The Red Flag Will Rise Again

Socialism, as a system of ideas, has either been ignored, or dismissed contemptuously, as an outworn, superseded ideology. All socialists are rebels against enslavement and exploitation. Working people will not be emancipated through the efforts of humanitarians and nothing can be expected from the politicians. Socialists rejects the policy of state ownership. We reject the idea that state capitalism is an introductory phase of socialism. State capitalism is not the abandonment of capitalism. When the Socialist Party conquers the state it will not nationalise industry. Rather its first act is to abolish the state, its parliamentary regime and forms of activity. Socialism, it must be emphasised, abolishes the state. Industry is not transformed into the state, but state and industry, as now constituted, are transformed into socialism, functioning industrially and socially through new administrative norms of the organised producers, and not through the state. State capitalism is not socialism and never can become socialism, precisely because it is a state proposition. The lure that is offered to the workers is the promise to “democratise” state capitalism and the belief that it will growing into socialism, placing the government, in the hands of “the people.” This policy dispenses with the necessity of overthrowing the state as an indispensable phase of the social revolution and tactically strengthens the state and weakens the workers. The reformists are deceiving workers when they declare that nationalisation, and the state sector of a capitalist country are "socialist".

A change is absolutely imperative. Is it possible to modify and reform the present system by eliminating its bad features? That is what many liberals and reformists have been trying to do for many years without the slightest success. The social ills afflicting the working people can all be traced to one fundamental cause, to the fact that the means of production belong to a small group of private owners who are interested in producing things only if they can make a profit out of such production. Knowing the basic cause of society's illnesses, we are in the position of a doctor who knows the cause of the sickness of a human being. We can prescribe the cure. The cure is socialism,

Socialism is the working class in power. Working class power is the essential condition for far-reaching social change. Socialism can be built only when the working class has taken state power from the capitalist class: that is, when there has been a revolution. Socialism is built upon workers’ common ownership of the means of production. Socialism is not some Utopian scheme. Capitalism has created the economic conditions for socialism. Today there is social production but no social ownership. Socialism will bring social ownership of social production. It is the next step in the evolution of society. Socialism will be won through the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism by the capture of political power by the working class who will take over the economic forces developed by capitalism and operate them in the interests of society. Socialism will not mean government control. Transforming the main productive resources of society into common property will enable working people to assume administration of production and distribution. Workers will be able to manage democratically their own work places through workers’ councils and elected administrators. In this way workers will be able to make their work places safe and efficient places that can well serve their own interests as well as society’s. The economy will be geared not to the interest of profit, but to serving human needs. This will release the productive capacity of the economy from the limitations of profit maximisation. A great expansion of useful production and the wealth of society will become possible. Socialism will open the way for great changes in society. The people will establish a social democracy, a genuine democracy. Everything would be for the best in the very best of all possible worlds. In a socialist society the means of production will be free to provide for the needs of the people. The capitalist profit-makers will pass into history. Whether capitalism or socialism will be the order of society depends on what the working class does. Its struggle for socialism cannot be postponed. There is a working class and a capitalist class. There is a class war. Socialism is the expropriation of that capitalist class. The Labour Party and the Left do not recognise this task. They do not realise the futility of their insignificant reforms. To help forward the real struggle for socialism it is not sufficient simply to profess belief in socialism or to pronounce oneself a Marxist. It is necessary to apply Marxism and founding a policy upon it. There must be continuous Marxist explanation and education. All illusions about easy short cuts to socialism must be exposed.

The basic idea of socialism is that all the means of production and distribution be owned in common by all of the people, and that every person, who is not too young, or too old, or too sick, cooperate in producing those things which every member of society needs and uses. Instead of having individuals or corporations own all the factories and hire workers to produce goods only when a profit can be made from their sale, society as a whole will own the factories, and the workers will produce the things required to feed, house and clothe all of the people, and to satisfy all of their cultural needs, elected or appointed administrators will calculate approximately how much of each article will be necessary to satisfy the needs of society and the factories will be set into motion to produce more than enough of each item. Instead of the anarchy and competition that prevail at the present, production and distribution will be thoroughly planned by capable administrators with the help and participation of the workers. The plans will be constantly subjected to analysis and revision. It is impossible, of course, to furnish a complete blueprint indicating every detail of the functioning of society under socialism. Of one thing we can be certain. A change in the system of property from private ownership, producing for profit, to common ownership, producing for use, will solve the major problems facing people today. 

The Socialist Party contend that industry has developed to a point where a sufficient quantity of goods can be produced to assure every one a very high standard of living. Since things will be produced for use and not for profit, planning will be possible and feasible. A change from capitalism to socialism, by eliminating the waste inherent in capitalism, would easily raise the standard of living of all people across all lands. If it should happen that because of some mistake too much will be produced, it will merely signify more leisure for the workers. With profits eliminated and production increased, there will be no difficulty for society to take care of those unable to work.

