The simple ideas of socialism

People often ask me what do you mean by socialism is it the brutal dictatorships that have been held up as failed states where the condemnation of socialism cannot work? I say no these are gross distortions undemocratic and not what we’d define as socialism. I’m told I’m splitting hairs and I can’t decide what is and isn’t socialism well I don’t agree to me many people in the labour movement will call themselves socialist but for me it is the simple feeling that the current system we live under capitalism does not work for the many and that we need system change. The system I stand for would be socialism democratic socialism with the highest form of democracy. I stand for choicer not less, greater participating in running of society from the bottom up and a society based on the meeting of people’s needs not the blind drive for profit. Eliminating the profit motive would instantly mean we could produce for people needs a fundamental reorganisation of society would be necessary. I do not believe we can reform the system out of existence either I think only fundamental revolutionary socialist change can see us on the path towards human enlightenment. I do not feel that humans have even began to tap into their thought and learning potential there is so much we could achieve in a more advanced planned economy where the need to make profit was not the deciding factor in if we produce something. This would not lead to mass waste or things we didn’t need as opponents would have you believe if anything it would be far more efficient as we would only produce for what we need not spend huge amounts on waste for marketing purposes and duplications of the same product. Socialism for me has always been a simple idea and something that i feel many people can understand. It is based for me on a deep sense of fairness and a complete hatred for unfairness. Understanding and discovering there was an n alternative to the madness of the market has opened my eyes up to all sorts of possibilities that could be possible if our economy was under the democratic control of the working class. I dream and fight for and a society where there are no class’s as class’s have been abolished this would mean the working class coming to power internationally and realising their potential latent power. We do not need boss’s but the boss’s need us, the wealth today created is created by the workers why should we not own and control this instead of our wages and profits being creamed off for profits of a few. Putting socialist ideas in plain everyday language is good it helps us connect with those who have not yet seen the light so to speak. Having a class consciousness is key to understanding the world and what needs to happen to change society. Once this has been awoken in people things can change very quickly indeed. Socialism is the future and the way forward, the march to power of the working class begins here.

Join the Worldwide Movement for Socialism!

By SocialistAlternative.org Capitalism is an international system in decay. Multinational corporations want to produce their products at the lowest possible costs. This overarching desire for short-term profit leads to low wages and crumbling benefits. On a world scale, the actions of the reckless massive energy companies and the waste of an ever-expanding global market have led to an environmental crisis of momentous proportions, resulting in the highest temperatures ever recorded, the melting of polar ice caps, and an increased intensity of storms. These global problems must be met with international solutions and a worldwide movement. Socialist Alternative stands in political solidarity with the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) – an organization in over 40 countries fighting for fundamental change – in arguing for a socialist transformation of society. The crisis of capitalism is reaching a dramatic phase, with more and more people looking for solutions to poverty, racism, sexism, declining benefits, environmental destruction, and mass unemployment. The root of these problems is a system that thrives on low wages, slashed social programs, and divide-and-rule tactics to attack oppressed people. The capitalist system provides no way out of this devastation. The super-rich put the pain caused by this crisis onto the backs of workers and youth by laying people off and cutting education, health care, and pay while at the same time bailing out the banks. Still, the crisis continues and deepens as the super-rich globally sit on trillions of dollars that they refuse to invest, while hundreds of millions of people lack jobs and the basic necessities of life to survive. The CWI and Socialist Alternative propose democratic socialism as a means to alleviate this madness. Socialism isn't about dictatorships, one-party states, or a loss of basic rights. Democratic socialism is about using the resources of society for the good of the vast majority rather than just for the profits of a few. Through democratic control of the resources of the top corporations, we could decide to invest in clean energy rather than environmental devastation. We could put all the unemployed to work and use new technology to reduce the working week without loss of pay rather than as a further weapon in the hands of the bosses to speed up the workforce and boost profits. We could decide to use our human potential for education, health care, and housing rather than war, discrimination, and waste. We support and demand improvements in the lives of ordinary people immediately, but we also realize that it will take mass movements to win reforms. Socialists participate in movements to inspire others that an alternative world can be built and that by mobilizing the tens of millions who have an interest in fighting for a new and better society we can build more powerful and dynamic movements. We need democratic structures in our movements and we need bold socialist demands so we can speak to all those pushed down by the capitalist system. In every movement, we need to realize that the capitalists will take away any positive gains we can win as long as we leave their power and control intact. Likewise, the rich and powerful would aim to isolate any people or country that moves in a socialist direction. The capitalists have a global market, and they don’t want anyone setting a “bad example” by using the resources of their country for the benefit of the 99% rather the rich elite. This is one reason why the CWI organizes internationally, to provide solidarity and support for movements worldwide and also to learn lessons from the struggles in Greece, South Africa, England, Brazil, and elsewhere. Internationally and in the U.S., working-class power can be built out of movements to defend our rights and fight for a better world. Democratic, fighting unions, new political movements of the 99%, and our protests in the streets can be the building blocks of a struggle for a socialist society. This means movements need to be linked up with a clear program of demands, and activists must learn from historic and international struggles. Through movements and political education, we can raise consciousness. The CEOs and big shareholders want us to think that they create the jobs and that we can’t survive without them. In truth, working people produce everything, provide all the services, and distribute everything. All the super-rich do is control the profits and work on ways to further exploit and divide us. In short, bosses need workers and we don’t need bosses. Taking the economy into the hands of working people can be the basis for providing full employment, countering environmental destruction, and starting the process of ending discrimination. Socialists have as our aim an end to the dictatorship of big business and the beginnings of a society based on real democracy and an end to oppression. Join Socialist Alternative and help build the growing movement against capitalist misery worldwide.

