Raise your consciousness

Services and amenities are being cut and people shouldn't put up with this, but this is the fault of the capitalist profit system as it goes through one of its economic crises. So, it is misleading to blame those who administer this system rather than the system itself. The Socialist Party does not foster the illusion that things could be different under capitalism if only there were militant left-wingers such as those who endorse Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in charge. The only way capitalism can get out of a crisis is by cutting living standards. This is why the Socialist Party in this general election is campaigning for the abolition of capitalism, not for a change in the people running it or trying to make it work in a way it just cannot.

Parties promising to do things for others is not our idea of politics, so we are not making any promises to do anything for anyone. The Socialist Party is standing to give people the chance to show they reject the capitalist system where making profits always comes first. Capitalism is emerging from one of its periodic economic crises and the only way out for it is to restore profits by cutting the living standard of working people and their dependants. That’s why what our wages can buy has shrunk. It’s why benefits are being slashed. And it’s why the government has been cutting social services and benefits. In times of recession public services are the first thing that gets cut. This is the nature of capitalism and it’s time to wake up. We’re in a society that doesn’t work in our interests. That’s why, faced with an economic crisis, the government has been dismantling the Welfare State. And why local councils have been forced to do the same. It’s to leave businesses with more profit in the hope that this will lead them to start expanding again. That’s how capitalism works and can only work. It's not as if the government is imposing cuts because they're bastards (even if some of them could well be) who want to deprive pensioners of their outings or kick kids off their playgrounds or drive people out of their homes because they've got a spare bedroom. It's because they are in government when capitalism is in one of its slump periods and in slumps government spending has to be cut to help restore profits. Profits before people that's how capitalism works and can only work. There is no alternative within capitalism and it's misleading and even dishonest to suggest that there could be.  Capitalism is in crisis and they are making us pay for it. Austerity means increased hardship, attacks on the living conditions and wages of the working class, and a squeeze on those in receipt of benefits.  The growth in food banks is in reality a case of the capitalist state saving money by ridding itself of its role of providing basic support for destitute working class families – of, basically, feeding its hungry citizens – and forcing them to rely instead on charity. Socialism will provide food and drink, and much more, to everyone as of right in accordance with the principle 'from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs'. Nobody should have to rely on charity and nobody would.

There’s nothing we can do about it unless we dump the capitalist system. It won't be just the Tories but whichever party is in control. Conservative, Labour, LibDem politicians all accept capitalism and apply its economic law of profit before people. If Labour was in government they would be following the same economic course. In fact Labour did impose cuts to benefits and services. Politicians are just running the system in the only way it can be. It’s the system that’s to blame, not those elected to run it. That’s why changing the politicians in charge makes no difference. Instead of trusting in politicians we’ve have got to change the system ourselves, to one where the places where wealth is produced are no longer run as profit-seeking businesses but owned and democratically controlled by the community and used to provide a decent life for all.

The party’s main focus in elections is to use them as a platform from which to denounce the way the profit system works against the interest of the vast majority by imposing its logic of “no profit, no production” and “can’t pay, can’t have”. To argue instead for a world community without frontiers based on the planet’s resources being the common heritage of all humanity under democratic control and where the principle “from each according to their ability to each according to their needs” would apply.

 We’re looking for a real change. Not the kind of change that puts a different set of leaders in charge of the same old system. We’ve got a system which is ruled by money and the drive for profit and by its nature it causes insecurity, divisions and conflicts between people and grotesque inequality. It allows the world’s richest to own more wealth than half the world’s population put together.

This obviously won’t do. The Socialist Party stands for the kind of change that calls upon people over the whole planet to vote for a free access society without money and wages, without borders, without leaders and led. It’s a society based on democratic co-operation in using the world’s resources rationally to feed, clothe, house and give a decent life to everyone. It’s not a utopia either, it’s a real tangible prospect and more and more people are seeing that.

Our idea of revolution is not one of riots, barricades and blood on the streets. It’s about a complete change in the basis of society. From the present minority class ownership and production for profit to common ownership, democratic control and production to meet people’s needs. The present system can never be reformed to work in the interest of the majority. All the other candidates disagree and are promising to reform it in one way or another. But reform has been tried many times and look where we still are. The present system can only work by putting profits before people.

It’s not what governments, do that shapes how we live. It’s the economic system. And that’s what got to be changed. We shouldn’t vote for parties that are out to run the system. But we shouldn’t allow them a free run. That’s why the Socialist Party is contesting this election. To give people a chance to show they want an essentially peaceful democratic majority revolution to replace capitalism with a system in which productive resources have become the common heritage of all to be used for the benefit of all. In a socialist society children's lives would be one great adventure , education a creative journey, and the free development of each child the condition for the free development of all children.

Things are not produced today to meet people’s needs. They are produced to make a profit. And that’s the cause of the problems working-people face. Under the profit system profits always come first. Before providing basic services like health care and transport, before improving conditions at work, and before providing decent housing. It’s profits first, people second. Under the profit system production is in the hands of profit-seeking business enterprises, all competing to maximise the rate of return on the money invested in them.

Decisions as to what to produce and how much, and how and where to produce it, are not made in response to people’s needs but in response to market forces. As a result, the health and welfare of the workforce and the effects on the environment take second place. The profit system can’t help doing this. It’s the only way it can work. Which is why it must go. The reduced incomes and cuts to services that working people are having to put up with are a direct result of the profit system being in an economic crisis. When this happens governments, whatever their political colour, have to cut their spending so as to give profits a chance to recover. As local councils are largely financed by central government this trickles down to the local level too.

One thing is certain. The Tories, LibDems and Labour have nothing to offer. They all support the profit system and are only squabbling over which of them should have a go at running it. If we are going to improve things we are going to have to act for ourselves, without professional politicians or leaders of any kind. We are going to have to organise ourselves democratically to bring about a society geared to serving human needs not profits.

So, what’s the alternative? Production to satisfy people’s needs. That’s the alternative.

But this can only be done if we control production and the only basis for this is common ownership and democratic control. Register your rejection of the profit system and your agreement with the alternative by placing your X against the candidate's name representing the Socialist Party. Social consciousness is the key to this common ownership society and that’s what we’re trying to achieve by asking people to vote for us on June 8th.