You can readily see that the solution offered by the Socialist Party for the problems of all of humanity is a very radical solution, one that goes to the root of the whole matter. In our opinion it is the only solution possible. It is incumbent upon socialists to show how that solution can actually be realised. It is necessary to convince many more people, than are at present convinced, of the desirability and necessity for socialism. Mighty forces stand in the path of the working class. The state consisting of the police, the army, the courts, the jails, the government; the institutions that exist for the purpose of subduing and deceiving the minds of the masses, such as the church, the press, the schools, etc.; the divisions in the ranks of the workers themselves, divisions that are fostered by the ruling class. Can these mighty forces ever be defeated? Will the workers ever unite and join in the struggle for true freedom and true equality? There are many who throw up their hands in despair, proclaiming the hopelessness of the struggle.

The overwhelming majority of the population would benefit by a change from the present system to socialism. If the working people should be aroused and determined to abolish capitalism, the police and the army would be helpless, even if we assume that all of those would be loyal to the capitalist class. Even their police and their armies would not be reliable because the police and the army are composed of people who come from the working class and who permit themselves to be used against their class brothers simply because they do not know better. If the capitalists were to depend upon force alone to guarantee their privileged position, their situation would be precarious indeed. After all they represent only a small minority of the people. What the capitalist class must depend upon, more than on force, is deceit. All the force in the world would not avail the capitalists if they could not deceive and confuse people. It is the deception of our fellow-workers, more than anything else, that assures the existence of a social order which brings so much misery and suffering to the vast majority of the people. Influenced by the false ideas propagated by the capitalist class, the workers not only fail to struggle against their real enemies but actually permit themselves to be arrayed against one another. They allow themselves to be divided on racial and national grounds. Prejudices are fostered amongst the workers and thereby the struggle against the common enemy is weakened. 

When the problems confronting a people cannot be solved by the ruling class, when the people are compelled to suffer without getting relief, when they behold an arrogant minority wallowing in luxury, indifferent to the fate of others, then they are in a mood to listen to those who propose a radical solution. The ideas which the ruling class pounded into the minds of the masses lose their hold and new ideas are accepted. The cover which blinded the workers is lifted from their eyes and they realise that they must take their fate into their own hands. No force on earth can stop them. When a system of society outlives its usefulness, when in the womb of the old society there has been prepared the possibility of a new social order, when the masses suffer needlessly, and when the ruling class is unable to solve the problems facing society—under such circumstances—the ideas representing the new social order are accepted by the masses, and instruments of force and deceit at the disposal of the ruling class are helpless to preserve the old order. A revolution occurs and a new social system comes into being. And once the workers rally around the ideas of socialism, nothing in the world can stop their progress. Neither state repression, nor the lies of the media, will save the present system.

To achieve socialism workers must first gain political power. The capitalist class under feudalism had economic power; it required political power to consolidate and guarantee its economic power; it obtained political supremacy by a revolutionary overthrow of the feudal nobility. The workers under capitalism have no economic power (except in the sense that they can bring industry to a halt by withdrawing their labour power) and neither have they political power. Before they can take over the industries and proceed to construct a socialist society, they will have to take over the power of government. We need not look very closely at the working class to see that it has very serious divisions. There are divisions between skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers; there are differences in political development; there are divisions based upon race, creed and nationality. The workers, furthermore, are not born socialists. The conditions under which they labour make them amenable to socialist ideas but there must be some organisation that assumes the responsibility of teaching the workers those ideas, of convincing them of the necessity to struggle for socialism, of representing their historic interests. What is absolutely necessary is an organisation of workers who, regardless of their skill or lack of skill, regardless of any secondary differences, agree upon the necessity of solving the problems of the working class through the overthrow of the capitalist system and the establishment of socialism.

The Red Flag will be hoisted again because it is the flag of the oppressed, the flag of those deprived of their liberty, their labour, who are forced into wage slavery. 

This is the truth

The Socialist Party does not judge men and women merely by their avowals of faith and good will. Neither do we judge political parties by the descriptions of their aims contained in their written constitutions. We evaluate people and we measure parties by their actions.

Our aim in the Socialist Party is to convince the majority of our fellow-workers that our case for socialism can put an end to capitalism and its economic convulsions. Capitalism can offer no prospect but misery for billions and the destruction of civilisation. Only socialism can save humanity from the abyss. In this darkest of times, the Socialist Party clearly see the socialist future and prepares the way for it. The Labour Party has nothing to do with socialism. It's policy is to safeguard capitalism. The reformists and leftists are muddled about the nature of socialism, of capitalism, the nature of the state and the class character of political parties. Thus they equate nationalisation with socialism and they mistake the Labour Party as a working class party. State-ownership remains a form of capitalism in which capitalist property relationships is still intact. Surplus-value is still appropriated and production is still governed through the market by the operation of the law of value and commodity exchange. These laws operate whether private companies or the state control production. The essence of capitalism is property relationships; ownership is merely a formal question, which can take various forms. To portray nationalisation as a means of making inroads into the capitalist system is to ignore the central role of the state. There is no advantage in calling for the nationalisation of industry. It is irrelevant to the real interests of the working people whether profits are in private or state hands.

