Socialism – the solidarity economy

Beyond the madness of the capitalist system there lies a great prospect. In place of a world driven by competition and conflict there is the prospect of a united humanity. Instead of being driven by the economic laws of an exploitative system there lies the prospect of a society that would work democratically in the interests of all people. This is the prospect of a new society based on common ownership, democratic control and production solely for needs.

Socialism would be organised solely for the interests of all people and would operate with a combination of vital freedoms; the freedom to apply all useful resources to providing for needs; the freedom to make democratic decisions about the priorities of community action and the freedom to carry out those decisions in the most efficient way. 

The first task of socialism will be to solve the great social problems of capitalist society. This will be co-operation to produce more food, to provide housing, sanitation and clean water for the hundreds of millions who endure sub-standard conditions or who live in squalor; to provide health services; to construct a safe world energy system, to stop the despoliation of the planet and the pollution of its atmosphere, seas, forests and lands; to provide for education, enjoyment and world contact. These are the great projects for which world socialism would release the immense resources of useful labour that are now exploited, misused or wasted by the insanities of the profit system. 

Socialism will operate with one simple and ordinary human ability which is universal; the ability of every individual to co-operate with others in a world wide community of interests. For this, co-operative labour must have free access to all the means of production, distribution and the earth's resources which are our common inheritance. As well as its abundant natural wealth everything in this inheritance has only one source which is useful work in all its variety. This has been the work of arts and crafts; science and technology; mining and industry; tool making and manufacturing; building, farming, transport; services such as health and education. All these skills represent the accumulated power of useful labour. Wherever we look throughout the world we see the best things it can do once it can flourish in freedom for the needs of all people. 

Useful labour is a power that is shared in common between all humanity, rising above the differences of race, culture and language and the various routes through which communities have emerged from history. From this diversity and in co-operation, useful labour can enrich all human experience. In every world problem, in every common hope that remains unrealised, and in every common experience of failure and disillusion, is the voice of useful labour demanding its free expression. Properly defined and set out as a clear objective world socialism provides its political direction. Once the genius of our species is allowed to flower for the benefit of all people, the work of solving our problems will be not just materially rewarding but will also provide the utmost enjoyment. In carrying out this great project it is certain that the present era will in time be regarded with scarce comprehension of how misguided and self destructive our species can be whilst a better world might so easily have been created

Communities in socialism must stop people dying from hunger and could do it immediately. Beyond this a choice of good quality food would be produced for all people. This would require increased world food production. 

Socialism must also house the world's population in comfort, providing for the basic necessities of piped clean water, drainage systems, cooking facilities and other domestic amenities. In addition socialism must establish a safe world energy supply, stop pollution and adopt techniques able to work within the natural systems of the environment in non destructive ways. There is a need to bring into balance the world distribution of means of production, transport systems and storage facilities. There is a need to extend health and education services and further develop communications of every kind. For all these great projects, socialism would begin with a structure of production, inadequate for the supply of these needs. This would require a rapid expansion of production. 

These aims would have to be accomplished in stages in an order of priorities, doing what was manageable at first, monitoring the progress made and then going on. As we have said, this anticipates a stage of development in socialism when pressures of necessity will be eased with the result that communities will have wider options on how to live. In these circumstances, no doubt, various philosophies of needs will be widely debated leading perhaps to a great diversity of life styles. But given the present state of things, our desperate need is to solve our problems.