To Our Fellow-Workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Questions about Socialism (1991)

 

From the March 1991 issue of the Socialist Standard

1. WHAT IS THE SOCIALIST PARTY?

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

2. WHAT IS CAPITALISM?

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

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

3. CAN CAPITALISM BE REFORMED IN OUR INTERESTS?

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

4. IS NATIONALISATION AN ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITALISM?

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

5. ARE THERE ANY "SOCIALIST COUNTRIES"?

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

6. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF SOCIALISM?

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

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

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

7. HOW WILL SOCIALISM SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF SOCIETY?

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


8. WHAT ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?

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

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


9. ARE SOCIALISTS DEMOCRATS?

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


10. WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?

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

Where are we going?

This capitalist world totters and its foundations and pillars threaten to tumble. There is no more any stability for global capitalism. In the midst of this health crisis some of us can see a new beginning for the world socialist movement. The very people who said it could never happen are faced with so many ideological turns and twists from left and right. 

One thing is clear, the turning point are the calls for the reconstruction of society. The creation of a new society remains our socialist endeavour. We are profoundly convinced that our recent experiences has prepared us for great things in the future and it is with confidence that we expect socialism to become the rallying point of the people once more. We are not pessimistic but hold a profound confidence in a bright future. What mankind needs above all is a radical reorganisation of society. The evolution of humanity  can never be accomplished based upon economic and social inequality, exploitation, oppression, nationalism, racism and war. All of these factors militate against genuine social and human progress. We will build a new world, a world free of misery and oppression, free of the exploitation of man by man, the new world of socialism. The World Socialist Movement acts on the fundamental principle that the working class must have its own party and its own candidates and cannot combine with or support any capitalist party, whether progressive or populist. Socialism is always the issue. The movement of revolutionary socialism has a great future. The Socialist Party believes in solidarity and practices it.

The advocates of socialism are bombarded with the objections that cooperation and mutual aid among people are a fantasy. People are intrinsically individualistic, competitive, and egotistical, claim our critics. It is just the way we're genetically evolved - survival of the fittest. This robotic response is all nonsense. There is overwhelming evidence that our true nature amounts  humankind's endless efforts to make life better - for everyone. That's the way it's been since we first walked erect on two legs. Early humans lived in clans in which everybody contributed to and shared in the group welfare.

Things changed because different kinds of economic and social organisation create different kinds of behaviour. Today, in a system designed to produce profits for the few at the expense of the many, we compete with one another for money, jobs, education, food, a place to live, recognition, self-esteem, everything. That’s the way capitalism works.People think they suffer because other races, religions and countries deprive them of what is theirs. So they resort to nationalism, patriotism, bigotry and racism to compete with each other. The "me" replaces the "we". All those social ills and great evils - war, poverty, selfishness, religions, class and caste divisions - are produced by a social system that runs on exploitation, which poisons humanity.

Destruction of the environment, the spread of war and the prospect of more pandemics such as the one we are already suffering are calling the very existence of the human race into question. The campaign for socialism is now for the existence of civilisation, such a society must be based on the common ownership of the socially necessary means of production and the distribution of the social product according to need, a cooperative commonwealth.

Solidarity Without Borders - World Socialism

Ecological, economic, and health crises spill across frontiers. We must create a solidarity without borders, inspired by a vision of revolutionary change, rooted in the socialist ideals which continue to inspire us. Political freedom without economic equality is a pretence, a fraud, a lie. The Socialist Party strives for a fundamental transformation of society, the abolition of classes. Mankind is social. It is this solidarity and cooperation which makes the “impossible” becomes possible. The spirit of mutual aid gives socialism its strength. The cut-throat competition of capitalism results in undisputed victory for the strong and destruction of the weak. To the victor go the spoils. In the battle for survival in old society it is everybody for himself and the devil take the hindmost.

What does the understanding of the socialist position involve? The Socialist position involves a recognition of the fact that the interests of those who own and control the means of life (the capitalist-class) are absolutely opposed to the interests of those who own nothing but their power to work (the working-class). The first are concerned to make a profit out of the labour of the second. The second are battling for the best conditions they can get. If the second are successful to any degree to that degree the first are losers. To the extent that the first are able to use their power to coin wealth out of the labour of the second, to that extent are the second the losers.

Don’t be put off the track by good capitalists. We are not concerned to deny that some members of the capitalist-class are genuinely sorry that the condition of the working-class is so bad and would prefer it otherwise. That is not the point. The point is that as a class their interests are opposed absolutely to the interests of the class they exploit — the working-class — and under no circumstance whatever can that conflict of interest be avoided. It does not matter whether the working-class are conscious of it or not. The conflict is inevitable and unceasing. The socialist calls it the class-struggle. The ownership by a few people of the means of life is the cause of working-class misery. They say the only remedy lies in the common ownership and control (ownership and control by the whole people) of these means of life. Which is socialism.

While society is based upon the private ownership of the means of life, the worker’s position must always remain the same in its principal features, that political reforms or what not leave him or her always the exploited, always the under dog. These reforms are never achieved except at great effort ; that they are never achieved at all (except they benefit some section of the capitalist class) unless and until the workers have set on foot such a determined agitation that their demands cannot with safety be longer disregarded, as a glance at industrial history will show. Things must always be the same until the workers have fully realised where their real interests lie (have become class-conscious), and have organised their forces specifically for the complete overthrow of the present system of production and the establishment of the Co-operative Commonwealth.

In every part of the world today there is a growing a movement consisting of those who say that production should be for use and not for profit; that it is competition and the absence of mutual interests which make the millionaire on the one hand and the thousands of casual labourers on the other; that it is possible and desirable to abolish both by the introduction of world co-operation

A New Beginning?