We believe that capitalism threatens any hope for social justice, peace, and human dignity. We face poverty, hunger, disease and environmental destruction which threatens the survival of all life on this planet. Nothing short of revolution and socialism can answer this threat. Capitalism is a system centred on capital accumulation and profit and is inherently a system of inequality and injustice. We want a social system where social wealth is not in the hands of a few billionaires, but is commonly owned and democratically controlled by the people. Human needs replaces profit as the driving force of society. Capitalists either destroy the competition, or are destroyed themselves. This drive sends the giant corporations around the world, seeking cheaper raw materials and corrupt governments that will ensure a friendly investment climate. Capitalism continuously seeks cheaper labour costs. Capitalism is a system of exploitation and oppression. Poverty is built into its operation. The capitalist class needs to maintain its grip on the levers of power.

Capitalism is Public Enemy No.1. In order to fight the enemy and win, we have to understand the enemy. Under capitalism, a handful that own the factories, the mines, the land, and the banks control the wealth that the majority produces. Capitalism organises globally and competes bitterly to expand and accrue profits. We oppose this system. There is no possibility of ending exploitation and oppression except by the overthrow of the capitalist class. In a world of abundance, we suffer from serious chronic misery.

To combat exploitation, the working class needs to struggle for its own interests. We organise in the trade unions to fight for workers’rights, higher wages, and better working conditions. We believe in the organisation of all workers and working class unity. The struggle for a livable planet is a life and death issue for many of our more vulnerable fellow-workers. We face a future that is bleak indeed unless the system of exploitation is abolished and replaced with a new socialist system.

Join with the party of the future. Our organisation is not large. While we have had substantial successes in our work, there is no reason to be arrogant or boastful. We have always opposed narrow sectarianism, and will continue to do so. We are mindful, at all times, to keep the forefront of all our activity: the need to to raise the socialist consciousness of fellow-workers and convince them of the necessity for socialist revolution. The handful of billionaires who dominate the political and economic life of the world has no right to rule. They have built their empires on the foundations of exploitation, oppression, and inequality. The Socialist Party will continue to make our best contributions to the struggle to break their power. The exploited do not need another reformist organisation. They need a Marxist one. We need a political party which will use its position to challenge the fundamental social, economic and political basis of capitalist society and expose the condition of hunger, misery and war that are bred by it – a party that will advance the fight for socialism.

 Our goal is socialism – everything we do is in the direction of that objective. We are a party of which the elected delegates will remain the servants – not become the masters.

People want change

WORLD SOCIALISM

The Socialist Party holds a vision of a new world, a world worth fighting for, a world to win.We say that there could be a better world for us all. It can be brought about. The seeds of the new world are sown in this old obsolete one. The Socialist Party strives to bring the new world to fruition. We want to make that cooperative commonwealth in which men and women will at last be able to know, to speak and to argue freely.

Nationalism is the enemy of any movement which seeks to establish the socialist society. Nationalists are the enemy of the free society of world socialism. We want peace, instead of bloodshed and destruction. We want security and jobs, instead of insecurity and joblessness. We want decent homes for our families and good and plentiful schools for our children. We want comfort and prosperity, instead of slums, child labour, low wages, unemployment and starvation. We want democracy and freedom instead of totalitarianism, bureaucracy and racial conflict. But in our present modern world, with its huge manufacturing centres and industries, elaborate complex technology machines and abundant natural resources, capitalism is unable to provide us with these elementary wants. It is unable to avoid wars. It dooms us to serfdom and poverty.

The World stands at a crossroads today. Immigration, climate change or the growing gap between rich and poor reveal conflicts that increasingly polarises society. Apportioning blame is far too easy. The reasons for the renewed and increasing divisions of society are rooted much deeper. The tensions that are pulling apart society today likely stem from the combination of the effects of capitalism

Class war is the reality today. The employers and their government have launched a savage assault on the unions. Capitalists have mobilised all the class forces at their command to beat the workers' movement into submission. This class war is no temporary aberration or an act of folly.

Under capitalism a handful of men control the wealth and power of the world. They own industry, banking, mining, transportation. They own our jobs. They own Parliaments and Presidents because they finance the big political parties which put politicians into office. They have the power of life and death over all of us. The insanity of capitalism is that it creates inequality, poverty and unemployment and all the crises of society. It produces not for human needs, but for the market. While the capitalists are united against the workers and their political and economic organisations, they are in competition against each other and against their capitalist counterparts abroad. They all try to out-produce and out-sell each other on the market because the mainspring of capitalist production is profit, not use. This fact alone indicts capitalism as the great obstacle to human progress.

