System Change Ahead

The fight for a social democracy, to replace capitalism is the real road to peace and security. Instead we have some who advocate the idea of a world government, a global federal state. We in the Socialist Party are for the goal of a world administration, which would eliminate the obsolete national boundaries into which the Earth is divided. We enthusiastically agree that only under a world body can decisions be made and carried out on such things as climate change, disease and world hunger be achieved. The Socialist Party is entirely for the end of the nation-state and its defence of the profit system and the sacred rights of private property.

One unified world has been socialist thinking for well over a century. One world is not merely a necessity to prevent war – it is an economic necessity for the fullest flowering of economy in a world where economy is worldwide, a world economy. But it is promoted within the context of a revolutionary change to what we produce and distribute. Surely no-one can propose a cure for conflicts and nationalism without holding an understanding about their cause. The slaughters today does not result from regrettable and avoidable misunderstandings and blunders. Two dogs do not want to fight one another over a bone; they merely want the bone.

There is no point in wasting energy trying to persuade the capitalist class each country that a united planet is in its interests. We believe in building a socialist movement to take the government out of the hands of this capitalist class in order that the great aims of both peace and security shall be achieved. Why should people anywhere entrust their fate, their very lives, to fools and liars who promised us everything and anything in the full knowledge that they could not and would not keep their promise?

Security means freedom from economic uncertainty for the working people. It means the guarantee of the many good things of life that our highly advanced technology can produce that so easily can be enjoyed by all. The guarantee that the future of the family, especially of the children, can be assured with confidence for the years ahead. Why should this security be so difficult to achieve in the world with the highest productivity of labour and the greatest production capacity? Yet families enjoy no such security. How many of us feel confident that our standard of living will continue at its their present level? How many are sure they will still be in a job a year or even six months from now? Millions of workers are already unemployed or under-employed with part-time or uber-jobs in the gig economy where contracts are not worth the paper they are written on. How can we feel free from fear under such circumstances? How it is possible to plan the life of the family, to build a home, to think of higher education for the young, when economic conditions are so uncertain and precarious?

We have no real security. The promises politicians keep making to us are fraudulent. They talk endlessly on the fine promises about what it will do, some day, to tackle the scandals of the shortage of teachers and nurses, the inadequacy of schools and hospitals. Their promises always remain promises. Yet the politicians do not hesitate to vote more and more billions of investment for armaments, for the most terrifying weapons of mass destruction. Could the bitterest critic of capitalism make a more annihilating indictment of it than that? What good is any prosperity that piles burden of misery and suffering upon the people, especially upon the shoulders of those least capable of bearing it? What good is the prosperity bought at the price of the happiness? The lives of millions of people perish like cattle in a slaughter-house, whose homes and industries and entire cities devastated and destroyed and now very civilisation itself is imperilled by climate destruction. How can any person claiming to be thoughtful rest content that this is only the prelude to the most horrible holocaust the world has ever seen, which will surely engulf whole nations and leave not one of them untouched or intact? What comfort can the plain people get from the assurance of governments that they can solve the global warming crisis? We promised policies and action that will slow down and reverse greenhouse gas emissions. The promises have remained promises. What comfort can we get from the scientific experts who assure us that it will not really destroy our species but will leave a few million of us to adjust and adapt?

Capitalism is robbing us of whatever security we have and of the possibility of achieving real and lasting security. If people are to live and prosper, capitalism must be end. All over the world, the capitalist class concentrate more and more economic power into its hands. Correspondingly, it concentrates more and more political power and control over the lives of the people. More and more, decisions are made without the knowledge of the people and against their expressed wishes. The economic power and the political influence are exercised for the profits and power of the privileged elite who possess a stranglehold over the people through their possession of the State machine.

The whole future of world depends upon working people. The working class must awaken to a realisation of its power and its ability to steer its own destiny. It could organise the economic and political life not in the interests of the employers and bureaucrats, but in its own simple interests of all the people, who want to oppress nobody, to exploit nobody, to wage war on nobody. It could organise production not for the profit of a handful of capitalists but for the use and enjoyment of all. It could build homes, instead of bombs to destroy homes; it could provide for the health and life of all, instead of supplying armies for the destruction of life. It could be a living example of well-being and democracy that no tyrant could withstand. For this, the working class needs nothing but the consciousness of its task in society and awareness of its power to perform this task. Up to now, however, the working class, has been content to leave its own fate in the hands of the pro-capitalist politicians, in return for a few miserable scraps tossed to us occasionally. We could win anything we want by our own strength and effort, but we submit to the whims and wishes of capitalist politicians. Workers needs their own political power. It cannot express it without having its own political party – a socialist party.

We in the Socialist Party have no other interests save those of the working class itself. Our aims are uncompromising socialist. We seek nothing more than to be part and parcel of the workers' movement, to give it a coherent voice to the socialist goal of international brotherhood and international emancipation.

