation of wealth by a privileged minority. It will mean economic recessions, unemployment, the curtailment of production at a time when humanity desperately needs more wealth. It will mean that technology will be stifled by the limitations of investment programmes. It will mean that the price mechanism and the market will sometimes result in the stockpiling or destruction of food whilst people are starving. It will mean the waste involved in war and commerce.

Socialism will mean the free application of human labour to the earth's resources with the most efficient utilisation and further development of technology. It will mean a productive system built up on relations of social equality and adjusted to the idea that man matters most. The object of socialism is to unite humanity and to solve social problems by building a society which can satisfy the universal need for co-operation and material security.  Socialism is the form of society most compatible with the needs of man. Its necessity springs from the enduring problems, the economic contradictions and social conflicts of present-day society. Socialist society must be based upon the common ownership and democratic control by the whole community of the means of life.Life will be based on human relationships of equality and co-operation. Through these relationships, man will produce useful things, construct amenities and establish desirable institutions.

Socialism will resolve the conflicts which at present divide man from man. Regardless of ethnic or cultural differences, the whole world community will share a common interest. The building of socialism requires a social reorganisation where the earth's resources and the apparatus of production are held in common by the whole community. Instead of serving sectional interests, they are made freely accessible to society as a whole. Production will be organized at world level with co-ordination of its differing parts down to local levels. In socialism there will be no market, trade or barter. In the absence of a system of exchange, money will have no function to perform. Individuals will participate freely in production and take what they need from what is produced. The fact that socialism will be based on common ownership does not mean that an individual will have no call on personal effects. It means essentially that no minority will have control over or possession of natural resources or means of production. Individuals will stand in relation to each other not as economic categories, not as employers and employees or buyers and sellers, but simply as human beings producing and consuming the necessary things of life. Socialist society will minimise waste and set free an immense amount of human labour. Armies and armament industries with their squandering of men and materials will be swept away. These will disappear together with all the wasteful appendages of trade and commerce.

In socialism there will be a common interest in the planning and smooth operation of production. Work will be a part of human co-operation in dealing with practical problems. Work will be one aspect of the varied yet integrated life of the community. With the change in the object of society, that is human welfare instead of profit, man will freely develop agriculture and housing, produce useful things and maintain services. As well as material production, man will freely develop desirable institutions such as libraries, education facilities, centres of art and crafts and centres of research in science and technology. It will be a problem of social planning, statistics and research to ascertain the requirements of the community. Although these techniques are used for different ends, there is already wide experience of them. With experience of Socialist production, these planning techniques will gain in accuracy. Once produced, goods will be transported to centres of distribution where all will have the same right of access to what is available according to individual need. It will be a simple matter of collecting what is required. As well as tradition and geography, it will be a matter of organization and practicality as to which things will require a complex world division of labour for their production and which things will be produced regionally.

Socialism will establish a community of interests. The development of the individual will enhance the lives of other men. Equality will manifest attitudes of co-operation. The individual will enjoy the security of being integrated with society at large. The establishment of socialism does not call for the complete destruction and reconstruction of society. Techniques of production and some of the machinery of administration which can be transformed already exist. The task is to allow their free use and development by and for the community. With the change in the object of society from profit to human welfare will come a change in the function of social institutions Socialism will continue those institutions necessary to its own organisation. For example, the Food and Agricultural Organization and World Health Organisation could be expanded to submit plans and execute decisions concerning world food production and global healthcare

The schools and universities will no longer be concerned with the training of wage and salary workers for the needs of trade and commerce. Education will be a social amenity for life, providing teachers and a storehouse of all accumulated knowledge and skill. Education will not be rigidly separated from other aspects of life. The provision of education facilities will call for some permanent specialists, but knowledge and skill will to a much greater extent be passed on by those actively engaged in their practical application. Education will be tied more closely to the whole process of living.

Socialism will end national barriers. The human family will have freedom of movement over the entire earth. Socialism would facilitate universal human contact but at the same time would take care to preserve diversity. Variety in language, music, handicrafts, art forms and diet etc will add to all human experience. Socialism will be democratic. World policies will be subject to the control of the world community. The most complete information relevant to all issues under discussion will be made fully available. Elected delegates will carry local viewpoints to a world congress where the broad decisions on all aspects of social policy will be made. From that point, the social machinery would be implemented to carry out these decisions, subject to democratic control through both local and world bodies. Decisions affecting only local interests would be made democratically by the local community. The elimination of vested interests will mean that men will have no ulterior motives influencing their decisions.

Within present capitalist society, people and resources serve profit. On all sides it can be seen that commerce and trade – the exchange economy - are preventing mankind from expanding production on a scale necessary to serve the community’s needs. Socialism will provide a social framework that will enable humanity to get on with the job. The initial task of producing enough goods for the whole human family will be a huge one. We do not underestimate the problems of organization and production involved, but to eliminate world poverty must be one of the first tasks of socialist society. It is the glaring contradiction of our times that wealth is socially produced but possessed by a minority. Whereas in science, technology and in the development of the means of production man has brilliantly asserted his genius, in his relationships man suffers an abiding failure. It is this failure which is expressed in war, nationalism, racism, world hunger and poverty, unemployment, industrial chaos and social disunity. In all history, man has never suffered such universal frustration whilst having so close at hand the means of building a better world.