There is only one hope for the future: Socialism! 

Socialism alone guarantees the absence of exploitation, unemployment, hunger, poverty and war. Socialism alone guarantees true economic and political democracy. Socialism alone guarantees the freedom of the peoples of the whole world. Socialism is the only thing worth fighting for because it is the society of true and lasting peace and freedom for all mankind. Socialism should be the common element that brings us all together. 

The task of the Socialist Party is to assist and hasten the political development of the working class which will put them on road toward the socialist emancipation of humanity from capitalist unemployment, misery, wars and insecurity. It is upon the political development of the working class as an independent, anti-capitalist force that depends the future. Only a socialist revolution can prevent the outbreak of a third world war and the relapse of humanity into barbarity. The task of world socialist revolution is the order of the day. This is final struggle to finally overwhelm the global capitalist system. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of working people, and while the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life. Unite for the emancipation of the people and to save civilisation from a catastrophe.

A Socialist World or No World

Once again we are deluged with the hypocritical cant and humbug that governments and corporations can change and create a sustainable world. Politicians and CEOs mouth the meaningless platitudes. What are the prospects of a happy future for people? What room is there in capitalism for peace and well-being when the prosperity of one depends upon the ruin for another? What have the people to look forward to, we ask again? Can nothing be done to stem the waste of human live and destruction of nature? The very first step is to clear the befogged and befooled minds of the people of every capitalist notion. Expose the capitalist as the liar, the sociopath and bully he truly is. The only hope is to abolish wage slavery, root, branch and twig, and to take control of the things that are necessary for the lives, comfort, well-being, and happiness of those who we hold dear. Robbed of everything, we stand at the door to the future. We have a world to win.

Capitalists live in great splendour by exploiting the working class through the daily robbery of the enormous wealth the workers produce. In contrast to this, intense exploitation, oppression, poverty and misery characterise the lives of the working class. The buying and selling of human labour power as a commodity and the production of commodities for profit are among the fundamental features of capitalism. The working class is made up of those who are deprived of the ownership of the means of production and therefore are forced to sell their labour power as a commodity to the capitalist class. The working class participates directly in production, transportation, communication, service, agriculture, and commerce. It is the class which creates the wealth of society and from which the capitalists extract surplus value. The ranks of the working class also encompass the reserve army of unemployed, including old and disabled workers and semi-permanently and permanently unemployed workers forced to live on welfare.

Marx in Wages, Price and Profit, says: “To clamour for equal or even equitable retribution on the basis of the wages system is the same as to clamour for freedom on the basis of the slavery system. What you think just or equitable is out of the question.”

We socialists are engaged in a movement which regards both the poor and most crime as the products of an iniquitous system of robbery of which both aristocrats and the bourgeoisie stand guilty. All wars now waged, under whatever pretences, are really wars for the great prizes in the world-market. For as long as anyone can remember, the ruling class have paraded one political representative after another before the people promising a life of peace and prosperity while they subject hundreds of millions around the world to pillage and plunder from one end of the globe to another. Their whole system is one of legalised robbery and murder. The history of humanity shows that there is a path to travel–the path which the exploited and oppressed in every society sooner or later takes, the way forward, the path of resistance against and the revolutionary overthrow of their oppressors. Revolution is the only means to prevent war and hunger.

Socialism, the goal of the workers

A particularly malignant disease infected the planet a few centuries ago. Capitalism arose by separating the producer from his or her tools. The owner of the tools (factories machinery, transport, etc.) buys labour power 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 job 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 and family at an accustomed standard of living. It is, therefore, the cost of living which determines wages under capitalism. Once the workers have introduce a socialist system of production, then more production will mean more for everybody. The more we produce, the more we would eat. The bigger surplus of products we would have, the less we would work until we had used them up. This will be so because socialism will wipe out the distinction between the owners of machinery and the users of the machine. 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. The wages of labour will continue to be determined by the cost of living.

However, there is another side to it. Wages are also affected by the competition among workers for the available jobs. This is really the law of supply and demand as it operates in the labour market. When there are many workers available and few jobs to be had, the bargaining power is all on the side of the capitalist. Those workers who are unemployed for a long time will be inclined to accept less in order to get a job and earn a living for themselves and families. Wages are regulated by the competition of workers for jobs in the labour market, i.e., by the law of supply and demand. Marx pointed out that it is the normal and necessary condition for capitalism to have this backlog of unemployed workers or the industrial reserve army, as he called it. It is the existence of this reserve army that acts as the great weight that constantly tends to depress wages downwards to and below the cost of living. It is one of the economic laws of capitalism that the greater the number of unemployed workers, the greater is the pressure upon wage levels. Conversely, the fewer the number of unemployed workers, the more easily the employed workers are able to increase their wages.