The Socialist Party is convinced that great and stirring days are ahead. We are convinced that the working class will soon start its mighty march along the road towards socialism. We are and we remain socialists – independent socialists. We are independent of capitalism, of all capitalist governments, of all capitalist politics. We are democrats, consistent and thoroughgoing democrats, because we are consistent socialists. The working class, and we as part of it, need democracy, widening and deepening democracy, and we shall fight for it without compromise. The victory of the working class can come only by winning the battle for democracy. The enemy of the working class is at the same time the enemy of democracy. That holds for capitalism and the capitalist class. The fight for democracy cannot be fought effectively and cannot be won except as it is the fight for world socialism.

To all those who are dedicated to the fight for socialism, the Socialist Party holds open its doors. To all those who refuse to resign themselves to helplessness and hopelessness, to the barbarism of capitalism the Socialist Party is your organisation. To all those who have a confidence in a socialist future the Socialist Party extends its welcoming hand of comradeship. To those who seek the security of the future of mankind, join us in the elimination of the threat to the continued existence of our civilisation.

Unshackling the Chains

Socialism will result in an enormous increase in industrial and agricultural efficiency. The socialist system of planned production, based upon common ownership of industry and the land, is incomparably more efficient than the anarchic capitalist system founded upon private property, competition and the exploitation of the workers. With the limitations of the capitalist profit motive removed, the road will be opened to virtually unlimited expansion of industry and mass consumption. Socialism will remove great waste, inherent in the unplanned, competitive capitalist system. It will eliminate the innumerable useless and parasitic occupations. It will turn to useful social purposes the immense resources used by these socially useless elements. Socialism will also conserve the natural resources of the country which are now being ruthlessly wasted in the mad capitalist race for profits. Finally, socialism will end war, with all its agonies and losses. The abolition of the robbery of the workers by the capitalists in all its myriad forms; the disappearance of the capitalist economic crises, with its mass unemployment and general crippling of the productive forces; the development of an industrial efficiency and a volume of production now hardly dreamed of; the careful conservation of natural resources; the abolition of war;—these measures will provide the material bases for a well-being now quite unknown in the world.

It is characteristic of capitalism's apologists to justify all the robbery and misery and terrors of its system by seeking to create the impression that they cab be blamed upon the basic traits in human nature. Preventable disasters are made to appear almost as natural phenomena, “acts of God”, over which mankind has no control. The same general attitude is taken with regard to war. War is put forth as arising out of the very nature of humanity. Mankind is depicted as an aggressive animal, and therefore capitalism escapes responsibility. War becomes more or less inevitable. This is all nonsense, of course. Humanity is by nature a gregarious and friendly animal and does not make war because of a dislike of others, differing in appearance, language, or religion. Wars have always arisen out of struggles over the very material things of wealth and power. This is true, whether living in a tribal, slave, feudal or capitalist economy, and whether the true cause of his wars have been obscured with an intense religious garb or with slogans about building democracy. The cause of modern war is the commercial trading policies of the capitalist nations for dominance in the world struggle for markets, raw materials and territory. In a society in which there is no private property in industry and land, in which no exploitation of the workers takes place and where plenty is produced for all, there can be no grounds for war. The interests of a socialist society are fundamentally opposed to the murderous and unnatural struggle of international war. 

A socialist world will be a unified, organised world and the raw material supplies of the world will be at the disposition of the peoples of the world. Another classical capitalist argument against socialism is that it would destroy innovation and incentive; that is, if private property in industry and the right to exploit the workers were abolished the urge for social progress, and even for day-to-day production, would be killed. If there is no exploiting class to rob people of the fruits of their toil and when they welcome better production methods because it brings benefits to them and having broken the chain of wage-slavery and engaged in building a new world of liberty, prosperity and happiness for themselves and families, can anyone seriously suggest there will not be enthusiasm for work. In capitalism many workers show no interest in their work for they are robbed of what they produce and any improvements in technology mean job-cuts and unemployment. Incentive under capitalism is confined practically to the exploiting classes and their hangers-on. It is only with the advent of socialism that the great masses develop real involvement. 

When capitalist intellectuals speak of individualism they have in mind the right of freely exploiting the workers. They mean that the anti-social individualism of capitalism. The boast of capitalist apologists about the equal opportunity which their society affords, that it is a case of the survival of the fittest, is a tissue of lies. With socialism no one will have the right to exploit another; no longer will a profit-hungry employer be able to shut his factory gates and sentence thousands to starvation; no more will it be possible for a little clique of capitalists and their political henchmen to plunge the world into a blood-bath of war. Such individualism is doomed. But the socialist revolution will create in its stead a new and better development of the individual, freeing each person from economic and political slavery will, for the first time in history, give them an opportunity to fully develop and express their personalities. Theirs will be an individuality growing out of solidarity and harmonising with the interests of all. It will not have the objective of one’s getting rich by robbing the toilers, but will develop itself in the direction of achievement in science, industrial technique, art, sports, etc. Only socialism can provide equality of opportunity, which means a genuine occasion to enjoy life and to develop their latent talents. 

