The Strength of All for the Good of All

The world of tomorrow, if it remains capitalist, is an utterly black one. Only socialism unhindered by the profit motive would permit of the free development of the means of production and distribution with the object of use.  Only the socialist reorganisation of society can be the answer. The aim of the Socialist Party is to replace the world capitalist economy with a world commonwealth cooperative system. Socialist society, is mankind’s only way out, for it alone can abolish the contradictions of the capitalist system which threaten to degrade and destroy the human race. Socialists will abolish the class division of society, all forms of exploitation and oppression of man by man. Society will no longer consist of antagonistic classes in conflict with each other but will present a united commonwealth of labour. For the first time in its history mankind will take its fate into its own hands. Instead of destroying innumerable human lives and incalculable wealth in struggles between classes and nations, mankind will devote all its energy to the development and strengthening of its own collective might.

After abolishing private ownership of the means of production and converting these means into social property, world socialism will replace the elemental forces of the world market, competitive and blind processes of social production, by consciously organised and planned production for the purpose of satisfying rapidly growing social needs. With the abolition of competition and anarchy in production, devastating crises and still more devastating wars will disappear. Instead of the colossal waste of productive forces and spasmodic development of society-there will be a planned utilisation of all material resources and a painless economic development on the basis of the unrestricted, smooth and rapid development of productive forces.  Work will cease to be toiling for the benefit of a class enemy: instead of being merely a means of livelihood it will become a necessity of life: want and economic inequality, the misery of enslaved classes, and a wretched standard of life generally will disappear; the hierarchy created in the division of labour system will be abolished together with the antagonism between mental and manual labour; and the last vestige of the social inequality of the sexes will be removed. At the same time, the organs of class domination, and the State in the first place will disappear also. The State, being the embodiment of class domination, will die out in so far as classes die out, and with it, all measures of coercion will expire.

There is only one alternative, socialism, and there is only one party fighting for it, the Socialist Party. Capital is moving, rapidly, ceaselessly, remorselessly. Let the organised working people manage industry, eliminate private profit, plan production to suit the needs of the people – for peace, prosperity and plenty for all! 

The Socialist Party opposes all forms of reformism and gradualism. Our Marxism is revolutionary, an uncompromising hostility to capitalism. Socialism is not a reform, it is a revolution. We are not reformers, we are revolutionists. It is what distinguishes the Socialist Party from those who merely wish to patch up the present system and keep it. There certainly exists a radical difference between the Socialist Party and those who have adopted the term socialism.

The Socialist Party is organised upon the basis of the analysis of the capitalist system and the class struggle. The need is for clarity. The Socialist Party stands for the self-emancipation of the working class. The first requirement for the workers in all countries of the world is to break cleanly from the capitalist class and their political parties, and any and all concepts of coalitions with their parties. Capitalism remains what it has been from birth: a system of exploitation of the many for the enrichment and aggrandisement of the few.

We have always maintained that the only place for socialists is inside a socialist organisation, completely independent of all other political parties. This, we say, is the only way of carrying on the advocacy of socialist ideas free from compromise and from distracting side issues. Those who differed from us on this point have urged that it was worthwhile to make a sacrifice of some amount of independence in order to be inside the Labour Party and carry on our campaign there. But what has been the result of that policy? Never have events shown so plainly as now, how unsound is the policy and how poor its fruits. Victories at elections on non-socialist programmes may give power for certain things to those who come into control of the political machinery, but it will give no power for the furtherance of socialism. How can socialists hope to convince electors to support socialist principles when they are offering their support to non-socialist Labour politicians and their policies? To advocate socialism inside the Labour Party means condemning its manifesto and its methods. If the Socialist Party enters into the Labour Party, it must give up its work for socialism and devote at least part of its energies to promoting non-socialist candidates which it honestly knows are of no value to the working class. We cannot accept such conditions.

We are socialists because we believe that socialism is the sole hope of the working class. We are independent because that is the only safeguard against confusion and compromise and the growth of non-socialist tendencies in our own ranks.

THIS NEW YEAR