There are about 585 billionaires in the US, about 175,000 people with over 25 million in total (0.05% of the population), 1.4 million individuals with wealth over 5 million (0.42% of the population), and it’s estimated there are about 12 million millionaires in the US (about 3.6% of the population). They are on the other side of the class war. Hell must remain as long as the capitalistic system of production lasts. Socialism has to become a tool for going to the roots of existing social problems and pointing the way to their solution. The liberation of mankind is the end to be striven for. Socialists are alert, however, in pointing out the great distinction between "government" and "common" ownership and in reiterating the socialist demand for the complete collective ownership of all the means of production and distribution as the only cure for the evils of the competitive system.

The average person is unable to see any alternative to the profit system. Socialism demands nothing more than the opening of our eyes. We want to abolish the system, which is the root and source of social ills. Socialism is revolutionary in principle, i.e. it puts up a totally new principle in place of the old, not just palliative patches. There seems a great many persons, calling themselves socialists nowadays who fancy themselves as radicals, however, the Socialist Party is a political party which defends the interests of working men and women which works for their freedom. In our capitalist society, parents are supposed to protect their children so that they can grow and learn without fear. But how can poor parents protect their children? They can’t even protect themselves. Until the capitalist system is completely overthrown wage-slavery must still continue. Present-day society does not even concern itself with determining the needs of society, in order to plan production. It leaves this to the individuals and the market. The only factor in determining capitalist production is the possibilities of capital accumulation.

We cannot define the method by which the social change will occur. The methods of revolution are dependent largely upon the blindness or the clear-sightedness of its opponents in their attitude towards this necessary progress in history. But even now, during this stage the Socialist Party does not confuse revolution and violence with one another. Violence and bloodshed do not make any movement revolutionary, and essentially they have nothing in common. Being a party which stands for the community of humanity, and directing its activities toward the attainment of general happiness and well being, the Socialist Party hopes that its victory will be accomplished by systematic and peaceful organisation. The Socialist Party is also aware of the fact that the success of the social revolution is guaranteed only at the moment when the minds of the people and the events have matured for it. The realisation of the system which the working class is planning depends on the stage of development of the working class organisations which express the socialist system. Therefore, our task is to educate and organise the working class so that it will become capable of accomplishing their own emancipation. But just as we cannot define the form of the revolution, neither can we determine the moment. The social revolution is the hope of the oppressed people and it will be carried out for the benefit and the well-being of all people, in the name of all mankind. The transformation period from capitalism to socialism will be as brief as possible, but the issue is not dependent upon ourselves alone. Its length will fluctuate with the preparedness and the stage of the organisation of the working class, as well as the nature and the violence of the opposition. No-one can foretell when the hour of the working class shall strike. But be it near or far, the same practical work is necessary of educating and organising the working class continually

The Socialist Party strives for the well-being, for the self-respect, and for the self-consciousness of our fellow-workers. It supports increasing the value of their labour-power It endeavours to obtain for the working class still larger political liberties for the expression of their opinion. We greet with pleasure every sign of revolutionary intention. We insist that the political struggle — socialism — and the economic struggle — trade unionism — are necessary for the working class, and that close and solid relations should be built up between the two to promote the best interests of the workers. We realise fully the necessity of unity and solidarity within the working class struggle, but on the other hand we realise also that the working class cannot attain its purpose with actions of such nature which are not directed by principles of the socialist principles. We join without hesitation those that follow unalterably uncompromising class struggle. There shall be our place.

Socialism – Our Best Hope

To-day and over the next coming week or so, environment activists will try to draw the world's attention to the climate crisis. The Socialist Party has always made its position clear. 

We stand for an end to capitalism and the formation of a socialist economy democratically controlled by working people. We know that the road ahead will have many twists and turns, but we also know that our fellow-workers have a long history of fighting against exploitation and oppression, and for justice and revolution. Class is everything, and without clarity about it we do not know who we are or what we are doing. The Socialist Party is a revolutionary organisation which seeks a complete transformation of society, and the creation of a socialist system. This will mean the working class overthrowing capitalism, abolishing the State, getting rid of economic exploitation and political oppression. We are not leaders but we do strive to base our organisation on the principles that will be the basis of the future society: mutual aid and solidarity.

