We can make a better world

The Socialist Party of Great Britain, the second oldest political party in the country, are contesting three seats in the coming election of 8^th June. The Socialist Party offers the only alternative to the profit system. Rather than the daily struggle that most people face today, we could have a world where we all have access to what we require to satisfy our needs, and are not rationed by the size of our wage packet or state handout. The Socialist Party stands for a future that works with everyone able to sit in the ‘driving seat’. Look at what is ahead on the economy - yet more austerity, yet more pain. On the environment, we see impending disaster where 20-plus years of talking has got us no nearer to doing anything substantial in protecting the planet.  The current capitalist system is criminal. We cannot accept this as the best way to run things.  The other parties support the present system and tinker around with the present system trying to fix it but the same problems remain and for the same reason: capitalism is a profit-driven system where making profits takes, and has to take, priority over meeting people’s needs and safeguarding the environment. No government can change this. What is required is a complete Revolution to get rid of capitalism altogether. The others want to change a few laws, shift money about a bit; but in the end profits always come first. Is this the only way?  We are standing in this election to raise the issue of the need to end capitalism and replace it.  We will be standing for that and nothing else.

We can land space probes onto comets, restore sight to the blind and perform triple heart bypass operations so surely we have the brains to figure out a better system, one where we will be producing to satisfy people’s needs, not for profit, where no one has to live in poverty while a small minority are wealthy beyond imagination. The Socialist Party believes in a society of cooperation, in helping each other, not exploiting our neighbours. We believe that power should be shared, not in the hands of a greedy elite who control how much you are paid, where you work when you work or even if you can get work? You have no say in any of these issues which have a big effect on you and those who benefit from the present system would have you believe there is no alternative. It helps them if you believe it so.

 But what can you do about it? You don’t have to believe you are powerless.  If you choose not to support this anymore and vote socialist you will be one of an increasing number challenging the system.  You will be signalling your support for a world cooperative society where wealth is freely shared according to need, where decisions are made for the common good rather than for the gain of vested business interests and where you have as much said as the next person regardless of status.

The Socialist Party is not overly concerned that transnational corporations and the super-rich evade paying their taxes. We are much more concerned with the actual existence of such a class of super-rich within society. Their income and wealth derive from the exploitation of the rest of us who, by our work, produce all the wealth of society. Socialism will put an end to this by making the means of wealth production common property under the democratic control of the community. There will be no rich or super-rich nor poor or super-poor, just a classless society of free and equal men and women cooperating to produce and distribute what they need in accordance with the socialist principle of "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs". 

Much of the NHS is already run for profit by private companies (the Carer network for example), and it matters little whether these companies are based in the UK or in the US. Those parts of the NHS which are not directly privatised are still restricted in what they can deliver because they are funded by taxes. The sources of those taxes are private companies, which restrict what they pay their workers (or to the State) in order to maximise profits. So whether privatised by US-based companies or ‘nationalised’, the NHS will continue to suffer an endemic crisis. Similar comments apply to all public services.

The Socialist Party stands for the creation of a global system where we will freely co-operate to produce what we need and access will be based solely on our self-defined needs. In terms of the NHS that means people will become doctors and nurses because that work is fulfilling in its own right, and access will be based solely on medical need. In a society, without the limitations of money and profit, there is no limit to what the human race can achieve in all fields, including medicine. Politicians could commit to a free NHS but then it would ration and exclude a whole range of treatments. The real issue is whether the level of health care freely available in our society matches the needs of the population and already that is not the case. During the financial crisis, the banks were handed literally billions and billions of pounds with no strings attached: just to keep them from going under. Two were nationalised at great public expense. Why? Because their precarious position seriously jeopardised the wealth of big corporations and investors. If there were another banking crisis, the same would happen again: because they are held by our Government to be more important than we are. Unless we tackle this unbalanced system of power and privilege, commitments to free NHS care at the point of use are simply platitudes. What is the point of free health care if you cannot afford somewhere decent to live? If you cannot feed your children healthy food? You can see plainly where loyalties lie. The Government is there to serve the rich and powerful, and until that changes anything else is window dressing. They will promise anything and mean nothing. The answer? Kick them all out in a democratic revolution that changes things for good. Vote the Socialist Party on June 8. Your health care would be free in socialism because everything would be free – we advocate a money-free society. We really believe money is the root of much evil and we can do without it pretty well, actually. We know it sounds strange and off-beat but a few minutes reflection and perhaps it is not such a bad idea after all. There are plenty of cash-free relationships in the world and there is no reason why we can’t generalise these further.

You may not agree and find it hard to accept. But if I have made any connections, if there are resonances with some of the things we’ve said, get in touch, come and talk to us. In this party everyone is equal and has an equal say: there is no leader. This is a truly bottom-up movement aimed at creating a bottom-up society. This revolution in human affairs will only be realised democratically, through the ballot box. By voting for the Socialist Party in the forthcoming election you take the first step to bringing that about. The Socialist Party exists to argue that people are intelligent enough to arrange things so that society runs to benefit us all and not just the 1%. The whole thing has to be restructured so that we are in control.  A vote for us is signalling that you too want the entire system to change: you have had enough of this exploitation and degradation. Things will only move forward when people start to assert their dissatisfaction with what is happening.  Vote for the Socialist Party and start to bring about the change that is necessary.