Our vision for rural Oxfordshire

Our candidate’s address at the Campaign to Protect Rural England hustings.

Good evening, and thanks for coming along,

The Socialist Party’s aim is for rural Oxfordshire, along with everywhere else, to be owned and managed by the community as a whole. So, we’re advocating changing how society is run. We won’t be making promises or backing reforms. This is because the system we live under now can’t be made to work in the interests of either ourselves or the environment. Most of the wealth in society is owned by a tiny minority who own land, industries and corporations. What drives the economy is the need for these organisations to make a profit for themselves, or at least to balance the books. So, companies will make decisions based on what is likely to bring in more money. Safeguarding the environment and satisfying people’s needs are less important considerations. This means that industries squander resources and churn out pollution for as long as it remains profitable for them to do so. And fields will be used to build on if this is cheaper than using brownfield sites, for example. Parliament uses legislation to try and keep society running as smoothly as possible, and that means fitting in with what’s financially viable. Decisions are made by distant, unrepresentative leaders, influenced by vested business interests. The vast majority of us have very little influence, including MPs who have to work within the system.

The alternative would be for the community as a whole to own and manage society’s resources. If our infrastructure was owned in common, there would be no need for an economic market, so there would be no need for buying and selling. Production for profit would be replaced by production for need. Goods would be manufactured and services would be run directly because people need and want them. Everyone would have free access to whatever they required. The waste which comes with the bureaucracy of pushing money around would be avoided, so resources could be focused on producing enough for a satisfying life. The environment could be managed in a more sustainable way without decisions being swayed by the financial interests of a minority. Plans for housing developments or transport infrastructure would be agreed democratically, taking into account everyone’s views. If the community is working together to benefit everyone, then the most responsible and sustainable decisions could be made.

OUR EVOLUTION TO CAPITALISM

This involves changing the basic way society is put together. So this could only happen if the vast majority of people worldwide worked together democratically to change society. The Socialist Party is standing in this election to use what little democracy we have to advocate a world of common ownership and free access.

Mike Foster

PPC for Oxford West and Abingdon

The Socialist Party (GB)