Capitalists seek to maximise profits and reduce the cost of labour. Capitalists are about acquisition and exploitation. This is the heart of capitalism. It is not about freedom and democracy. Those businesses which are not able to increase profits and decrease labour costs, through lay-offs, cutting wages, destroying unions, off-shoring, out-sourcing or automation are replaced. Maximising profit means turning the oceans into dead zones, filling the atmosphere with carbon emissions and methane that render the climate unfit for humans, pumping toxic chemicals and waste into the soil, water, air and food supply, buying off elected officials and judges to serve the exclusive interests of capital and privatising social services such as health care, transportation, education and public utilities, to gouge the public with high monopolised prices. Reducing the cost of labour means forcing workers to remain unorganised and abolishing work, health and safety regulations, it means re-locating industry overseas where foreign workers toil like 19th-century serfs, it means suppressing wages at home to force an impoverished population into debt. That is the price of business. Capitalism will loot and pillage, it will exploit and oppress. Across the world politicians spew hatred and bigotry. Capitalism has never worked for the majority of humanity.

The personal ethics of the employer is irrelevant. The capitalist class will go to any length to disguise capitalism’s true nature. An example being Business Roundtable’s Principles of Corporate Governance, signed by 181 major CEOs, a lesson in doublespeak. Capitalism will misinform and manipulate the people through its control of the media. It demonises and muzzles its critics. It funds academics and intellectuals to tirelessly propagate the ideology of capitalism. It finances think tanks to spread the belief that transferring wealth upward into the hands of the ruling class is beneficial to society. Capitalism wages endless wars in its quest for profit. It creates a mafia economy and a mafia government. The Business Roundtable is equivalent of Al Capone insisting that his mob runs society. The capitalists are determined to protect their wealth with a PR image of a gentle, kinder, humane capitalism. Yet capitalism translates into squeezing workers on wages, on working conditions and on health coverage, and on pensions. 

We face multiple crises that are reaching their breaking points. Not only has this resulted in an immense wealth divide and widespread poverty, homelessness and lack of education for many people, we now are up against the threat of catastrophic climate change. Carbon emissions continue to rise, the polar ice caps continue to melt, crop yields continue to decline, the world’s forests continue to burn, coastal cities continue to sink under rising seas and droughts continue to wipe out fertile farmlands. The capitalist media sell us the false hope that all will be right in the end. But it won’t. Capitalism will not be able to adapt.

There are encouraging signs of the growing realisation that capitalism is running rough-shod over working men and women and a growing understanding that there’s an urgent need to come together in the name of preservation and resistance. It is now time to halt capitalism's global gangsterism.

The Poor Die Young

Research carried out by Prof Morag Treanor, of Heriot-Watt University, for the charity Aberlour, found that people from the most deprived parts of Scotland are three times more likely to die before they are 25 than those from the least deprived.

Prof Treanor said the results showed the "massive inequality" between rich and poor in Scotland. It also showed young men and boys were far more likely to die before 25 than young women and girls.

Prof Treanor compared the death rates in the most deprived 20% of Scottish areas with the least deprived. She found a rate of 0.21 deaths per 1,000 people among under 25s in the poorest areas compared with a rate of 0.07 in the richest.

Prof Treanor said one major reason for the higher incidence of early deaths was poverty and its impact across the whole of a child's life.

She said this was linked to housing, neighbourhoods, health inequalities, nutrition, outdoor space, education and access to activities as well as the stresses poverty caused families.

Prof Treanor said: "The results of the research really couldn't paint a clearer message and underlines the massive inequality between rich and poor in this country."

Figures released by the National Records of Scotland in August showed that a boy born last year in one of the 10% most deprived areas of Scotland would have a life expectancy 13 years shorter than a boy from the most affluent area. It said a boy born in the poorer areas can expect to spend almost a third of his life (29.2%) in poor health.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-49740395

Advocating a Socialist Solution

As socialists we see the need to raise awareness, through our role of educating fellow-workers. If we, socialists, don't share what we know who will? How many class-conscious workers are out there who can explain socialism in a way that the average person can understand and connect it to it? It's not enough to only report on all the problems of capitalism and share what we know but now we must also raise the alarm, and protect civilisation from collapse. We make a call for action. As people, wealthy individuals don't intend to hurt the poor and the most vulnerable, yet their existence as the capitalist class depends upon them doing just exactly that.

Climate change threatens to pass the point of no return yet governments will not accept the responsibility that would require regulation, control and taxes. Corporations are unable to effectively respond to global warming which jeopardises the planet and human life. The Socialist Party stands for a sustainable future that respects the environment. Some others say there is a strong case to be made that capitalism will survive because of its ability to adapt to new situations, with new technologies. The Socialist Party however declares that capitalism is the greatest threat to the planet’s well-being, and the greatest barrier to attempts to save it. We advocate a society of abundance where there is the complete satisfaction of all conceivable material needs. We aspire to a future where we not only feed everyone on the planet, but also provide a satisfying and nutritious diet. Sure, luxuries such as caviar may not be universally available but the menu will be stimulating and varied. The socialist focus is with the free and all-round development of human capacities, not with the growth of material production and consumption for its own sake. Our vision of socialism and a sustainable environment are not in conflict.

