Questions about capitalism

Letter published in the Shields Gazette, Thurs 5th March:

I WOULD ask Craig Robinson (Have Your Say, Gazette, Monday March 2), a couple of questions:

• You say, “There are important left-leaning reformists who increasingly recognise the two great weaknesses of the prevailing approach to poverty. Firstly, they recognise that the war on poverty has been captured by vested interests who have become detached from the noble ambitions of the early left.”

Who are these ‘left leaning’ reformists?

• You say, “The left has become too Marxist and insufficiently Methodist.”

Where is the evidence for this bizarre claim?

You talk about the ‘left’ and of ‘left leaning’ but what do you, in actual fact, mean by these generalised terms? The ‘left’ you talk of, support the capitalist system, full stop! They are to be found on the spectrum of pro capitalist parties, from right-wing fascists to left-wing red fascists. All support this system (with slight variations) unequivocally. They want to, and think they can, tinker with capitalism and have a good impact! The fact is, they cannot. Capitalism runs one way and one way only, in the interests of a tiny fraction of the world’s population: the capitalists.

I myself, and the party I represent, care not one wit who is the UK government of the day, Tory, Labour, ConDem, etc etc, they are all the same. We do not want to tinker with capitalism but abolish it! Moreover, as opposed to some of these, you would no doubt label so-called lefties, we do not want, nor believe we can, lead anyone to an alternative way of organising society. This must be done by the majority themselves, in an organised, class-conscious way, with no leaders nor led! Only in this way, will it be a truly democratic change.

So if your letter was aimed at my previous two letters with regards to capitalism, you are wide of the mark. If it is with regards those you label the ‘left’, have no worries, they are fully committed to capitalism, just not in the way you appear to be!

Steve Colborn,

The Socialist Party PPC for Easington