Capitalism, with its exploitation, terrorism, superstition, and cultural ignorance, not socialism creates a regimentation and standardisation of the same. Changed social conditions develop different “human natures.” Thus competition, a ruinous, anti-social thing under capitalism, may become, in socialism, highly beneficent. Life in a socialist society will be varied and inspiring. People will vie with another, as never before, to create the useful and the beautiful. Locality will compete with locality in the beauty of their gardens and parks and architecture. The influence of individuality and originality will be upon everything. The world will become a place worth living in, and its joys will not be the privileged monopoly of a ruling class but the heritage of all.

The socialist revolution initiates changes more rapid and far-reaching than any in the whole history of mankind when workers unshackle their age-old chains of slavery to construct a society of liberty and prosperity. Socialism will be a new era for humanity, the building of a new world. The overthrow of capitalism will bring about the immediate or eventual solution of many great social problems, among them religious superstition, famine, pestilence, crime, poverty, alcohol and drug dependency, racism and national chauvinism, the suppression of women and every form exploitation of one class by another. Capitalism, with its poverty, wage-slavery, shanty towns, lack of hospitals and doctors undermines the health and well-being of everyone and destroys our constitution. Socialism with its nutritious food, its decent housing and surroundings and working conditions, will make good health the property of all.

Only a system of world socialism can fully uproot and destroy all these evils. Capitalism, based upon human exploitation, stands as the great barrier to social progress. Socialism frees humanity from the stultifying effects of the bestial struggle for survival and opens up new horizons. Socialists will carry through many profound measures for the re-organisation of the economics of the world upon a rational and planned basis, the sustainable use of the world’s natural resources, the beautification of the world , the development of the vast potential of science, the end of congested cities and the combination of country and urban life.

For many generations a long list of Utopians have dreamed about an ideal society. Today, socialism can be a living reality. Our children grand children will look back with horror upon what was capitalism and wonder why we tolerated it for so long. 

What A Crime It Is To Be Homeless.

Our reformist friends at the Toronto Star will, superficially, investigate any social evil, but will never go any deeper; in short they are OK as far as they go, but it isn't far enough. 

On July 8, they ran an article by their staff reporter, Emily Mathieu, on what a crime it is to be homeless. It focused on the plight of one such person, Thomas Gardner, 42, who panhandles in the McCowan Road and Highway 401 area in Toronto's east end. In his backpack is a wad of tickets from police officers, because of his violations of Ontario's Safe Streets Act, which came into force 20 years ago and designed to prevent people asking for change.

 In the last 5 years Toronto police have issued nearly 31,000 Safe Street tickets, which would amount to $1,550,100. Gardner himself owes $6,500 which he never fought in court and never expect to pays. To quote, ''We are panhandling for $20, $30, to get something to eat and they hand you $200 worth of tickets.'' 

This is a throwback, or should I say throwup, to 16th century England when the emerging capitalist class forced the peasants off the commonly owned land and then passed vagrancy laws. 

This shows that no matter how technology advances things don't change much under capitalism. I'll let Mr. Gardner have the last word: ''The only crime we committed was being homeless.''

Yours for Socialism, 
SPC contributing members  

"Cement". The Greatest Source Of Pollution.

Figures recently released by Bloomberg claim that one of the biggest sources of air pollution is a very fundamental building product - cement. 

According to their studies 7 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions are attributable to the manufacture of cement, more than what comes from all the trucks in the world. 1,400 degrees celsius is the temperature at which limestone is burned to help create cement, releasing carbon trapped in the limestone. Half a ton of carbon dioxide is released per ton of cement. A single mixer truck can carry as much as 13 tons. $161 US, is the cost per yard of environmentally friendly cement as opposed to traditional cement which is $51 US. 

Now we can hardly expect capitalists to take the more expensive route could we? If they did their rotten system might collapse, which wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Yours for Socialism, 
SPC contributing members 
. 

Build a future worthy of our dreams

Socialism will result in an enormous increase in industrial and agricultural efficiency. The socialist system of planned production, based upon common ownership of industry and the land, is incomparably more efficient than the anarchic capitalist system founded upon private property, competition and the exploitation of the workers. With the limitations of the capitalist profit motive removed, the road will be opened to virtually unlimited expansion of industry and mass consumption.

 Socialism will remove great waste, inherent in the unplanned, competitive capitalist system. It will eliminate the innumerable useless and parasitic occupations. It will turn to useful social purposes the immense resources used by these socially useless elements. 

Socialism will also conserve the natural resources of the country which are now being ruthlessly wasted in the mad capitalist race for profits. Finally, socialism will end war, with all its agonies and losses. The abolition of the robbery of the workers by the capitalists in all its myriad forms; the disappearance of the capitalist economic crises, with its mass unemployment and general crippling of the productive forces; the development of an industrial efficiency and a volume of production now hardly dreamed of; the careful conservation of natural resources; the abolition of war;—these measures will provide the material bases for a well-being now quite unknown in the world.

