The Socialist Party Aim

 

The society we aim at building in the future is one where all will have a free and equal hand in the ordering of affairs. How can such a society be built on foundations such as blind worship of the leaders?

We repeat, the lesson we have been repeating for years: no leader, no matter how honest, clever or well-intentioned, can lead the workers out of slavery. No person or group, regardless of how clever, can build a new society which depends for its success upon the knowledge and understanding of the bulk of the population.

Socialism can only be attained by working men and women who know what socialism means and how it is to be obtained. Therefore it is necessary for working men and women to do the comparatively small amount of thinking that is necessary to understand socialism. When they have done so they will know the steps to be taken, and will no longer need to rely on the weak basis of leadership.

In the long run, production under capitalism expands. The accumulation of capital, the self-expansion of value, is, after all, the economic logic of capitalism. The expansion of production, however, does not proceed smoothly at a steady rate but is interrupted from time to time, so the graph of production under capitalism has the appearance of a series of peaks, each generally higher than the previous one. The troughs in between represent periods variously described as crises, depressions, and recessions.

World capitalism is now in one of these troughs. But sooner or later it will recover from this depression, just as it has from all previous ones. This is because depression itself creates the conditions for a re-expansion of production.

In a recession, three things occur which tend to raise the rate of industrial profit.

First, a number of capitalist enterprises go bankrupt and their assets are sold off cheaply to their rivals. The result is a fall in their capital value or a depreciation of the capital invested in them so that fewer profits are needed to maintain the same rate of profit.

Secondly, increased unemployment tends to depress wages, and this once again tends to raise profits.

Thirdly, the cutback in productive investment means that the demand for money-capital is reduced while at the same time the supply (from capitalist enterprises who are not re-investing) is increased, resulting in a fall in the rate of interest and so a rise in the proportion of surplus value going to industrial profits.

These — depreciation of capital, lower wages, lower interest rates — eventually raise the prospects of making profits high enough to encourage those capitalists who have not been re-investing to begin investing again. Business confidence returns. Production begins to pick up and, through the chain reaction effect of more money being spent both by capitalists investing in new means of production and by workers now earning wages again, at an increasing rate.

So begins the process of economic recovery which develops into a boom . . . and eventually ends in a crisis and another depression. This is because boom conditions lead to ‘over-investment’, to too much wealth being devoted to expanding the means of production. This is inevitable due to the anarchy of production under capitalism, to the fact that production is not socially controlled and planned but is decided by hundreds of competing enterprises — and, on the world scale, states also — acting independently and in isolation. Capitalism will continue going through its cycle of depression, recovery, boom, crisis, and depression until the working class consciously decide and act to end it by bringing production under the conscious democratic control of society on the basis of the common ownership of the means of production.

Armed force, within and between individual states, is inescapable under the social system of capitalism. States often disagree over their mutual boundaries; each, in normal circumstances, wishes to preserve, or to extend if possible, its frontiers. The larger the territory, the greater the chance of profit. The ideas of ‘race’ or nationalism, of separate language groupings or cultures, or the traditions of such groupings, are often called on by both sides in such disputes. So also religion. 

Once again it is members of the working class who are dying on both sides. They die not in their own interests, nor to build a world fit for human beings, but in the interests of their own ruling class.

In the wars of capitalism, every working-class death is an outrage, and in the war in Ukraine, as in everyone before it, all workers should refuse to take part. They have a bigger job; to live to build a new society in which war will be a black memory.

 

There has never been a time when the conditions for a transformation to a socialist society have been so ripe. Socialism has never been as indispensable and economically feasible as it is today. Whatever job a worker does, and whatever the pay for it, does not change the facts of their class position in capitalist society. Capitalism is divided; on one side are the workers, who sell their abilities for a wage, and on the other the capitalists, who buy those abilities.

The interests of those two groups have always been opposed, and that will stay as long as capitalism lasts. Only a basically different society can bring us social harmony.

The Socialism Train (music)

 

The Socialist Party Goal

 

Capitalism is a social system, not merely a form of government. State control and private ownership are simply different forms of the same thing and do not in any way touch the basic nature of capitalism. What is the basic nature of capitalism? How is capitalism marked off from any other system?

First and foremost the means of living, that is to say, factories, machinery, land and transport, etc., take the form of Capital.

