Socialism and COVID-19

The Socialist Party in the present grave health crisis solemnly reaffirms its allegiance to the principle of internationalism and global solidarity. The time is now to kick-start the future of humanity. Never before has there been such demand for compassionate political action. Let us be clear. Right now we can prevent a crisis turning into a  catastrophe. Fighting for a few and not for all is not an option. COVID-19 threatens us all. It affects us all. COVID-19 is preying on the vulnerable. It is exploiting the inequality that divides our world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the glaring structural economic inequities in capitalist society. Capitalism’s distorted priorities are on full display. Rarely has the capitalist principle that profits come before people been made this explicit. Those who seek to make their country “open for business” will worsen the coronavirus pandemic and demonstrate even more brazenly that their policies are consistent with the capitalist class’s well-established pattern of sacrificing human and environmental well-being at the altar of the market,

We need to act together. We must cooperate from our local communities to a global scale. In the land of CEOs, shareholders, and spreadsheets, there are no people, only human resources, a work-force not individuals.

The time socialist revolution is now.

The Socialist Party stands opposed to the system of exploitation and class rule which is upheld and strengthened by nationalism and patriotism. In every country, the working people are oppressed and exploited. They produced enormous wealth but the bulk of it has been withheld from them by the owners of the industries. It is the logical outcome of the competitive capitalist system.

 The Socialist Party emphatically rejects the proposal that the workers should suspend their struggle for better conditions. On the contrary, the acute situation created by the pandemic calls for an even more vigorous prosecution of the class struggle. Those who want to see socialism thrive work for socialism. Let all others get out of the way.

An industrial commonwealth

World capitalism is completely out of control. It is. as the Socialist Party has always said, a system of economic and social anarchy. Capitalism is an unplanned system. Each company chases after profits, quite without any care of how this affects others. Each nation-state (which is a gang of capitalist thieves dominating one territory) carries on regardless of the rest. International treaties count for nothing when it comes to it. Likewise, treaties of international friendship count for nothing. There are over 160 nations in the world today. All of them are capitalist; there could be no such thing as a "socialist country".

As a system, capitalism grossly under-uses the technology and potential for production that it has helped develop. 
The only way to take the abundant resources of the Earth and use them in an efficient manner is to establish a system of society based on common ownership and democratic control, where articles of wealth will be produced solely for use and not for exchange on a market with a view to the profit of a minority. Only then will crises, booms and slumps be a thing of the past and only then can production be geared to satisfying the needs of the inhabitants of the Earth.

Something is obviously very wrong with the entire system. Our separate struggles have a common enemy, and we must find a common focal point and mutual solidarity if any of us is to forge ahead, if any of us is to survive. So we arrive at the answers: The problem is capitalism. The solution is socialism. Let us struggle together as equals,  and comrades in the most rewarding and fulfilling of battles. The red banner of socialism is the flag of our hope.
 
What are we organised for? What is our object? The abolition of capitalism and for welfare of working people. The Socialist Party works for the coming of the cooperative commonwealth. The Socialist Party exists to arouse our fellow-workers from their dangerous apathy. We agitate, agitate, agitate otherwise despair will overtake. The Socialist Party condemns the competitive capitalist system. The future society comes only at the desire and with the consent of the people.

Is the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic moving us towards a common vision of a new social system? Does the market-based system of economics represent the best hope for a human future? Capitalist society is at an impasse. Capitalism is at a loss to handle COVID-19 without harming the economy. Hunger and poverty exists in the midst of plenty.Today’s society is sick, moribund, overripe for change. It is beyond redemption, beyond reform. No realistic  alternative exists except a thorough socialist reconstruction if the world is not to sink completely into a new era of barbarism. Deprivation and despair are an inescapable condition of existence for the working people under capitalism and they will continue until there is an ending to capitalist exploitation.

The most elementary needs and demands of the people are unrealisable under capitalism. Do you want economic plenty, the utilization of the means of production for peaceful needs? Then you must campaign for socialism. Either chaos and destruction – or socialist reconstruction. Socialism is more valid, more essential than ever because it alone meets the problems of our times.

