Nationalism Divides Workers – Don’t Be Duped

 

“War is a quarrel between two thieves too cowardly to fight their own battle; therefore they take boys from one village and another village, stick them into uniforms, equip them with guns, and let them loose like wild beasts against each other.” - Thomas Carlyle

 

It appears that the SNP are trying to make political advantage out of the Scottish government’s differing approach to the pandemic to push for separatism and full sovereignty.

The “internationalism” of the Socialist Party is much more than the mere internationalism we hear so much of in the present day, of global treaties, world courts of justice, or United Nation resolutions. These themselves may a sign of the times that the nation-state is growing more and more superfluous but it is one of capitalist expediency  which necessarily overlaps national frontiers. Instead, our world socialism is based on the  principle “fraternity” – or, if you will the one family of humanity, a union of peoples. Socialism the antithesis of capitalism. The latter means the domination by one nation in the interests of the governing and capitalist class, of weaker nations. The former, on the contrary means the voluntary co-operation on the basis of the communalisation of the means of production and the disappearance of all existing nation states. Socialism is the reconstruction of human life broadly. The Socialist Party seeks the elimination, not merely of national jealousies, but also of national barriers generally.  Socialists feels that we belong first and foremost to the World Socialist Movement, and, as such, that our socialist comrades of other lands stand closer to us than any non-socialist compatriot. It is right to look forward to the day when national patriotism is swallowed up in world-wide solidarity. Let us cast off all nationalism, all parochialism, and sit down as brothers and sisters together. Patriotism requires allegiance to the State and the flag, which means obedience and readiness to kill father, mother, brother, sister, sons and daughters.

 The true lover of liberty is the one who aspires and works at home and abroad for the elimination of class exploitation and the abolition of the poverty, misery and suffering which increases so long as the private property system continues, who aims at making this world and all its wealth the common property and heritage. A world socialist movement fighting relentlessly for socialism and in that fight combating the day to day attacks of capitalism is the only way to meet and defeat nationalism. Workers can be won from the blind alley of nationalism only if the socialist movement spells out and campaigns clearly for the alternative. The Socialist Party fights within the confines of the nation-state for the interests of the world’s working class. We will defend workers wherever an attack is made, regardless of frontiers. Our purpose is to create an understanding of the interdependence of all humans the world over. All governments are maintained for the purpose of keeping us in subjection.

Nationalism means exclusivism and isolation. Any nationalism finally implies that those people are better than all others. Nationalism preaches superiority and inferiority. Nationalism divides workers so that the workers of one nationality are struggling against the workers of another nationality for a few illusory crumbs the rulers throw out exactly for that purpose! It is nationalism that pits workers against each other while their mutual oppressors accrue the benefits from the profiteering. A nationalist outlook preaches to the people of a country or ethnic group that regardless of class they have more in common with one another than they do with the people of other nations. Countries and national groups consist of different classes. Nationalism helps bind the working class to the bourgeoisie of its nation. Nationalism binds the working people to their own ruling class. That is why our masters promote nationalism. The Socialist Party say that working people’s destiny must not be tied to our employers. We say that the world’s working class must rid itself of patriotism, the ideology of its class enemy. We do not fan the flames of nationalism that further divisions between the working class. We criticise all nationalisms as reactionary. We did not welcome the national liberation struggles. They were ideas based on illusion, not reality.

 These new states were never really independent. The economic grip over them was never broken. Vietnam, Cambodia and many others have become the sweat-shops for the West. The leaders of these new states all pretended a desire for socialism but they had to ensure no trade unions had any power, the the working class had an independent voice. The local capitalist or bureaucracy made a deal to get a bigger slice of the exploitation pie. Experience has repeatedly shown that the national bourgeoisie will betray the people every time. They have adopted the banner of nationalism, not socialism. They have chosen to negotiate with the capitalists instead of maintaining the perspective of class war.

Those who believe that a nationalist party, or a party based on race, can be for the working class, reveal their complete ignorance of the ABCs of Marxism. Genuine socialist parties in each country are parties that represent the interests of the entire working class, a class party representing all the working people, not  only a section of the working class, not organised along race or national lines, but united upon class lines. 