This means that by government gilts and bonds, company shares, or outright personal ownership, part of the wealth created by past exploitation is invested for the purpose of further wealth production on a continuous basis of exploitation. IT IS THE UNPAID, SURPLUS PRODUCED BY THE WORKERS WHICH SERVES AS THE BASIS FOR THEIR OWN FURTHER EXPLOITATION and also provides for the rent, interest and profits for the owners of capital.

Following on from this form of ownership and indispensable to it, there must be a class which owns nothing but its ability to work, a class whose only access to life’s essentials is through wages.

Wages hide from open view the process of theft because in working for wages it appears that we get paid for what we produce, yet a moment’s thought will teach us that this cannot be true. Our wages provide our keep in terms of so much food, clothing and shelter, etc., and enable us to raise future wage workers.

The total value of wages, however, is not all we produce. The employers do not employ us just to keep ourselves, but also to keep them, too. and in much more luxuriant conditions than ourselves. When it is said that “they put up the money so they are entitled to a return,” just remember that the many thousands of millions of pounds, dollars and roubles, etc., tied up as capital all over the world today were NEVER produced by those who own them, but by workers in the manner described above. No matter how small a capitalist may be when he starts when he is big enough to live on a property income (State or private), it is not produced by him, but by propertyless wage labour.

It only remains to say that the selling of goods and services for profit is the universal means by which the capitalist disposes of the surplus in order to realise it in cash. The terms we all use in a more or less familial way, such as trade, prices, wages, world markets, finance, and everything arising from them, are hallmarks of capitalism.

The Socialist Party insists that capitalism cannot be made to work in peace and harmony. Its internal strife and conflicts are part and parcel of it. It cannot be otherwise than anti-working-class, for it rests upon their exploitation. In light of these facts the squirmings of the so-called “left” reformists to make this system run more smoothly, present to us socialists a picture of pathetic tragedy and it should be easy to see what the socialist attitude to industrial action, slogans, demonstrations, leadership and lobbying MPs must be. All of these things are merely aspects of the way workers react to the conditions of capitalism, painfully aware that something is wrong, but seeing only effects and not causes; they shoot in the dark, hoping, more by luck than judgment to hit something.

The Socialist Party's attitude to industrial action has been stated many times. It is that set out by Marx in Value, Price and Profit, namely, the recognition of the need for workers to organise into trade unions, in order to resist the downward pressure of employers upon wages and conditions and whenever possible (for instance, during a boom) to push up wages and improve conditions of work. This attitude is based on the fact of the class-struggle and the knowledge of the necessary antagonism which exists between owners and non-owners, the buyers and sellers of labour power. It is in the workers’ interest to gain as much as they can—the boss can always be relied upon to look after his end.

This does not mean at all that workers can achieve common ownership of the means of living by industrial action. It is the powers of the State that legalise and enforce the property rights and privileges of the capitalist class, and it is these powers that must be captured and abolished by the working class in order to introduce socialism - a class-free society.

To demonstrate, shout slogans and lobby M.P.’s, after having voted for one or the other parties to run capitalism, does not bother the capitalist class, who can rely on millions of workers to continue upholding the system that robs them. Only an understanding of socialism can really help the working class. 

This is what the Socialist Party works towards.

 

Bread and Roses (music)

 

The whole world is a danger zone

 Capitalism means plenty for the class who own the means of life and poverty for the working class who produce that plenty. 

The Socialist Party recognises the urgent need for socialist political organisation everywhere, aiming to gain, for the socialist working class, control of the machinery of government to inaugurate a socialist system of society. Socialism involves the abolition of production for sale and profit and the abolition of the wage system.  We are, and always have been, the only party that stands for one thing only — the common ownership of the means of production. It makes not a scrap of difference whether you call that socialism or communism. Conversely, the form of ownership in the world today is capitalism, call it what you will. It stands to reason that if you think that socialism/communism is the only answer to the evils that afflict society, then you join the party that stands for the establishment of that system. 

Now, after all these years of thinking that socialism meant a change in the system of society, from the present one of wars and class war, wages and profits, to one where none of these things would exist, a class-free world in which goods are produced for use, we discover that socialism really means—capitalism with higher benefit payments and lower rents. This kind of outlook typifies reformists everywhere. They start off not really understanding the significance of the socialist case, and then they dismiss their own misconceptions of socialism as “futuristic pipe dreams.” In the blind conceit that they know their way, they proceed to carry on the “day-to-day struggle” of trying to make capitalism with its wage slavery less burdensome to the working class whose life-blood it sucks. It is a self-evident fact to every socialist, that the evils which curse the lives of the working class CANNOT be removed within capitalism. If, as the Labour Parties claim, the problems of slums, insecurity, poverty, wars and slumps, can be got rid of bit by bit, one at a time, there is no need for socialism. It is the fact that these and other such problems are part of capitalism that makes socialism necessary. If on the other hand, they claim to know that the one solution is socialism, then to continue toying with the effects of capitalism is the depth of stupidity and the height of folly.