Who we are and what we do

The Socialist Party provides us with both an understanding of how capitalism operates and an exciting, revolutionary alternative which can work in everyone’s interests. The party works to build a movement for real change. The party has a democratic, leader-free structure. The Socialist Party’s goal is to build a movement to democratically replace capitalism with socialism. In the meantime, our role is not just to spread socialist ideas, but also to put some of these into practice, as far as we can. The party is organised according to principles which we would like to see expanded upon and developed in a socialist society: principles such as equal, democratic and leaderless decision-making, cooperation, voluntary work, and avoiding prejudice and discrimination. How these principles translate into the party’s structure is described in the rule book (www.worldsocialism.org/ spgb/party-rules) and Standing Orders, which have been democratically agreed on and amended by members over the years. Our principles of equality, democracy and co-operation are central to how the Socialist Party operates. They should also guide how we relate to each other. Working well together is crucial to how the party runs. We’re all working for the same aims, and each of us has different skills and ideas we can use together to help grow the socialist movement. All party members have equal opportunities to contribute and have their say, which makes a refreshing change from the hierarchies and limitations we have to put up with elsewhere in our lives. The party has always welcomed open, honest discussion, and members are encouraged to question and discuss the party’s views, organisation and procedures. That way, our position can remain relevant and important in wider society, and the party can remain democratic and transparent.

As all party work is voluntary, it is carried out in whatever spare time members have. It’s recognised that we each have lives outside the party, and other commitments which impact on our time available for party activity. In our working lives, there is no conflict between being a party member and joining a trade union or similar organisation. However, many unions fund the Labour Party, and members can opt out of paying this as part of their union subscription. Unions aim to improve workers’ conditions within capitalism, but are not political organisations. Nor are tenants’ associations, parents’ associations and the like. Being involved with some other organisations, though, is not compatible with being a member of the SPGB. Party members cannot belong to any other political party, nor assist them by voting for them or writing or speaking for them (except when challenging their views in a shared debate, for example).  
 
The Socialist Party is like no other political party in Britain. It is made up of people who have joined together because we want to get rid of the capitalist system and establish a worldwide socialist society. Our only aim is to build a movement of socialists for socialism, and we don’t accept that reforms can lead towards socialism or substantially improve capitalism. We aim to encourage others to share our views and act for themselves, organising democratically and co-operatively, to bring about the kind of society that we advocate. Unlike other political organisations, the party doesn’t have a leadership, and so our policies and culture are shaped by the membership as a whole. The framework we have is really there to support our main work, which is to promote socialism.

We publish literature, we hold meetings and debates throughout the country, and we state our case wherever possible in the media. We organise weekend conferences, we contest elections, and we discuss our ideas with people wherever we can. Our views on how capitalism operates have been proved right time after time, and we offer a revolutionary alternative which can be run in the interests of everyone. The party also contests elections: local, regional, national, and previously to the European Parliament. The main aim of this is as a platform for publicity, while also utilising what democratic practices exist in capitalism. The party’s views on using parliament are discussed in more detail in the pamphlet What’s Wrong With Using Parliament? (www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/ pamphlet/whats-wrong-with-using-parliament) 
 
Getting involved in party activity not only helps build the socialist movement, it can also be interesting and rewarding for ourselves. As well as meeting others and sharing our ideas and views, it’s a good opportunity to develop skills and knowledge we might not be able to make use of elsewhere in our lives. Many of us feel dis-empowered or alienated in our jobs, and contributing to the party can be a more fulfilling antidote. Because the Socialist Party is based on cooperation, everyone has an equal say and equal opportunities to participate, which can be a refreshing change from being in organisations with hierarchies.

The Socialist Party of Great Britain was founded in 1904, following a split from the Social Democratic Federation, Britain’s earliest political party in the socialist tradition. The SPGB’s founder members were disillusioned with the SDF’s reformist stance and authoritarian leadership, and this commitment to revolution without leaders has remained ever since. The SPGB comes from the ‘Impossibilist’ strand of Marxism, which stresses the limited value of political, economic and social reforms in capitalism. Impossibilism holds that reforms are irrelevant or counter-productive to the goal of achieving real emancipation through establishing a socialist society.

Over the decades, the Socialist Party has provided a clear, thorough analysis of world events, based on an understanding of society’s economic and class basis. We have consistently opposed every war, highlighted how the systems in the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea and elsewhere have just been variants of capitalism, and called for equality between the sexes and between people of all ethnicities.

While the party’s principles have stayed unchanged, we have shaped our methods and perspective over the years, with all important decisions made by majority votes from the whole membership. We have always aimed to be as democratic and open as possible, believing that everyone should have an equal say and equal opportunities to participate.