What’s important to understand is what works on the ground is community; what works on the ground is cooperation. Strange as it seems but socialists have never took a more hopeful view of the future than now.

The lords of capital, by the very nature of the economic system, will fight to the last person on the planet for the last pound on planet. There can be no end to war, exploitation and disease as long as capitalism continues to enslave the mass of humanity and place private profit above all else. In fact, capitalism is holding back the progress of humanity and it is a real and deadly serious threat of worldwide annihilation.

Those of us who create, invent, explore, study, mine  farm, build, construct, teach, cook and clean, who do all the work, we’ve designed and manufactured robots that can do much of the work for us, quicker and more efficiently. We’ve made instant communication across the globe an everyday reality. We can exchange any information available with our fingertips on a key-board in a matter of seconds.

Just imagine if we used all this knowledge and technology   to satisfy everyone wants and wishes without waste of either resources or labour or polluting the environment. And then distributed them free to whoever wanted them according to a democratically conceived, worldwide plan?

We have the machinery and materials and human ingenuity to do all these things. Only capitalism stops us. Private property and capitalist control over the means of production and the accumulation of massive amounts of private wealth stands in our way. The fulfilment of people’s needs could be accomplished. The material conditions necessary to do so are available. It just can’t happen under capitalism. But the capitalist profit motive because it must come before human needs won’t permit it. The tragedy is that  competition for profit trumps people’s welfare security and safety. 

Today it is clearer than ever that the curing a disease is a for-profit business (and certainly the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most lucrative of them all), the quest for more profits will aggravate the disease and the human suffering. The need is to put profits above all other considerations. The irrationality of the capitalist mode of production for private profit comes first, and humanity’s progress is sidelined.Governments in the epoch of austerity have been the dismantling of existing public health institutions and the downsizing of hospitals and frontline medical resources.

We, the people, hold the power to put in place a socialist system of production for human need and want instead of for private profit. We have all the resources, technology and know-how to democratically redesign the whole economic system to provide for all human needs and wants without wars, oppression or environmental destruction. A society that if it cannot avoid the rise of new viruses, it can contain and limit its spread. It’s simply a matter of understanding that the planet belongs to everyone and each one of us has something to contribute toward the welfare of all. And that each of us can share equally in its fruits. Democratically planned socialism is the only rational approach to ensuring a bright future for all.

THE PROFIT SYSTEM                      OR  SOCIALISM

The Socialist Party Isn't The Same

The leaders of the political parties, in order to obtain the confidence and support of the voters —without which they cannot obtain seats in the House of Commons and other comfortable positions — have to satisfy them that they understand social problems, and possess the ability to cope with them. This, in itself, is not difficult, because working people, surrounded by capitalist institutions and taught capitalist ideals from childhood, have not yet, in any considerable numbers, questioned the basis of the system under which they live. They accept in blind faith the assertion that there must always be rich and poor, rulers and ruled, if there is to be any sort of order. The result is that, although the workers recognise the social evils from which they suffer, they are easily persuaded that those evils can be removed by legislation.

Ignorant of the conflicting interests between capitalists and workers, they believe that when due representation is made to Parliament legislators will, acting with fairness and impartiality, take steps to deal with those evils. People are all the more readily believes this fiction because the exploitation which he or she suffers from, and has suffered from for so many generations, has reduced them, both mentally and physically, to a condition of abject apathy.

This is the mistaken belief that leads the workers to support reformers. The leaders of the parties do their utmost to foster this belief, because it increases the security of their positions. But those on the left-wing go further than this, for they assert that the reforms they advocate, besides improving the conditions of the working class now, lead gradually toward socialism. Yet class ownership of the means of life would still persist as the basis of the system, and the working class still retain their wage-slave status. Wealth still would be produced for profit, and unemployment still be necessary in order that the price of labour-power might be kept at or about the cost of living — the difference between the cost of living and the total wealth produced being the extent to which the workers are robbed.

The constitutional form of government depends for its authority upon the support it receives from those it governs over. The more workers that support capitalist parties, the firmer and more stable is the capitalist rule.

Practical politics for the working class mean to organise for control of the political machine, in order to take possession of the means of life. The Government will introduce reforms fast enough when they are threatened with such an organisation. They have not yet commenced to throw any real sops or palliatives to the working class. When they do commence their concessions should be treated with contempt, for they cannot be anything else than paltry in comparison with the object the workers have in view.

Politicians deny that the interests of the workers and those of the capitalists are in conflict. To them working-class revolution is impossible: from their standpoint, therefore, socialism, too, is impossible. Like Christianity they mouth the "brotherhood of man " and denounce class hatred, posing all the while as mediators reconciling conflicting interests—regardless of the fact that reconciliation means submission for the workers. Socialism is always impossible  because to confess otherwise prevents a career politician’s personal ambitions from being realised. Seats in the House of Commons and other comfortable jobs are not offered to socialist advocates and agitators. The only  propaganda permitted is capitalist propaganda.

The working class can only achieve their emancipation when they understand socialist principles, and are determined to follow those principles to their conclusion. But they have first to learn, and the real Impossiblists are those politicians who would teach them something else. A socialist must not only be one who understands socialism but must be one who wants socialism, whose political activities, be they great or small, are consistent with the understanding of what socialism is, and with the desire for its speedy achievement. A political party is a group of people organised to achieve a certain object or objects. The duty of its representatives is simply to act as its agents. If they are sent to Parliament it is not to vote according to one's conscience, but according to the will and instruction of those who sent them there. There is but one such political party in this country; there is but one party so grounded in democracy that its candidates are but the mouth-pieces and representatives of vital socialist principles. That party is the Socialist Party, whose members are all agreed upon the overthrow of the master class and the collective control of industry by the workers, that is to say, the social revolution.