In order that anything worthwhile may be achieved it is no use the workers being just anti-Tory. The left-wing crowd and the rest of those who support or belong to the Labour Party are at one in wanting to swing the current anti-Tory mood in the direction of another Labour Government. Under capitalism then as now, armaments come before houses, pensions, or anything else. Pensions and housing troubles are part of the general poverty suffered by wealth producers. If the workers fail to learn from their past experiences of Labour Governments, they will go on electing strike-breakers and war planners until the obvious dawns on them and they realise their real position under this system and organise with us to end it. Movements of whatever name which do not seek the immediate establishment of socialism whilst they can never really defeat socialism they certainly help delay it.

Once again war rages in Europe. Once again men and women, deluded by the nationalist slogans of their rulers, kill and wound each other. Once again wealth is destroyed and resources wasted.

 The sight of our fellow workers serving as tank fodder in this way saddens socialists and our sympathies go to them and their families. We hope for an immediate end to this latest slaughter of our fellow workers in a cause which is not theirs, and re-affirm that only the establishment of world socialism will abolish war forever. War results in no benefit to the workers, who will be persuaded to fight the war. Whatever side they support they will be the losers, even though some of their masters may win markets, trade routes and sources of materials to enable them to increase the profits their workers turn out for them.

THE ONLY ANTIDOTE TO WAR LIES IN THE SPREAD OF SOCIALIST KNOWLEDGE.

When the workers realise the capitalist cause of wars they can no longer be misled by their ruling-class in support of them and this alone will see the end of these scourges of mankind. This is one of the reasons why the spread of socialist knowledge is so very urgent.

Socialism can only be built by the immense majority. It cannot be established by state decree. Without a clear vision of what it hopes to achieve the working class will never achieve socialism. Though it cannot take power on behalf of the working class, the Socialist Party will stand with whatever revolutionary class-wide bodies the worldwide working class creates. There are no middle ways. The abolition of classes and the end of the profit system can only mean breaking with the capitalist system. 

The Red Flag (music)

 

The insanity of capitalism

 The vast majority of the population of this planet live in want to one degree or another whether they be industrial workers in Western Europe or North America trying to make ends meet, beggars on the sidewalk in India, or even beggars on the sidewalk in the USA.

Yet they seem to blindly accept that this is the inevitable consequence of things—and in the particular context of capitalism, they are right. Various degrees of want will always exist in a private-property-based society where all production is with a view to profit and where the majority sell their labour-power in return for a part only, expressed as wages, of what they produce.

Various governments have introduced various welfare programmes to eradicate poverty and failed hopelessly. Some of the politicians behind these plans may well have been well-meaning people, whereas others were certainly trying to win votes, but whichever, it is immaterial as society as it presently exists cannot eliminate poverty let alone provide everybody with a full and happy life.

With the most advanced technological power, there is a contradiction that when the means exist to give everyone a full and happy life yet the vast majority struggle to make ends meet while a substantial minority live in want of the basic necessaries of life.

Socialists have consistently maintained that the natural resources, technology and distributive capacity exist to feed, clothe and house the world's population many times over. This, however, is impossible in an economic system where all production is geared to profit. In reality, nobody knows how big the earth's absolute supplies of raw materials are. No such investigations have been made. What has been investigated are supplies and resources that capitalism needs, and that is something very different.

So destitution, starvation and deprivation do not exist because the capacity for producing and distributing wealth is insufficient. The technology to eliminate them does exist but is not applied under capitalism where all production is for profit and which also deliberately wastes and destroys resources. Capitalism produces not for use but profit; so if wheat farmers, car makers, TV makers, appliance firms, heavy and light engineering companies can make more profit out of waste than by good quality products they will do so. But it is not enough to say that capitalism makes profits through waste. The fact is that the normal functioning of the system wastes an enormous amount of resources. Every year tons of foodstuffs are destroyed.