It is characteristic of capitalism's apologists to justify all the robbery and misery and terrors of its system by seeking to create the impression that they cab be blamed upon the basic traits in human nature. Preventable disasters are made to appear almost as natural phenomena, “acts of God”, over which mankind has no control. The same general attitude is taken with regard to war. War is put forth as arising out of the very nature of humanity. Mankind is depicted as an aggressive animal, and therefore capitalism escapes responsibility. War becomes more or less inevitable. This is all nonsense, of course. Humanity is by nature a gregarious and friendly animal and does not make war because of a dislike of others, differing in appearance, language, or religion. Wars have always arisen out of struggles over the very material things of wealth and power. This is true, whether living in a tribal, slave, feudal or capitalist economy, and whethe the true cause of his wars have been obscured with an intense religious garb or with slogans about building democracy. The cause of modern war is the commercial trading policies of the capitalist nations for dominance in the world struggle for markets, raw materials and territory. In a society in which there is no private property in industry and land, in which no exploitation of the workers takes place and where plenty is produced for all, there can be no grounds for war. The interests of a socialist society are fundamentally opposed to the murderous and unnatural struggle of international war.

A socialist world will be a unified, organized world and the raw material supplies of the world will be at the disposition of the peoples of the world. Another classical capitalist argument against socialism is that it would destroy innovation and incentive; that is, if private property in industry and the right to exploit the workers were abolished the urge for social progress, and even for day-to-day production, would be killed. If there is no exploiting class to rob people of the fruits of their toil and when they welcome better production methods because it brings benefits to them and having broken the chain of wage-slavery and engaged in building a new world of liberty, prosperity and happiness for themselves and families, can anyone seriously suggest there will not be enthusiasm for work. 

In capitalism many workers show no interest in their work for they are robbed of what they produce and any improvements in technology mean job-cuts and unemployment. Incentive under capitalism is confined practically to the exploiting classes and their hangers-on. It is only with the advent of socialism that the great masses develop real involvement. 

When capitalist intellectuals speak of individualism they have in mind the right of freely exploiting the workers. They mean that the anti-social individualism of capitalism. The boast of capitalist apologists about the equal opportunity which their society affords, that it is a case of the survival of the fittest, is a tissue of lies. With socialism no one will have the right to exploit another; no longer will a profit-hungry employer be able to shut his factory gates and sentence thousands to starvation; no more will it be possible for a little clique of capitalists and their political henchmen to plunge the world into a blood-bath of war. Such individualism is doomed. But the socialist revolution will create in its stead a new and better development of the individual, freeing each person from economic and political slavery will, for the first time in history, give them an opportunity to fully develop and express their personalities. Theirs will be an individuality growing out of solidarity and harmonizing with the interests of all. It will not have the objective of one’s getting rich by robbing the toilers, but will develop itself in the direction of achievement in science, industrial technique, art, sports, etc. Only socialism can provide equality of opportunity, which means a genuine occasion to enjoy life and to develop their latent talents. 

Capitalism, with its exploitation, terrorism, superstition, and cultural ignorance, not socialism creates a regimentation and standardisation of the same. Changed social conditions develop different “human natures.” Thus competition, a ruinous, anti-social thing under capitalism, may become, in socialism, highly beneficent. Life in a socialist society will be varied and inspiring. People will vie with another, as never before, to create the useful and the beautiful. Locality will compete with locality in the beauty of their gardens and parks and architecture. The influence of individuality and originality will be upon everything. The world will become a place worth living in, and its joys will not be the privileged monopoly of a ruling class but the heritage of all. The socialist revolution initiates changes more rapid and far-reaching than any in the whole history of mankind when workers unshackle their age-old chains of slavery to construct a society of liberty and prosperity. 

Socialism will be a new era for humanity, the building of a new world. The overthrow of capitalism will bring about the immediate or eventual solution of many great social problems, among them religious superstition, famine, pestilence, crime, poverty, alcohol and drug dependency, racism and national chauvinism, the suppression of women and every form exploitation of one class by another. Capitalism, with its poverty, wage-slavery, shanty towns, lack of hospitals and doctors undermines the health and well-being of everyone and destroys our constitution. Socialism with its nutritious food, its decent housing and surroundings and working conditions, will make good health the property of all. 

Only a system of world socialism can fully uproot and destroy all these evils. Capitalism, based upon human exploitation, stands as the great barrier to social progress. Socialism frees humanity from the stultifying effects of the bestial struggle for survival and opens up new horizons. Socialists will carry through many profound measures for the re-organization of the economics of the world upon a rational and planned basis, the sustainable use of the world’s natural resources, the beautification of the world , the development of the vast potential of science, the end of congested cities and the combination of country and urban life.

For many generations a long list of Utopians have dreamed about an ideal society. Today, socialism can be a living reality. Our children and

grand children will look back with horror upon what was capitalism and wonder why we tolerated it for so long. 

Unity and Victory

To-day, the world is in the hands of billionaires, the biggest banks, the biggest media companies; in short, the owners or controllers of the biggest corporations. They pull the strings and they use their power to make themselves richer and richer—at our expense. They hire workers to make profit out of their labour; their capitalist production is for profit, not for use: and to get more profit they slash wages, carry through speed-up and worsen conditions. This mad race for profit ends in a crisis; and then they try to get out of the crisis—at our expense. Poverty, insecurity and malnutrition making their inroads in the homes of millions of workers: low wages, intensified productivity, to the point of physical exhaustion, is the lot of the workers in the factories and giant warehouses: increases in the number of accidents and sickness amongst working-class mothers and babies. This is how it is to-day for working men, women and their families. 

