Our candidates have received, along with the other
candidates standing in the same constituency, the following invitation from an
organisation calling itself Simpol (Simultaneous Policy)
“As candidates in the forthcoming General Election, we
invite you to pledge your early support to the Simultaneous Policy (Simpol)
campaign. Simpol is an international association of citizens who use their
votes to encourage their political representatives to implement solutions to
global problems that individual nations, or groupings such as the EU, cannot
tackle alone; problems such as global warming, financial market re-regulation
and other transnational issues. (….) The global problems Simpol addresses are
not being dealt with adequately by national governments, or by the EU, because
of the fear that acting unilaterally will harm their economic competitiveness.
That is why, under Simpol, solutions are to be implemented by nations
simultaneously, only when all or sufficient nations have signed the Pledge.”
To which we have
replied:
The Socialist Party fully agrees that global problems such
as, precisely, global warming can only be dealt with by action on a global
scale. However, we think that, because of capitalism's nature as a system of
production for profits by competing enterprises and states, the sort of
simultaneous political action you advocate to deal with these problems just
won't happen as long as capitalist continues to exist. The most that will
happen would be far too little far too late. This, for the reasons you yourself
outline of concern for profits and competitiveness on world markets.
The only framework within which the required global actions
can be taken is a world community without frontiers where the resources of the
Earth, natural and industrial, have become the common heritage of all humanity.
Then, the vested commercial, economic and geopolitical interests that impede
such action under capitalism will no longer exist. Humanity will be free to
find a solution to the various global problems (as indeed to regional and local
problems) in a rational way and in the common interest. Purely capitalist
problems like unregulated financial markets would not need to be dealt with
since in a non-capitalist world there would no longer be any financial markets.
I pledge to work towards the establishment of such a world
socialist system by democratic political action.
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The Socialist
Party Candidates
Bill Martin - Islington North; Danny Lambert – Vauxhall;
Brian Johnson - Swansea West; Steve Colborn – Easington; Kevin Parkin - Oxford
East; Mike Foster - Oxford West and Abingdon; Robert Cox – Canterbury; Andy
Thomas - Folkestone and Hythe; Howard Pilott - Brighton Pavilion; Jacqueline
Shodeke - Brighton Kemptown
If there is no Socialist Party candidate in your
constituency, that doesn't stop you helping via the internet and social media.
We are reaching out to people who are interested in socialist ideas and trying
to draw them closer to our movement.
Here's the reply of our candidate in Islington North:
ReplyDelete"Thank you for your email, and request to sign up to your Simpol principles. I'm afraid I cannot.
Whilst the Socialist Party shares your general principles of democracy, co-operation and worldwide action, we see the problems facing the world as stemming from the ownership of the wealth of the world by a privileged class. We do not think the world's problems can be solved until the wealth of the world is taken into the common and direct democratic ownership of the whole of humanity.
Specifically, we think this requires a self-conscious and active movement of people working together, worldwide, and we cannot allow this movement to be divided into nation states or rely on Governments to help us.
If you would like to know more about the World Socialist Movement, please do take a look at our website at www.worldsocialism.org
Your for World Socialism,
Bill Martin (Socialist Party Candidate, Islington North).