When we speak of waste, it is not food and raw materials alone that are wasted under capitalism, but millions of workers who become unemployed during the various trade depressions and recessions which are another logical consequence of an illogical system. The devastating wars that are caused by the need of competing sections of the world capitalist class for markets and raw materials are still further proof if any were needed, of the shocking waste of workers, especially when we consider there were more than 50 million casualties in the Second World War.

No one, whatever their political views, can examine these matters without being appalled at the logical insanity of capitalism. Logical, because these problems are a normal consequence of a society where all production is carried on only with a view to profit on the market. Insanity, because, surely to anyone in their right mind, it is insane that food should be destroyed when people are starving, that houses stand empty where people are homeless, and that factories stand idle when workers are unemployed.

Years of tinkering with these problems by politicians, of all parties, well-meaning or not, has not achieved anything and in some instances, matters have got worse. There is only one solution; which is for the world's workers to examine the contradictions of capitalism and then organise politically for a society where poverty, hunger, unemployment, pollution, waste, planned obsolescence, war and a host of things not even mentioned in this article will be a thing of the past.

Workers’ Councils

The policy adopted by the Labour and Social-Democratic parties in Europe has generally been described as “parliamentarianism”. By which is meant the idea that a parliament dominated by working-class representatives can, through various types of legislation, control the existing system of society in the interests of the community as a whole.

While workers have made some gains this way, more and more people are becoming aware that such a path offers no solution to any of the major problems they face, because it leaves untouched the basic structure of society which is their root cause. (Which is why the Socialist Party has always opposed any policy of social reformism).

In many radical political circles, especially those that have originated in or worked in conjunction with the Labour Party, the failure of this policy has been attributed, as much to the mechanism of parliamentary elections as to the nature of social reformism itself. It has been argued that the experience of Labour and Social-Democratic governments proves the uselessness of parliamentary institutions to the workers.

The alternative form of organisation offered has usually been “workers’ councils”, or factory committees along the lines of the early Russian Soviets. These are said to be more democratic and responsive to the needs of workers.

Obviously, a council made up of revocable delegates is more democratic than one composed of individuals elected for a fixed period of time, but in other ways, the typical workers’ council or factory committee is less democratic. It is organised on a narrower base and excludes those not employed such as the unemployed, old and young people, housewives and the disabled.

Despite their shortcomings, elections to a parliament based on universal suffrage are still the best method available for workers to express a majority desire for socialism.

Furthermore, although parliament run by Labour or Tory politicians is incapable of controlling the economic system in a rational and humane way, it is the centre of political control in advanced industrial countries. The minority of people who now monopolise the ownership of wealth do so through their control of parliament by capitalist parties elected by workers. Control of parliament by representatives of a conscious revolutionary movement will enable the bureaucratic-military apparatus to be dismantled and the oppressive forces of the state to be neutralised, so that socialism may be introduced with the least possible violence and disruption.

Parliament and local councils, to the extent that their functions are administrative and not governmental, can also be used to coordinate emergency measures when socialism is established.

We are not saying that workers' councils are therefore quite useless. On the contrary; like trade unions, they can often play a useful role under capitalism in the struggle of workers to maintain or improve working conditions and wages, and to resist capitalist authority at work. Factory or workplace committees, or something similar, would also play an important part in the democratic management of production inside socialism.

Representatives elected by workers to parliament have continually compromised to the needs of capitalism, but then so have representatives on the industrial field. The institution is not here at fault; it is just that people’s ideas have not yet developed beyond belief in leaders and dependence on a political elite.

When Socialism is established

When socialism is established it will be necessary to set up councils at local, regional and global levels for the administration of social affairs in every aspect of productive activity. Also, there will have to be councils whose function will be to coordinate the work of the various specific councils. The majority of the people in a local area will make decisions affecting that area specifically, the people in a certain region will make decisions for that region and everyone will make global decisions.

This will mean that everyone must have access to vast amounts of knowledge, concerning what each area produces, where it is stored, and how what is needed can be got from one place and moved to another. All this knowledge can be stored on the internet so that people can receive whatever knowledge they wish at the touch of a button.

When it comes to voting on specific issues people need to go no further than their living room. Even today TV reality programmes invite viewers to deliver their verdicts. If this is possible under capitalism, one can imagine the tremendous advantages that can be made in a socialist society when people will be able to utilise the technology built up under capitalism as well as improve on it.

People could if they wanted to, check and see how a certain project was progressing so that whatever was happening could be under the constant scrutiny of society as a whole. Who would not want such a society? So why not organise politically "for its speedy establishment?