This is the choice before us:

Security and prosperity for billions of workers who produce the nation’s wealth by their labour or security and prosperity for the tiny handful of profit-bloated corporations and the bankers, the parasites of the world. To acquire security, production must be taken out of the hands of the capitalists whose only interest is the fabulous profits they get out of it. The Socialist Party does not allow the profit-interests of the ruling class to stand in the way of the life-interests of the people. The Socialist Party champions socialism as the basic solution of the problems and conflicts of society today. All that socialism sets itself to do is to achieve plenty for all, peace, brotherhood, security, freedom. The Socialist Party calls upon the working-class militants to join and work with it toward this end, pledged to support of the whole working class. That is the road to socialism, to a world system, of peace, security and freedom.

No matter how easily accessible the best medical techniques might be made, the fundamental problems of workers’ health cannot be solved under capitalism. The best imaginable health program cannot be more than a feeble palliative so long as mass unemployment, crowded slums, low standards of living, chronic malnutrition, mutilation and death from war are the expected lot of most of mankind. Only through the final victory of world socialism can the vast stores of available scientific knowledge really be put to work for the full benefit of humanity. “Socialised medicine” is a meaningless phrase except in a socialised society.

There is no need for a single worker to be overworked or in dread of losing a job; no reason why an unemployed worker should lack the necessaries of life, or why he or she should not be brought back into employment. All over the world millions of workers are year by year coming to realise these facts and to see that nothing except the existence of capitalism prevents them building up for themselves a decent and secure world. Everywhere the workers are becoming less and less willing to put up with an entirely unnecessary state of impoverishment. They are showing themselves more and more determined to insist upon their right to food, clothing and shelter for themselves and their families. But to get this, capitalism must be overthrown. To get this is only possible by the building up of socialism, giving peace and prosperity, happiness and new life to the whole working population. Without breaking the power of the capitalists it is impossible to get rid of capitalism or to build socialism. It will mean that the capitalists will be deprived of their ownership and control of the factories and workshops, mills and mines, shipyards and transport. All these means of production which they have used and misused only to pile up profits for themselves and poverty for the workers will be taken from them. We have to-day ample resources for producing all the things we need. Today we are both unemployed and unable to get the things we need. The two things go together. For we are unemployed because the capitalists want to have their profits and will not let us produce what we need. Destitution and unemployment can only be cured simultaneously by taking over and running the industries. Workers will naturally produce far better and more willingly under their own management than they do now. 

What is the future of humanity?

Do we stand upon the threshold of death and destruction for the whole of mankind? Or do we stand upon the threshold of a new age of unparalleled peace and plenty, the brotherhood of man?

The Socialist Party dares to venture an answer. It dares to pose the alternative that has unmistakably risen before us. The Socialist Party demands life with socialism before death under capitalism overtakes us all. The difficult thing to understand about the capitalist system is the irrational fact that all production can be placed on hold, and that millions can be removed from their workplaces and forced to stop production, merely because under capitalist ownership, the whole of society has to submit to a tiny class of capitalists to their accumulate even more to their wealth. modern industry is suited to cooperative production at high efficiency with abundant output assured, and that there is no good reason why such efficient production could not start right now. Hence, the general impatience of socialists about the restrictions and fetters on production. It is one of the outstanding absurdities of capitalism that the capitalist system prevents production of abundance.

Everybody knows about the insanity of this capitalist system we all live under. There is TOO MUCH of everything but people go without what they need. Automation and robotics of new technology has made a world of plenty for all a greater possibility yet capitalism can exist only on the basis of a system of scarcity. We have the factories and raw material that can produce a world of plenty. We have the willing hands and brains to do the task. All we have to do is distribute what is produced. But we don’t own the factories or their supplies. Those who produce have nothing to say about whether they’ll be used and for what. The factories and machinery are owned by a small handful of capitalists, the 1% who won’t let a wheel turn unless they can make a profit. And that profit comes out of the wealth which labour produces. We are the hands and brains who do the producing. All we have to do is come together with the factories and machines, without any capitalist class holding us apart. That means WE have to own and control the factories and machines we work on. We, the working people, organised collectively. Let us abolish the capitalist profit-suckers. Take over our the world, organise it democratically and produce to the limit as science can provide, produce enough to give plenty for all. And distribute what we produce for the use of the people!

The productivity of this planet is already the greatest it has been in the history of humanity and could raise the entire world population to a higher and genuinely decent standard of living – to PLENTY FOR ALL. What stands in the way? The capitalist class gorges upon the greatest share of the fruits of this productive capacity. The capitalists fight like the wolves to guard every scrap of their unearned share. Their kind of a future, i.e., constant unemployment, continual exploitation and permanent war is precisely what we in the Socialist Party seeks to abolish. The wealth and productive facilities around the globe could supply the material basis for a new social organisation which would ensure plenty for all in the shortest time. But the capitalist ownership of industry and their control of the governments stands in the way of using these riches and facilities for the benefit of mankind. The productive facilities of a socialist world would free human beings for the first time on our planet.