And we believe that by working together, society can be transformed to benefit everyone. We are aiming for a democratic revolution to establish a classless, stateless society based on directly satisfying people’s self-determined needs and wants. Services, industries and agriculture would be owned and managed in common, with free access to what they produce and provide being available to anyone. And since capitalism is a global system of society, it must be replaced globally, and by the vast majority of people.

The Socialist Party has a long history, but our views and aims are more important now than ever. Our stance gives both an explanation of and a solution to today’s problems, such as threats to the environment, poverty and divisions between people. The more we can spread our ideas, the more we build the socialist movement. 

Branches are the main way that the party is organised, and are important for socialists to keep in contact with each other. The more members who contribute to their branch, the more views and experiences can be drawn on to further the party’s work. All members are on an equal footing, reflected in the democratic way that branches and their meetings are run.  If a member doesn’t live near a branch, they will be in Central branch, which also includes members living overseas, particularly in countries without a companion party. Branches have a Secretary (to organise meetings, including the agenda and minutes) and a Treasurer (to maintain the branch bank account), and may also appoint other roles such as a Literature or Campaigns Secretary.

Branches run business meetings which discuss activity, nominate members for election or appointment to party posts and committees, and discuss and propose items for the two party-wide meetings held each year, Conference and the Autumn Delegate Meeting. So, branches are of vital importance in how the party runs. Without decisions made by branches, members can’t get nominated for particular roles and changes to rules or procedures can’t be proposed. Branches also organise activities, which can include talks, reading groups or debates with other political organisations. Street stalls, leaflet drops and attending events run by other group can also be effective ways to engage with people. Branches are also encouraged to arrange social events or walks, art workshops, practical projects or visits to places of interest. The Socialist Party has a vital role in building a movement towards a new society based on equality and freedom. And we all have a vital part to play in this campaign. Along the way, we can meet new people, learn more and develop our skills.

Adapted and abridged from our members handbook
 https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/members-handbook-futura-online-version.pdf

Capitalism is in survival mode.

The Covid-19 pandemic challenging our planet is simply the latest crisis and certainly will not be the last, even if we do create a socialist world.

In 2008 capitalism teetered on the brink of the abyss, its structural flaws exposed for anyone who cared to look. The 2008 crash almost broke the global financial system. It was saved and the bankers were saved from their incompetence through bail-outs by a mystifying something called “quantitative easing”, a “magic money tree” reserved solely for the banks and the large corporations. Its fruits were not shared our in the ensuiung austerity and spending cuts. 

Now, the plan is for another “magic money tree”, needed to deal with the disastrous economic toll wrought by the virus. This time some of it will be offered to working people. Not because capitalism suddenly cares about the homeless and those reliant on food banks. 

Capitalism is an amoral economic system driven by the accumulation of profit for the owners of capital. Governments will try to conceal for a little longer the fact that capitalism will try to buy our continuing deference to a system that cannot cope with the coronavirus. The government will dip into the wealth that has been extracted from us over the many past decades. It won’t work to shore up the capitalist system indefinitely. The ray of hope that can be gleaned is the willingness of so many people to stand vigilant against wrongdoings and misinformation.

Our current patchwork of social service coverage leaves people to gamble with the outcomes of their health and their economic future. It should now be obvious that it is in our own self-interest to want everyone in our communities to be healthy and secure if only to protect ourselves. What is called for is a systemic change. The status quo is no longer acceptable. We must understand the interconnectedness of all on our planet. Unless we acknowledge this kinship we all share, our future is in doubt. We must wake up to the reality that we are one human family. That we are all Jock Tamson’s bairns. The world socialist movement is about us, ALL of us.
 

Response to the pandemic and economic collapse are already showing change is possible. Our fragmented, unequal and for-profit system is being seen as the problem. When this crisis subsides we need to demand that we do not go backward. It has demonstrated that we completely transforms our healthcare, economic, and environmental systems and much more.

To Our Fellow-Workers

Political unity is only possible on the lines laid down by the S.P.G.B. in the January number of the Socialist Standard, 1906, in a communication addressed to the International Socialist Bureau:
 "That admission to future International Socialist Congresses shall be open only to all avowed Socialist bodies that accept the essential principles of Socialism, i.e., Socialisation of the means of production and distribution, union and international action of workers, Socialist conquest of the public powers by the proletariat organised as a class party recognising and proclaiming the class war. adopting an attitude of hostility under all circumstances to all sections of the capitalist party."

