The sole election issue is socialism

TIME NOW TO BUILD SOCIALISM

The vote means that workers has a voice, that can be heard and, if united, would be heeded. Centuries of struggle and sacrifice were required to wrest this freedom from the clutches of our tyrants and place it in our hands. Working people have moved slowly but surely towards liberty but a necessary step is to sever all relations with the capitalist parties. They are all alike, differing only in being committed to different sets of capitalist interests—they have the same principles under varying colours, are equally corrupt and are one in their subservience to capital and their hostility to the working class. Workers who supports pro-capitalist parties forges their own chains and are the authors of their own misery. They are voting into office the class enemies of working people. Despite their shortcomings, elections are still the best method available for workers to express their desire for socialism. Furthermore, although parliament run by Labour or Tory politicians is incapable of controlling the economic system in a rational and humane way, it is the centre of political control in the advanced industrial countries. Sadly, on 8 June, the power to register a desire to change society in a fundamental way in the shape of their vote will once again be squandered on pro-capitalist parties.

Many parties try seek to make their campaign pledges as palatable as possible and as attractive as they can by dropping whatever policy that may give offence that it serves as a bait for votes rather than as a means of education, and votes thus gained are not sincere votes of support. The Socialist Party disdains such votes as it does not legitimately register the degree of agreement nor the progress our party. Such votes do not properly belong to us and do injustice to our party as well as to those who cast them. Socialism cannot be advanced by acquiring fictitious votes. We seek only an actual vote for socialism, no more and no less. The vote should express the people’s will. In our campaign we state our principles clearly to convince fellow-workers and win them over to our cause through an understanding of our aim and goals. We, of course want the support of the people, but only of those who trust in socialism and are ready to vote and work with us for the overthrow of capitalism. The call of the Socialist Party is to all members of the exploited class to muster beneath it banner and put an end to the last of the barbarous class struggles by conquering the state machine, taking possession of the means of production and making them the common property of all, abolishing wage-slavery and establishing the co-operative commonwealth.

Some left-wingers argue that unity is more important than standing by principles. They call for electoral alliances with not only non-socialists but avowedly anti-socialists. No possible good can come from any such kind of a political alliance with rival parties. The Socialist Party is made up of men and women who refuse to compromise with their oppressors; who desire no votes that can be bought with fake promises and no support under any false pretence whatsoever. The Socialist Party stands squarely upon its principles and relies wholly upon the education of the working class. Ignorance alone stand in the way of socialist success. The capitalist parties understand this and use their resources to prevent the workers from seeing the real nature of the capitalist system. Indoctrination is essential to industrial slavery.

The Socialist party is not a capitalist party, nor a middle-of-the-road reformist party, but a revolutionary working class party, whose objective it is to conquer capitalism on the political battle-field, take control of the State and through the public powers take possession of the means of wealth production, abolish wage-slavery and emancipate all workers and all humanity. With the onslaught of the environmental crisis the old order of society can survive but little longer. Socialism is next for the survival of mankind. Soon that minority will be the majority and then will come the co-operative commonwealth. Every lover of freedom should support the Socialist Party as the only party that is organised to abolish wage slavery, the source of the evils that afflict all the people. The overthrow of capitalism is the object of the Socialist Party. It will not fuse with any other party that does not stand for socialism and it would rather dissolve than compromise. The Socialist Party fully comprehends the magnitude of its task and has the patience of preliminary defeat and the faith of ultimate victory. The working class must be emancipated by the working class so that society must be reconstructed by the working class.

From the day of its foundation the Socialist Party has struggled consistently to use every opportunity provided by the parliamentary system in Britain to further the struggle for socialism, and to voice the case for socialism. However, at the present time, the very electoral system itself, based upon the deposit system and the electoral machinery of the capitalist parties in each constituency, make it extremely difficult for a party to even put up a candidate. Socialism can only be established by the majority political action of a working class that wants and understands it. To establish socialism, the working class must first win control of political power and to do this they must organise as a political party. In modern political conditions — the overwhelming numerical superiority of the working class, universal suffrage, political democracy, an army and civil service recruited from the workers — the working class can, and should, use elections and parliament as the way to winning power for socialism. A socialist party should contest elections whenever it can, but only on a socialist programme. Where there are no socialist candidates, a socialist party should advocate the casting of blank or spoiled voting papers. Why not make a statement rather than stay silent. All you have to do is write across your ballot paper ‘World Socialism’. A vote’s always worth using, even when there’s nobody worth voting for.