Separatism is no answer.

Independence for the Dung-Heap

 Sturgeon and the Scottish Nationalists recently made a call for an early second referendum on the question of sovereignty for Scotland. An independent Scotland is of little interest to the people of Scotland.

The Socialist Party calls itself world socialist. It supports the worldwide unity of working men and women.

 The word patriotism is almost always used in a lying fashion. As for the Socialist Party, the revolutionary socialists, we repudiate the national anthem and flag. We see only two countries in the world: that of the privileged and that of the dispossessed.

All countries, no matter what political label is attached to them – are composed of two groups, one a small minority, but the other embracing the immense majority of the people. 

The first group lack nothing. They are the big shareholders of the factories, the transport and communication industries, the retail store chains, the owners of great estates. Alongside them are the high officials of the state, ministers of government and senior civil servants, officers of the judiciary and the military.

And then we have the rest of us. The working men and women; petty officials, office and shop workers, who toil and sweat to enrich the wealthy.

Under the capitalist system, the owning and employing class remains sovereign and through their political power they subdue the working class. Nationalism in every nation masks the class antagonisms to the great profit of the ruling classes. Through it, they facilitate their domination and control. It serves as a bulwark of the privileged classes. The avowed aim of the armed forces, is to defend the country against a foreign threat; but once in uniform, when the barrack basic training has neutralised individual intelligence and initiative, removed the consciousness of one’s own interests, the soldier enforces the law in the service of the exploiters against fellow-workers.

 Our compatriots are not the capitalists. Our compatriots are the socialist revolutionaries of the whole world who wage the class war and engage in the same battles as ourselves for the establishment of a better society. We shall bring about the Revolution, in order to lay hold of the social wealth usurped today by the minority. We shall transform private property into communal property. We shall work towards a society where the factories, mines, all the great enterprises will be administered like co-operatives, a more rational and more equitable organization of production, in which there will be well-being for all. Socialism will be a society  far better than that of today. Our brothers and sisters is humanity.

The workers have no country. The differences which exist between the present countries are all superficial differences. The capitalist regime is the same in all countries; and as it cannot work without a minimum of political liberties, all countries which live under a capitalist system enjoy elementary liberties which cannot anywhere be denied any longer to the working people. Even in Iran and China, the autocratic regimes are being challenged.

No one any longer has a fatherland or motherland in the heterogeneous modern nations of today. The love for the land of one’s birth is foolish and absurd. We do not say that affection for the locality where a person was raised is not a natural sentiment very firmly implanted. Neither do we maintain that there are not fairly noticeable differences in culture, character and temperament of natives of various lands. The thing we oppose is the prejudice against the foreigner, discrimination against the outsider and newcomer. The Socialist Party aligns itself with the poor against rich, the exploited class against the ruling class, without taking into account the differences of nationality and language, or the frontiers created by accidents of history. The Socialist Party only fights to bring about a social organisation superior to all others, not only in its political form, but in the mode of production and distribution of wealth.  We will not fight to defend existing countries or to create new nation-states.

In Scotland we may admire the sight of the hills and glens, the lochs and burns, but hopefully it teaches us to appreciate the scenic beauty of other regions of our planet.  There are no country so superior to any other, that its peoples should sacrifice themselves for it.

If our anti-nationalist declarations causing us to lose support and votes, so be it. It grieves us little if we hurt the  feelings of people to whom patriotic loyalty is a religion. Our fellow-workers who give their lives for the present countries are dupes. The only war which is not a deception is the class war, the expropriation of the capitalist class to return to the producers the social wealth accumulated by human genius of generations past. The class war is worthy of all. 