Join in the fight for socialism. The fight for socialism has become the fight for the very existence of humankind. Let us break once and for all the chains of exploitation and establish the true free society of socialism. The Socialist Party knows what full production can accomplish, they know that the fetters on production must be removed because only socialism can take the capitalist fetters off production. The hope of the people is a socialist world of freedom, a system, of production for use and not for profit, a system that would eliminate exploitation for all time. The Socialist Party was founded by the conviction that there is no hope for a new and better world except through the achievement of the new social order of socialism, a world of peace, freedom and plenty for all.

The Socialist Party believes that as long as we permit capitalism to exist, poverty and wars will be inevitable. It states that the workers have nothing to gain from capitalism and everything to lose. The Socialist Party therefore teaches that the workers of all nations must regard each other as brothers and sisters and stand together in behalf of the interests of world's workers. In order to gain a world of plenty for all, freedom, and a permanent peace, the capitalist system must be abolished and replaced with a socialist system.

Just Another Petty Dispute Between Capitalists.

PC leader Andrew Scheer has urged Justin Trudeau to step up inspections on all products from China and consider slapping tariffs on imports from there. 

This is in response to the detaining by China of two Canadians on espionage charges, which was in retaliation as Canada had arrested Chinese high-tech exec., Meng Wanzhou, on a US extradition warrant. China has increased inspections that have led to the suspension or obstruction of key Canadian agricultural products, including pork and canola. 

Trudeau's spokesperson said, ''The government continues to work to help the detained Canadians, but also continues to pursue economic opportunities for Canadians in China and to create growth and progress around the world.'' So two major capitalist powers are pissed at each other.

 We don't know how it will end, though it’s doubtful they will go to war. It’s more likely they will refuse to trade with each other.

 One thing is for sure it’s just another dispute between capitalists, and a petty one too -- one in which the working class of both countries have no stake.

Yours for Socialism, 
SPC contributing members 

Humanity needs a socialist world

When business-people speaks of the “public interest” they are speaking of their OWN interest. There is no such thing as a “public” interest. How can corporation executives and working men and women possibly have the same interest? The capitalists cannot operate manufacturing and production in the interest of society as a whole. It pits the common good against the accumulation of profits out of private ownership of industry. The bloodsuckers who call themselves “captains of industry” sole purpose is to achieve returns to their share-holders. It is THEIR system, which breeds insecurity and want on one side, and incredible wealth on the other.

Working people, however, are fully capable of operating industry and operating it in the interest of society! This is no extravagant claim. Labour has the know-how. And its interests are one with society as a whole. The working class can take power and establish its own rule; the working class can organise and run the world in the interests of all the people. Workers can and will open the door to the new socialist society of peace, plenty, freedom and security. Socialism is a system which is based upon plenty for all. Its aim is to raise the standard of living of all humankind far higher than that reached in the most advanced capitalist country. It means, therefore, the utilisation of the most modern and advanced means and methods of production. It means the most scientific utilisation of all the natural resources of the entire world. It means the closest cooperation of the peoples of the entire world. Socialism cannot be based on scarcity and want, for these breed inequality, rivalry, class divisions. Socialism seeks to eliminate these forever from the face of the earth. We defy the scoffers and skeptics, the defenders of capitalism, who say that the working class is incapable of reorganising society on a socialist basis. Socialism implies not the change of one system of exploitation for another, but the elimination of all exploitation and class rule.

The Socialist Party have long ago demonstrated the fact that there can be plenty for all, including not merely an adequate standard of living but the luxuries and beauties of life for all. However, the question we are always asked is HOW? How do we get this? The Socialist Party says that the evils of the private property system cannot be overcome WITHOUT ENDING THE SYSTEM OF PRIVATE PROPERTY. Liberal and progressive reformers like to believe that the evils of capitalism can somehow be wished away without upsetting the capitalists. The earth is divided then it must be redivided say the nationalists. Capitalism must expand – or die. Depression – unemployment – hunger – barbarism – war – mass slaughter – devastation. That is the “normal” life of capitalism today. That is capitalism gone mad. Capitalism is the REAL enemy of civilisation.

As automation and robotics are installed in the assembly lines, what is more logical than to shorten the work-week? It is easy to understand why capitalists and their backers are against shorter hours. The more hours workers put in and the more productive they are for the same pay, the more profits are created for the capitalists with plenty to spare for their fellow investors. To those who think in terms of human needs and human rights, the solution to wage-slavery is ready at hand - new technology. To obtain the good things of life from the profit-grubbing obstructionism of the capitalist class working people must oust the capitalists from power and privilege and therein lies peace, employment and plenty for all. The peoples of the world are today building bombs for destruction instead of the good things of and for life. It is the outcome of capitalism standing in the way of the peoples progress. For the peoples of the world to arrive at the longed-for destiny of humanity to produce the things of life, in peace and plenty, they must rid themselves of the motives of capitalist profits.

