Elections for Revolution

The Newport West constituency by-election takes place today. Eleven candidates will contest the seat. Unfortunately, the Socialist Party is unable to do so but we can present the case for socialism. At this election you have a wide choice of parties, Conservative, LibDems, Labour, Nationalist, Green, and others. It’s tempting to get drawn into the phoney war that passes for political debate today. They all spout the same promises. But it all amounts to the same thing—they offer no alternative to the present way of running society. Do you really think who wins an election makes any difference to how you live? And do politicians actually have much real power anyway? OK, they may get to open supermarkets and factories, but it’s capitalism and the market system which closes them down.

When the Socialist Party stands in elections, it addresses the electorate with one object as its platform— socialism, the complete dispossession of the entire capitalist class and the reorganisation of society on the basis of production solely for use. 

When a majority understand the nature of capitalism, understand the futility of electing leaders to reform it, and that a complete change of the basis of society is both necessary and possible, then they will democratically elect their representatives for this sole object. If we take a look at those hoping to be elected in Newport, we find that the candidates pander to a variety of tastes and requirements, and play off one group of people against another. “Something for everybody” might well be their motto

Socialism cannot be brought about by promises. It needs a knowledgeable working class who understand and desire it. They alone can establish the new world system we need. When the Socialist Party do contest elections, our candidates do not make any promises; they do not try to convince voters that they will do anything for them. When we contest elections, we don’t engage in smooth and glib electioneering. We do not involve ourselves in the hiring of image consultants and spin-doctors, the cynical analysis of focus group responses to discern where lies the greatest electoral advantage or the cultivation of the media to project some image. We openly state that our aim is the replacement of the current basis of society (capitalism and production for profit by an alternative society (socialism and production to meet people’s needs) and we work towards this aim. What we offer is the case for a new social system. We are seeking to spread knowledge and understanding of socialism and to give as many people as possible the opportunity of voting for a world of abundance, peace and freedom.

The capitalist class are able to safeguard and preserve their position only by virtue of their control of the political machinery. They thus make and administer the laws, direct the police and judicial officers, and, above all, maintain the trained armed fighting forces in the country to keep the workers under control and to guard the capitalists’ property. In other words, the capitalist class know, or are conscious of, their position and interests, while the workers in the main are far from having clearly grasped the situation as it affects them. The first thing requisite on the workers’ behalf is a clear recognition of the deep gulf existing between the robbed working class and the robber capitalist class, and following thereupon the application of that fact to their action in the political field by taking up a position of uncompromising hostility to all supporters of capitalism in any shape or form. Before workers can better their position to any material extent, they must wrest the political machinery from the hands of the capitalist class.

WEBSITE
http://www.wspus.org/