Will Oprah Be Better?

After Oprah Winfrey's speech about sexual harassment at the Golden Globe awards there is speculation, as you may have heard, about the possibility of her running for prez. in 2020. Reaction has been different, as one may expect. Some say she couldn't do worse than the twit who has the job now, but then who could? Obviously Oprah has no experience in public service, but some who have screw up. She may be a well meaning person, but then we all know the paradigm about good intentions.

So in the interests of cutting the crap and calling a spade a spade, lets take a look at this woman. The differences between Oprah and Trump, besides the obvious ones of gender and colour are those of intelligence and couth; there is no way she would publicly refer to another country as a ''s...hole''.

 But one must seriously ask how different are they? She became famous through her show which catered to an audience mostly of women who wanted to lose weight and people who ate up the ''anyone can get rich quick'' apology for a philosophy. The most pathetic event of all was when she gave everyone a car and they later found it was taxable! In other words Oprah and Trump are a typical by-product of capitalism - hucksters.

The main question is, ''does it matter who is elected? and the answer is 'yes' in matters of detail. One politician may be more inclined to pass a much needed reform than another. However it doesn't matter who is elected as far as the fundamentals are concerned, meaning we live under capitalism a system that, by its very structure, divides society into haves and have nots and no amount of ''good laws'' will change that. So let's have done with the Trumps and Oprahs of this world, and the best way to do that is having done with the system that has created them.

For socialism,

 Steve, Mehmet, John & contributing members of the SPC.

Rethinking Socialism

What we want is what the people all over the world want.

We want peace, instead of bloodshed.

We want security, instead of insecurity.

We want comfort and prosperity, instead of unemployment and deprivation

We want to raise our families in decent homes instead of slums.

We want to give our children a good education.

We want democracy and freedom, instead of regimentation and authoritarianism

These are the simple things which you and I and all the people everywhere seek for ourselves and our children. Yet we don’t have them. We have undreamed-of natural resources. We have millions of trained and skilled workers running vast industrial complexes. We can produce in one day, what our fathers took years to produce. Yet we do not have prosperity. It is the capitalist system that stands in our way. Under capitalism, a handful of capitalists control all the wealth and power. They own the means of production and distribution. They own our jobs. Whoever owns all these things, controls our lives, the lives of you and me and every other person.

Capitalism works very well indeed to wage war, to kill and maim, to destroy and devastate. Capitalism is at its best when it is at its worst. That is what capitalism offers you. If that is what you want, you don’t even need to vote in favour of it. You can just stay at home and await your fate. But we in the Socialist Party believe there is an alternative. The alternative to a capitalism is socialism. We can have prosperity, peace, and liberty controlled and operated by YOU, working men and women. We want to take over the industries built by us. We want to take over the wealth produced by us. We want to, and we can, run all of society for the needs and comforts of the people, and not for the profits of the capitalist class. We are interested in production only to the extent that it provides all of society with the good and decent and comfortable things of life, that it provides them all the time, and provides us all with the opportunity to enjoy them.

Without capitalism and its markets, we can put an end to war, to poverty, to disease.  We can provide plenty for all, homes fit to live in, self-respect and human dignity. Those are the things we all want. They are the things socialism stands for. They are the things that we in the Socialist Party stand for. All that socialism sets itself to do is to achieve plenty for all, along with peace and freedom. There are jobs for all – but not within the profit-grabbing restrictions of capitalism. There can be plenty for all – but only by socialising the means of production. There is a new and full life to be built – but not by capitalist politicians.  For an economy of abundance, the means of production must become the common property of all the people. Socialism means getting the parasites off the workers' backs.  The Socialist Party has this crazy idea that workers are not machines. We think that they are human beings and entitled to the same right to live and enjoy life as the capitalist. As long as capitalism exists, the capitalist and the worker will never see eye to eye on this question. Regardless of what the capitalist may want to do, the laws of the capitalist economy drive him to regard the worker as a wealth-producing machine. As long as workers are not slaves they will fight to live as human beings. Capitalism, as Karl Marx pointed out long ago, separated the producer from his tools. The owner of the tools (plants, machinery, railroads, etc.) buys labour power (or hires workers, as we would say) to operate them. The more they produce, the higher his profit. When it is not profitable to produce, he lays off the workers.

Capitalism has made of labour power a commodity to be bought on the labour market. As with any other commodity, the cost of labour power (wages) is determined by the cost of production. The cost of production of labour power is in the main what it takes to maintain the worker at his accustomed standard of living. It is, therefore, the cost of living which determines wages under capitalism. The working class will become the owners and operators. The separation between the worker and the means of production introduced by capitalism will be ended by socialism. Until such a socialist system prevails, wage labour will remain a commodity to be bought on the market by capital.