Capitalism is their enemy. The Socialist Party is socialist not because it seeks merely an improvement of the conditions of the workers under capitalism, but the abolition of this system of scarcity and insecurity and its replacement by a social order of security and plenty for all. The Socialist Party fights for socialism in order to end the exploitation of man by man for all time; to eliminate wars and unemployment and hunger. What the Socialist Party wants is what people all over the world want. These are:

Peace, instead of bloodshed and violence and destruction.

Security instead of the insecurity of not knowing today whether or not we will have a job and an income tomorrow.

We want to be able to raise our children in decent homes and have them educated in good schools.

We want comfort and prosperity, instead of low living standards, poverty, and hunger.

We want democracy and freedom, instead of regimentation, bureaucracy, racial and religious and national conflict.

These are the things which we seek for our families, friends and neighbours, for our children and grandchildren.

We live in a modern civilisation. We have huge industries. We have undreamed-of natural resources. We have millions of trained and skilled workers. We can produce in one day. what it took our ancestors years to produce. Yet we do not have peace. We do not have prosperity. It is the social system that stands in the way, the system of capitalism. A handful of capitalists control all the wealth and power . They own our jobs and whoever owns our means of living, controls our lives, the lives of you and me and the billions of others. Capitalism works very well indeed when it wages war, killing and maiming, . Capitalism is at its best when it is doing its worst. But it is no good for peace, security and prosperity of the people. Is that what YOU want, a new barbarism where surviving humanity wait for the doom of civilisation and their return to living in caves?

We of the Socialist Party believe there is an alternative. The alternative to capitalism is socialism. We want to take over the industries built by us so that we can have security, peace and freedom. We want to own in common the wealth produced by all of us to produce for peace, not for war. To produce for use, for the needs and comforts of the people, and not for the profits of the corporations. Without capitalism and capitalist profit, we can put an end to want and starvation. We can provide plenty for all, homes fit to live in, comforts and prosperity, self-respect and human dignity. Those are the things we in the Socialist Party all seek. They are the things the Socialist Party stands for.

Production for need, not for greed

The aim of the Socialist Party is the establishment by democratic means of a cooperative commonwealth in which the supplying of human needs and enrichment of human life shall be the primary purpose of our society. Poverty, insecurity, slums condemn many families to a cheerless life. The planet's productive capacity is not fully utilized. Its use is governed by the dictates of private economic power and by considerations of, private profit. Similarly, the scramble for profit has wasted and despoiled our rich resources of soil, water, forest and minerals. This lack of social planning results in a waste of our human as well as our natural resources. Our human resources are wasted through social and economic conditions which stunt human growth, through unemployment and through our failure to provide adequate education.

Capitalism is based on the principle of private property of certain humans "owning" the earth for the purpose of exploiting it for profit which consists of taking out more than you put in. This system cannot be reformed. It is based on the destruction of the earth and the exploitation of the people. There is no such thing as green capitalism. Businesses have no reason for existence other than to make profits. Human production and consumption is done within the natural limits of the earth’s fertility but this cannot happen under capitalism, because the capitalist class exists by extracting profit not only from the workers, but also from nature. One of the principles of socialism is production for use, not for profit, a socialism that would not destroy the earth but run in harmony with the environment. Socialism means organising human societies in a manner that is compatible with the way that nature is organised. Capitalist society robs us of community with each other and community with the earth. Consumer goods, beyond those needed for basic comfort and survival, are not really what we crave. Our appetite are insatiable, and often turn away from dehumanizing methods of production and goods that do not satisfy us. Socialism is about bringing about changes that are needed to bring society into balance with nature. It’s about time for the ecology movement to stop considering itself separate from the socialist movement.

Socialism is production for use rather than profit. The World Socialist Movement is fighting against capitalism and for a more just, more democratic and more ecologically sound sustainable world. As we protest, we also propose. Both nationally and internationally we know very well what we’re fighting for, human dignity and solidarity. Our world has never been so rich, and we have all the organisational and technological skills needed, plus the capacity to allocate distribution to satify needs. There are no excuses for not changing the world. It is quite feasible to establish universal welfare for everyone on earth – not as charity but as a right, simply by virtue of the fact of being human. Socialism is an answer to the capitalism that’s destroying everything. The idea of workers controlling the resources of the planet is putting socialism on the political agenda. To change the way the world is organised, with the capitalists on one side and the workers on the other we need a social revolution.

We are living under a system which clearly is the enemy of humanity. It imposes draconian cuts in living standards on the already poor labouring masses, simply in the interest of still greater profits for the capitalist class. Although it has vast productive potential, it brings poverty and hunger to the working people. Capitalism is responsible for the thoughtless destruction of the environment. Capitalism and its armament corporations cynically profits from most of the world’s research and development. The root cause of all this is capitalism’s guiding principle, the quest for profit, which takes precedence over any human interest. Capitalism as a system threatens the future of humanity. Capitalism brings nothing but misery and exploitation. Capitalism cannot be reformed. It has undergone many changes in its history, but these have simply meant finding new ways to exploit the labouring people. It is already an obsolete system. The only solution is to destroy it and build a new social system. Our task is to build solidarity on the basis of these real, shared grievances. The challenges that confront working people across the world are the same.