Survival Is Our Goal

 

The Real Green Party

Capitalism is a system through which a small minority class exploits the majority to further enrich itself from the profits that come from exploitation. The problems arising from it are the destruction of the environment, endless wars, unemployment, hunger for hundreds of millions, State repression, racism, the housing crisis, lack of health care. There is no basic solution because the cause of these problems is the capitalist system itself. There is no solution as long as capitalism survives. When we deal with the problems rooted in capitalism we are not dealing with the evil intent of individuals. We are dealing with the evils of a social and economic system. Capitalism is propelled by its inherent inner laws. The capitalist class is both the product and the perpetuator of the system that rests on these laws. They will continue as long as capitalism continues. Capitalism thrives on the private control of society’s wealth and production. The rich have one basic goal in life: to make more and more profits. This is an irrational and unjust system. But life does not have to be this way. We can improve our lives and society by eliminating exploitation by the small minority of parasites. We can replace capitalism with a rational and humane system – socialism. Socialism is a social system where social wealth is genuinely controlled by society and for the benefit of society; where the common good, not profits, becomes the chief concern. Gone will be the days of competition. The political conviction of the Socialist Party is that our fellow-workers will prove capable of overthrowing capitalism and organising the foundations of a worldwide socialist society of peace, security and human solidarity.  Our own proud goal is a free socialist world. No one country can make its way out of the catastrophic crisis of capitalism by itself alone. 

Under the red banner the World Socialist Parties will emancipate themselves from capitalism and create the socialist society of peace, freedom and plenty for all mankind.

But what about human nature? Aren’t we hard-wired to be greedy and selfish? Aren’t we naturally lazy? Altruism, empathy and cooperation are also aspects of human nature, and for humanity to survive for so longer it has been these traits which have prevailed. Capitalism encourages competition and individualism because that is what makes capitalism thrive so those appear to be the only aspects of human nature. The Socialist Party often hear the comment that "Socialism is a good idea but it’s not practical." But today it’s becoming more apparent than ever that it is the present system — capitalism — that is impractical and unworkable. Small reforms and reformist parties will not change the condition of working people. Reformers seek only to make capitalism work more effectively. They see themselves as mediators in the class struggle. They collaborate with the capitalists.

Alongside the old horrors of poverty and war, we now possess a new one – climate change. These evils have a single cause in the capitalist system, an organisation of production in a system based on rival businesses, each motivated by the drive to compete for profit. We in the Socialist Party are up against the harsh fact of life that a majority of our fellow-workers require to be convinced that socialism does in fact represent a better system for the people and that it is not a pipe-dream. The withering away of the State is a realistic if very rough projection for the future state of human society. Working people need to throw the capitalist parties out of office. The entire apparatus of government, set up to defend the interests of the capitalists, must be replaced. Reorganised on a socialist basis, the world can be free of racism, sexism, poverty, economic insecurity and exploitation. When the vast resources available to us are used to serve the needs of all instead of the profits of the few, and when we are all part of a world socialist commonwealth, then the way will be opened for unparalleled growth in culture, freedom and the development of every individual. Such a society is worth striving for.

We in the Socialist Party stand for a socialist society: where ownership and control of the means of production are taken out of the hands of the tiny minority of capitalists, and placed in the hands of the majority. Workers are continually forced to fight to defend their interests. Through these struggles, they will come to see the need for socialism, to replace capitalism. Workers and oppressed people in all countries need to stand together against the worldwide system of oppression and exploitation that is capitalism. Our aim is to build a mass revolutionary party on a global scale, to replace capitalism with world socialism.

Make everything free

 

The SNP has pledged to expand free school meals to all primary school pupils in Scotland if the party retains power after the Holyrood elections in May, it would fund free breakfasts and lunches for all children in P1-P7.

The scheme would also run in the school holidays – not just term time.

The Scottish Conservatives announced a similar policy in September.

However the Scottish Greens said free school meals should be provided in high school as well as primary school.

SNP pledge free school meals for all primary pupils - BBC News

There is nothing wrong with free food for youngsters as an idea. In a rationally organized society, all food for everybody would be free. And not just food but all the necessities for a healthy life.

We in the Socialist Party ask you to reject taxation or direct charges as ways of providing free meals and free goods such as tampons and free NHS. Instead, we ask you to support free access to these vital needs as well as to all other needs, like food, housing, public transport, household appliances and furniture, gas, electricity etc.

Nothing will have a monetary cost with real socialism. In fact, money, having no function at all, will be redundant. People will still work, but the purpose will then be for meeting society’s requirements.

Can Civilisation Survive?