To all who suffer the torments of capitalist oppression, the Socialist Party offers hope. The hope of the workers lies in their Socialist knowledge. This only can strike the shackles off their limbs and take them up out of the capitalist house of bondage. This only can remove the barriers of national conceit and race enmity so strong for the upholding of this capitalist house of bondage. This only can save them from the blandishment of the all-promising mis-leader and the sophistry of self-seeking demagogues.

Socialism is a system of human society, based on the common ownership of the means of production and the carrying on of the work of production by all for the benefit of all. In other words, Socialism means that the railways, the shipping, the mines, the factories and all such things as are necessary for the production of the necessaries and comforts of life should be social property, so that all these things should be used by the whole people to produce the goods that the whole of the people require.

That is no Utopian dream, but the necessary outcome of the development of society. It used to be supposed that anything like the collective carrying on of an enterprise was impossible because the personal supervision and control of the owner was necessary to the success of any such enterprise. But we see to-day that the greatest undertakings are those which are owned by joint-stock companies, in which the personal supervision of the proprietors is quite impossible, and in which the business is managed and carried on by paid officials, who might just as well be paid by the community to carry on the enterprise in the interest of the general body of the people as be paid by a few wealthy men to carry it on for their profit.

To-day goods are not produced to satisfy human needs; they are simply produced to provide profit for the class which owns the means of production. It is only for the sake of this profit that the property owning class owns these means of production. As a consequence, we have shoddy and adulterated goods produced. Also, as this profit is simply the difference between the value of the work which the working people do and the amount they receive in wages, the actual producers never receive the equivalent of what they produce, and therefore are never able to buy it back again. It happens, therefore, that, as the machinery of production increases and workmen are able to turn out more goods, they are thrown out of work, and they, with their wives and children, are in want and misery, not because there is any scarcity of things they need, but because there is more of them than those who produced them can buy.

Under the present system, therefore, the very increase of wealth is too often a curse to the wealth producers, simply because those who produce have no ownership in the means of production, and no control over the wealth produced.

Under Socialism, as the means of production would belong to the whole people, the whole people would have control of the things produced. Every increase of wealth then would benefit the whole community. Under the present system increased wealth means increased penury and suffering for the many. Under Socialism increased production would mean more leisure, more wealth, more means of enjoying life, more opportunities for recreation for everybody.

By the discoveries of science, the inventions of genius, the application of industry, man has acquired such power over nature that he can now produce wealth of all kinds as plentifully as water. There is no sound reason why poverty and want should exist anywhere on this earth. All that is needed is to establish a more equitable method of distributing the wealth already produced in such profusion. That is what the Socialist Party proposes to do. The work of production is organised, socialised; it is necessary to socialise distribution as well.

What is to be done to supplant the present system by socialism; to substitute fraternal co-operation for the cut-throat competition of to-day ? The first thing necessary is to organise the workers into a class conscious party; that is, a party recognising that as a class the workers are enslaved through the possession of the means of production by another class; recognising, too, that between these two classes there is an antagonism of interest, a perpetual struggle, a constant class war, which must go on until the workers become possessed of political power, and use that power to become masters of the whole material means of production. When that has been achieved, the war of classes will be at an end, because the division of mankind into classes will have disappeared, the emancipation of the working class will have been accomplished and socialism will be here.

Questions about Socialism (1991)

 

From the March 1991 issue of the Socialist Standard

1. WHAT IS THE SOCIALIST PARTY?

It is a political party, separate from all others, Left, Right or Centre. It stands for the sole aim of establishing a world social system based upon human need instead of private or state profit. Our object and declaration of principles were adopted in 1904 and have been maintained without compromise since then. In other countries there are companion parties sharing the same object and principles, and they too remain independent from all other political parties.

2. WHAT IS CAPITALISM?

Capitalism is the social system which exists in all countries of the world. Under this system, the means of production and distribution (land, factories, offices, transport, media, etc.) are monopolised by a minority, the capitalist class. All wealth is produced by us, the majority working class, who sell our mental and physical energies to the capitalists in return for a price called a wage or salary.

The object of wealth production is to create goods and services which can be sold on the market at a profit. Not only do the capitalists live off the profits they obtain from exploiting the working class, but, as a class, they go on accumulating wealth extracted from each generation of workers.