The solution to global warming requires the reorganisation of society. We are not faced with any technological problems but political barriers and re-directing a real onslaught on the economic structures of capitalism and away from the cul-de-sac of focusing on individual life-style behaviour. This system of capitalism is close to running humanity into the ground. While radicalising a whole section of youth who are coming to conclusions that the system can’t stop global warming yet on the other hand, many of the same people will look to the free market to find a solution the ruling class will accept, and they hope the great and good in the world's government will listen to reason.

Climate change costs lives across the globe and causes species extinction on a scale hitherto unknown. The most severe effects will be inflicted on the poorest people in the poorest of nations. Climate change plays an important role in the distribution of malaria, dengue, tick-borne diseases, cholera and other diseases; the effects are unequally distributed, and are particularly severe in countries with already high disease burdens, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Capitalism is driven by ‘short termism’ in its hunger for profits. Investment decisions are made on the basis on what will make a return in the quickest time. Such a system cannot deal with the scale of the climate crisis or make rational planned decisions about what to produce. The Socialist Party holds a vision of a new economy, democratically structured to answer to people’s needs instead of the profit imperative. If you like that idea, then welcome to the movement for socialism. The Socialist Party is well aware of the system’s rapacious nature.

The road to a rational politics is not an easy one. Solutions will not come from the capitalist parties. The challenge for socialists is to help build understanding of the implications of capitalism. Many of the barriers that prevent people from having a clear view of the climate crisis have been deliberately constructed. We should build another society that has already been discovered, a class-free society is more than possible—it is necessary.

To join the Socialist Party, you don't need to be an expert on Marx or his economic and philosophic theories, just a basic understanding of what socialism actually means. Today, our main political activity is taking the form of speaking out. Everyone is needed and everyone is welcome. It is up to us all, to step up and act. The best time to reject and overthrow capitalism was over a hundred years and fifty ago when socialists first denounced the system. The next best time is today.

Socialism For A Healthy Planet

The day of the Global Strike for the Climate will soon be upon us on Friday the 20th September and many will be asking, just where does the Socialist Party stand on this issue. Our presence will not be prominent and our voice is not going to heard by many but we do hold a message for those school students and young folk who seek a better future for themselves.

The future of the human species - if there is to be a future - must be socialist. Capitalism is not the system through which we will provide a sustainable future. To support capitalism is to sign onto a ecocide pact. Capitalism is a wealth-concentrating system that allows a small number of people to dominate not only economic, but also political decision-making. Because people believe there is no alternative to capitalism, the docility of the people has contributed greatly to keeping intact this rapacious and voracious society. It keeps on existing. The idea of a zero growth, sustainable society is not new and in recent years has been put forward by many in the environment movement. But while desirable it is contradicted by a fatal flaw. The ecologist camp still stand for the continuation of the market system. This must mean the continuation of the capitalist system which is the cause of the climate crisis.

Many environmentalists advocate a society based on cooperation and production for use, a sustainable society where production is in harmony with the environment and affairs are run in a decentralised and democratic manner. They argue that only in such a system can ecological problems such as global warming be solved. However, it is clear that this sustainable society is not socialism, for the continuance of exchange economy with its the market is assumed, together with private ownership. Their ultimate aim is an economy, based on smaller-scale enterprises, with a greatly-reduced dependence on the world market. Yet, they remain firmly wedded to a form of capitalism, holding a belief that capitalism can be reformed so as to be compatible with achieving an environmentally sustainable society.

If the environmental crisis is to be solved, this capitalist system must go. What is required is political action - political action aimed at replacing this system by a new and different one. There can be no justification, on any grounds whatsoever, for wanting to retain an exploitative system which robs workers of the products of their labour, which puts privileged class interests and profit before the needs of the community, which robs the soil of its fertility, plunders nature of its resources and destroys the natural systems on which all our lives depend.

Climate change in particular has radicalising potential, as more and more people are beginning to question the prevailing economic system’s detrimental effect on the environment. But mainstream environmental groups aren’t offering a coherent critique of capitalism’s ecological consequences or doing the work of presenting alternatives. Capitalism has inflicted incalculable harm on the inhabitants of the earth. Tragically, the future could be even worse for a simple reason: capitalism’s destructive power, driven by its inner logic to expand, is doing irreversible harm to our ecosystems. Almost daily we hear of species extinction, global warming, resource depletion, deforestation, desertification, and on and on to the point where we are nearly accustomed to this gathering catastrophe. Our planet cannot indefinitely absorb the impact of profit-driven, growth-without-limits capitalism. Unless we radically change our methods of production and pattern of consumption, we will reach the point where the harmful effects to the environment will become irreversible. Even the most modest measures of environmental reform are resisted by sections of the capitalist class. This makes the establishment of a socialist society all the more imperative.