 Unity has always been the hobby-horse of many ion the Left. Some of these activists are well meaning but they do not understand the fundamental difference between Marx and Lenin. Socialist unity must be a unity of action obtainable only by a unity of purpose, the creation of a free socialist associations, thus abolishing the state. But the real source of the problem must be sought elsewhere. It lies in the very nature of the social system under which we are forced to live.

The main impulse of our social system is the quest for profit. The result is unplanned, anarchic production, which allows the indiscriminate plunder and pillage of the planet’s natural resources. The only permitted “remedies” are those proposals which will bring profits to the corporations. The only solution is the creation of a socialist society in which the quest for profits has been abolished and our science and technology are used for the benefits of the masses of the people. Science is capable of safeguarding the environment. Capitalism cannot.

The issue of creating a sustainable and liveable environment has given new urgent reason why capitalism has to be replaced and bring about a responsive and responsible social system, capable of resolving this global danger. The environment emergency, like so many other crises, has its roots in the inherent characteristics of capitalism. The drive for private profit which demands exploitation and insists on nationalism and racism, promoting war and violence. Capitalism shows reckless disregard for natural resources and the consequent pollution of the environment. The threat of totally destroying civilisation either by environmental destruction or nuclear war is ever present because of the predatory character of capitalism.  These threats can only disappear for good when capitalism, with its anti-human outlook, is discarded and a new social system established that is motivated and propelled only by the consideration of the people’s and the planet’s well-being. Time, unfortunately, is not on our side. At an alarming rate, animal and plant life are becoming extinct. These are the danger signals that this planet is in danger. The reality may only be revealed at the point of no return, when the tipping points have been breached.

 We are dealing with the problem of an outmoded economic system dominated by a class whose primary purpose is to maximise capital accumulation and profits regardless of human cost. Capitalism is not motivated by human needs or desires. Capitalism is a system that dooms our world. The only thing that concerns it is the maximum profits of today. The Socialist Party will not accept a status quo. It rejects the values and priorities based on exploitation and production for profit. We are confident that the realisation that humanity faces critical risks from global warming and co2 emissions will also bring with it a rising consciousness about other crises and dangers. 

 An essential part of that struggle is the need to expose the roots of the social system that bears these evils. We must indict the creator of misery and murder and not limit ourselves to the immediate horror. Countless scientific reports and innumerable books on climate are available. Many of them describe the effects, but most, if not all, sidestep and avoid explaining the central problem. Without defining the real cause there can be no basic solutions. Some Green activists point the accusing finger at technology and seek a life-style from the pre-industrial age. Others believe that if technology got us into this mess, then technology can get us out of it and propose all sort of innovative inventions and anti-pollution processes. The financial world concentrate their answers on government fiscal policies, carbon credits and tax codes. The corporations seek solutions but the answers cannot weaken their competitiveness against commercial rivals. Sound eco-policies cannot in any way be an obstacle to making more profits.  The corporations will not do anything to protect the environment if it affects their drive for maximum profits. And their right to exploit will be safeguarded by governments. The government and Big Business are entwined in carrying out the requirements of capitalism. They share the same drive for profits.

Socialism sets human society on a new path. The means of production, factories, mines and mills, the fields and forests become the collective property of the people. They operate and produce only to fulfill human needs. They are not motivated to produce for profit. If something does not serve the common good, it does not happen. Under capitalism there is a contradiction between expansion of the market and cleaning the environment. With socialism this contradiction is eliminated. Saving the environment becomes a social necessity. Under capitalism, the main pressure on the production processes is maximise returns in investment. Capitalism cannot function any other way. The environment is a casualty of these pressures, unavoidable collateral damage. With socialism this pressure ends. It is replaced by the motivation to do only that which is in the best interests of all in society. Capitalism results in hunger, misery, death and the destruction of the environment. Socialism fosters a system based on the elimination of exploitation, profits, racism and war.

The choice is obvious. Mankind cannot stop the destruction of the eco-systems under capitalism. Socialism is the only way that makes it possible. 

Imagine Online

 

The latest issue of the Socialist Party of Canada's journal is now online and can be read here.

Articles include the pandemic, the ‘debt bomb,’ indigenous peoples and the environment, hydro power, the history of radical publishing, alternative communities, Black Loyalists, religion — all interspersed with pictures and poetry.