3. CAN CAPITALISM BE REFORMED IN OUR INTERESTS?

No: as long as capitalism exists, profits will come before needs. Some reforms are welcomed by some workers, but no reform can abolish the fundamental contradictions between profit and need which is built into the present system. No matter whether promises to make capitalism run in the interests of the workers are made sincerely or by opportunist politicians they are bound to fail, for such a promise is like offering to run the slaughter house in the interests of the cattle

4. IS NATIONALISATION AN ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITALISM?

No: nationalised industries simply mean that workers are exploited by the state, acting on behalf of the capitalists of one country, rather than by an individual capitalist or company. The workers in a nationalised concern are no less the servants of profit than workers in privately-owned companies. The mines no more belong to "the public" or the miners now than they did before 1947 when they were nationalised. Nationalisation is state capitalism.

5. ARE THERE ANY "SOCIALIST COUNTRIES"?

No; and there never were, certainly not Russia under the dictatorship of the Communist Party. The system that has collapsed in Eastern Europe — and which is collapsing in Russia itself — was a system of state capitalism where social power was monopolised by privileged Party bureaucrats. It never had anything whatsoever to do with socialism.

6. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF SOCIALISM?

Socialism does not yet exist. When it is established it must be on a worldwide basis, as an alternative to the outdated system of world capitalism. In a socialist society there will be common ownership and democratic control of the earth by its inhabitants. No minority class will be in a position to dictate to the majority that production must be geared to profit. There will be no owners: everything will belong to everyone. Production will be solely for use, not sale. The only question society will need to ask about wealth production will be: what do people require, and can the needs be met?

These questions will be answered on the basis of the resources available to meet such needs. Then, unlike now, modem technology and communications will be able to be used to their fullest extent.

The basic socialist principle will be that people give according to their abilities and take according to their self-defined needs. Work will be on the basis of voluntary co-operation: the coercion of wage and salary work will be abolished. There will be no buying or selling and money will not be necessary, in a society of common ownership and free access. For the first lime ever the people of the world will have common possession of the planet earth.

7. HOW WILL SOCIALISM SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF SOCIETY?

Capitalism, with its constant drive to serve profit before need, throws up an endless stream of problems. Most workers in Britain feel insecure about their future; almost one in four families with children living below the official government poverty line; many old people live in dangerously cold conditions each winter and thousands die. Millions of our fellow men and women in the world are dying of starvation — tens of thousands of them each day. A society based on production for use will end those problems because the priority of socialist society will be the fullest satisfaction of needs. At the moment houses stand empty and thousands of building workers are unemployed; yet many people are homeless or inhabiting slums. At the moment food is destroyed and farmers are paid to take land out of food production; yet many millions are malnourished. At the moment hospital queues are growing longer and people are dying of curable illnesses; yet it is not "economically viable" to provide decent health treatment for all. In a socialist society nothing short of the best will be good enough for any human being.


8. WHAT ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?

Human behaviour is not fixed, but determined by the kind of society people are conditioned to live in. The capitalist jungle produces vicious, competitive ways of thinking and acting.

But we humans are able to adapt our behaviour and there is no reason why our rational desire for comfort and human welfare should not allow us to co-operate. Even under capitalism people often obtain pleasure from doing a good turn for others; few people enjoy participating in the "civilised" warfare of the daily rat-race. Think how much better it would be if society was based on co-operation.


9. ARE SOCIALISTS DEMOCRATS?

Yes; the Socialist Party has no leaders. It is a democratic organisation controlled by its members. It understands that Socialism can only be established by a conscious majority of workers — that workers must liberate themselves and will not be liberated by leaders or parties. Socialism will not be brought about by a dedicated minority "smashing the state", as some left-wingers would have it. Nor do the activities of paid, professional politicians have anything to do with Socialism — the experience of seven Labour governments has shown this. Once a majority of the working class understand and want Socialism, they will take the necessary steps to organise consciously for the democratic conquest of political power. There will be no Socialism without a socialist majority.


10. WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?

Many workers know that there is something wrong and want to change society. Some join reform groups in the hope that capitalism can be patched up, but such efforts are futile because you cannot run a system of class exploitation in the interests of the exploited majority. People who fear a nuclear war may join CND, but as long as nation states exist, economic rivalry means that the world will never be safe from the threat of war. There are countless dedicated campaigns and good causes which many sincere people are caught up in, but there is only one solution to the problems of capitalism and that is to get rid of it, and establish Socialism. Before we can do that we need socialists; winning workers to that cause requires knowledge, principles and an enthusiasm for change. These qualities can be developed by anyone — and are essential for anyone who is serious about changing society. Capitalism in the 1990s is still a system of waste, deprivation and frightening insecurity. You owe it to yourself to find out about the one movement which stands for the alternative.