A Glaring Contradiction.

A recent report by the Auditor General of Ontario's office has discovered that there is a discrepancy between the amount of people waiting for a place to live on Toronto's centralized housing wait list and homes available. 

The list has grown to 102,000 households, but there are 1,400 empty units, ten per cent of which are being used by contractors for storage. The Toronto Community Housing (TCH) had 200 bachelor units designated for seniors sitting empty in 2018, despite 11,300 senior households hoping to get into subsidized homes, the report said. Of that group 87 per cent never received an offer during wait times that averaged three and a half years.

 The TCH people came up with some weak excuses, such as the lists being poorly maintained and not enough personnel, but nevertheless, whether the excuses be good or bad it still means the same thing: that houses are empty when people need a home, which is another one of capitalism's glaring contradictions.

Yours for Socialism, 
SPC contributing members 

A Sad Sorry Reflection.

On June 26 a group of academics and labour activists called on the Canadian Labour Congress to publicly oppose an arms deal between Canada and Saudi Arabia. They called the CLC's silence on the matter, ''deafening.'' 

They fear that Canadian weapons sold to Saudi Arabia are being used in their war in Yemen, where an estimated 70,000 people have been killed in the last three years. They want the CLC to demand the government cancel the deal. 

Last year Canada exported $284 million in weapons and military goods to countries that were bombing Yemen. Of that $204.4 million went to Saudi Arabia. Why then is the CLC silent? 

A clue could be found in London, Ontario at the General Dynamics Land Systems, which manufacture light armoured vehicles destined for Saudi Arabia. The workers at the plant belong to the CAW's successor union, Unifor. The company has warned that if the government cancels the deal it could jeopardize more than 1,800 jobs.

 What a sad, sorry reflection it is that workers in one country have to make products to kill workers in another country, if they want to survive.

Yours for Socialism, 
SPC contributing members 

Our anti-nationalism

Labour Party should allow Scotland to hold another independence referendum if the Scottish parliament votes for one, the second most powerful man in the party said, Labour’s John McDonnell told an event at the Edinburgh festival fringe. 

“We would not block something like that. We would let the Scottish people decide. That’s democracy,” McDonnell was quoted as saying. 

The Socialist Party does not, of course, defend the present British state. But we offer no support to a separate sovereign Scotland. The Socialist Party must tell the workers the truth even if it is unpopular. And the truth is that nationalism, no matter how it is dolled up with patriotic progressive phrases and skilfully disguised by socialist terminology, represents no way forward for working people. On the contrary, we fight against it. We resist every effort to divide the organisations of the working class along nationalist lines. It is entirely wrong for socialists to sentimentalise their ideas and parrot their prejudices. We bear the message, even if it is unwelcomed and unpalatable, nothing very much would change in an independent Scottish state. The Socialist Party have a responsibility to our fellow-workers to warn them of their mistaken course. Our opposition to independence is based on a class opposition. The Socialist Party will defend our class point of view and expose the false and dangerous demagogery of the nationalists. It is an obligation upon the Socialist Party to stand firm in defence of the fundamental ideas and principles of Marxism.

An independent Scotland within a capitalist world would not solve a single problem facing the working class and would have grave social and political consequences by weakening the unity of the working class. The cause of the British working class would be put back as national and regional rivalries return. The Scottish working class cannot succeed in a socialist revolution alone, nor can British workers win in isolation. What is required is a world revolution. The oppression and exploitation of working people is a product of capitalist society and can only be removed by the socialist transformation of society. This, in turn, requires the unity of all workers, irrespective of nationality or gender or race. That is why the idea of workers' unity is vital.

We must resolutely struggle against nationalist movements or parties while campaigning for the ideas of socialism. We must constantly press upon our fellow-workers that nationalists ally themselves with the ruling class. We must do education work and popularise Marxism in order that working people shall not forever become side-tracked. Scottish nationalism present itself as a progressive movement and many sincere people become involved with it but in some years’ time, they discover they have been most cruelly misled and have been wasting their time in a diversion which they will then have most fiercely to destroy. Socialists are not deceived by the progressive facade of nationalism. Those who believe nationalism to be progressive, and can therefore be used either do not understand, or opportunistically refuse to accept the negative role of nationalism.

The remedy can only be socialism. There is no intermediate transitional stage. Socialism and nationalism are mutually exclusive. Nationalism is a horrendous condition that has been used by the owning class to turn worker against worker in wars and has led to millions of death. If it wasn’t so tragic it might be called comical that workers, many of them without a job, should take to the streets to support ‘their’ country. It is our business in the Socialist Party to develop class “patriotism.” o love your country, and be willing to sacrifice and battle for it, that is patriotism. To have no home, to be unable to provide self and loved ones with food, clothing and shelter, that is poverty.

Someone who owns no part of the country, yet is prepared to fight and die for it is called by the media a patriot yet a person who is prepared to fight to protect family, friends and neighbours against the curse of poverty, is called a rebel. While patriotism attacks and destroys all the finer sentiments of the human heart, exploits and corrupts those sacred things called tradition, the socialists says this further proof of capitalist class ignorance.