One way or another, the coming years will be decisive for the fate of human civilisation. Unless greenhouse gases are swiftly and drastically curbed the result will be environmental catastrophe on an almost unimaginable scale, threatening the survival of all life on the planet. The reality of climate change is already manifesting itself in an increasing number of extreme weather events, such as heat-waves, droughts, floods and typhoons. Melting ice sheets are resulting in rising sea levels and increased flooding of low-lying areas. Some islands will soon be totally submerged, turning their inhabitants into climate refugees. The solutions to our climate emergency are known and simple: rapidly phase out the use of fossil fuels, make the switch to renewables and halt deforestation. But significant economic interests at the heart of the capitalist system have big investments in coal, oil and gas. Protecting these interests, governments refuse to take more than token measures to halt climate change. The goal of the big corporations is to secure the greatest possible profits for their super-rich owners — regardless of the consequences to the planet and its people.

Imagine an alternative, a society where each individual has the means to live a life of dignity and fulfilment, without exception; where discrimination and prejudice are wiped out; where all members of society are guaranteed a decent life, the means to contribute to society; and where the environment is protected and rehabilitated. This is socialism — a truly humane, a truly ecological society. With socialism our work would engage our skills and bring personal satisfaction. Leisure time would be expanded and fulfilling. Our skies, oceans, lakes, rivers and streams will be pollution free. Our neighbourhoods would become green spaces for rest and recreation. Communal institutions, like cafeterias will serve up healthy and delicious food and offer a menu of cultural events.

We can create a new politics

The class struggle and class warfare continue under all circumstances in capitalist society and it breaks out in different forms on many fronts. Radicalisation is a condition of changing attitudes, shifting beliefs, rejecting previously accepted values. It is a subjective response to social crises. Working-class radicalisation is fueled by unemployment, technological changes in industry, the uncertainty of job security, low wages, government cutbacks in welfare and social services , lack of educational opportunities in short, the challenging of authority and the desire for a complete change to something better seek ways to bring change about. These are the expressions of a radicalising of the working class. 

The callousness of the needs of capital accumulation and the subservience of governments to it cries out for us to replace this system and socialism is the answer. The basic question for the socialist revolution is that of capturing of state power. Unless this question is understood, there can be no conscious participation, not to speak of guidance of the revolution. Experience has shown that without anger and indignation, without burning enthusiasm, without an urgent desire to change the world, it is not possible to construct socialism. Revolution and socialism come about as a necessary and regular part of the social development of humanity. We are talking about a change that will involve the vast majority of fellow-workers consciously acting to change the entire society and all the relationships in it, from the way people relate to each other, to the way people relate to their jobs.

The Socialist Party aims to get a majority of the people to accept its ideas. Do we advocate violence? No. We want a peaceful transformation. Socialism can be introduced through parliamentary means. The existence of political democracy offers a chance to achieve socialism in a peaceful manner. 

The Socialist Party has one great principal and that is to tell the truth to the people. The working class must overcome a number of basic weaknesses. Most importantly, it must overcome the racial and nationalist divisions which, for centuries, have prevented the development of a unified working class movement. Yet despite their seeming strength, the capitalists are not as strong as the people who will eventually abolish the system of capitalism, and build in its place a socialist society. 

The Socialist Party is an organisation of revolutionaries. That means that we feel that all the problems people experience in the context of our present society — war, poverty, pollution, economic crisis — flow from a cause, the nature of this profit-oriented society. We see that there are no real solutions to these problems until the entire society is changed. We're out to change the whole system. We see that all the problems of Britain are intimately tied to the problems throughout the whole world. If you are serious about changing the system, about changing the world, it is necessary to confront the system where you find it. 

To be effective you have to build an organisation capable of doing that. That is one of the important reasons why a number of us decided to join the Socialist Party. It offers the opportunity for socialists to coordinate their struggles across the country and around the world. What is necessary in order to bring all these struggles together into one common fight that can overthrow capitalism is some sort of organisation that has an understanding of why the struggles are being fought in the way they are.

Capitalism is chaotic and antisocial, intensifying the process of extracting surplus value from the labour of the working class, curtailing the development of productive forces, extending racism and nationalism, promoting sexism, wreaking untold destruction on the environment and debasing people through the furthering of a culture of decadence and alienation. The working class is the only revolutionary class in society. It is the producer of surplus value (capitalism’s profits) and of all classes under capitalism, it stands in the most direct contradiction to the ruling class. Mobilised into ever more developed forms of socialised production by the capitalist system, the working class forges its underlying unity precisely in the great factories, on the assembly lines, in the mines, in the workshops and offices where it has been brought by the capitalists in their pursuit of profit. 

Only the working class can overthrow capitalism and reorganise society for the benefit of all oppressed classes and sectors. Class struggle is the motor force of history.