Capitalism does not work, time for system change!

As the crisis in global capitalism grows deeper and deeper by the week many workers will be looking ever more for an alternative grappling with their emotions and their thoughts for an alterative to this rotten capitalist system. Many still don’t know what is causing the crisis and why we have got the cuts. As Marxists we have to patiently explain why we are where we are and what needs to happen for things to change for the better. Chancellor Osborne has had to admit the humiliating truth - his policies to revive the British economy aren't working. But his solution is to carry on with more of the same - make the working class pay more and do nothing about his tax-dodging, multimillionaire friends. Councils across the country are cutting jobs and services. Now Osborne's autumn statement is rubbing salt into those wounds. It carries measures which will hit the poor and the most vulnerable the hardest. In fact everybody except the super-rich is facing rising bills and falling wages, as well as job insecurity and a bleak future. We're definitely not 'all in this together'. Big tax-avoiding companies like Starbucks, Amazon and Google are embarrassed that their antics have been exposed. It's not good PR. But they know that the chancellor will generally leave them alone, along with his rich chums. After all it was Osborne who cut £3 billion from the tax office HMRC's budget in October 2010. This included axing 10,000 jobs. When you look at this alongside the scandal of MPs still with their snouts buried in the expenses trough, it's no wonder that workers are fighting back. The call for co-ordinated action against the cuts, low pay and the Con-Dem's austerity agenda in general is gaining support. For example Unison's Scottish council has voted unanimously to instruct the union to "immediately take the necessary steps to promote with all STUC affiliated unions the need for a coordinated industrial action strategy, beginning with a one-day strike across Scotland." Brian Smith, Glasgow city branch secretary and a member of Socialist Party Scotland explained that the trade unions "must step-up our campaign to defend wages, jobs, pensions and services by organising coordinated strike action across all sectors of the economy. "At times when Unison members are facing yet more pay cuts, further attacks on pensions and tens of thousands of jobs losses its clear the Con-Dem government will not stop unless they are forced back. A 24-hour general strike must be organised urgently to stop these attacks." The rotten establishment - of a rotten system Just as arrogant bankers flaunted their wealth while they helped crash the economy, so establishment politicians, press barons and some police have had their arrogance and contempt for 'the plebs' - the mass of working people in Britain - revealed in a seemingly ceaseless series of revelations of corruption and abuse of power. From hacking, to Hillsborough, to blacklisting and blatant robbing of the public, Britain's establishment are spoilt rotten by power, and working people are getting sick of it. Even Leveson's tame report exposed the rotten and corrupt relationships between different parts of the British state's establishment. Appalling abuses took place with impunity as press, politicians and senior police enjoyed cosy relationships. The media is now full of debate about a 'free press'. But we don't have a free press! Do ordinary people own our big newspapers? Of course not. Rich people do, and they do it to buy power and influence. Murdoch owns four papers and satellite TV. The press barons are part of the ruling establishment and use their media to defend their rotten system, a system founded on the wealth of a few and impoverishment of the many. They are the image of George Orwell's 'trash' media from "1984". Poisoning people and setting one group against the other to deflect the flak from themselves. Leveson hoped his report would be accepted by all three political parties. That in itself indicates its' timidity. It is little more than a beefed up version of what exists and allowed such abuses in the first place. After the experience of toothless watchdogs like gas price regulator, OfGem, who'd imagine OfHack would be any more effective? However, media barons are demanding that they police the press, and there is a serious attempt to bury his report by them and many politicians. Many ask can the con-dems survive till 2015 it looks increasingly likely that they will but things don’t have to be this way. If met by a determined trade union and workers' movement, then no. But faced with a Labour opposition that agrees with cuts they may still be able to drag on. The economy is grinding to a halt, yet the deficit is not reducing. They now admit the pain will go on for another decade! All that unites the coalition is agreement that working people must be made to pay for the crisis. Governing parties were hammered in November's byelections. But Labour's victories didn't reflect huge enthusiasm for them, despite the hatred of the Coalition parties. Mass voter abstentions reflect a feeling that none of the establishment parties offer working class people a voice. Britain's rulers are rotten and there's only one thing that unites them: Making us pay for their crisis and 'dividing and ruling' us to achieve that. They threw pensioners against students when fees raised, private sector against public sector when they wanted to cut pensions, and now they want everybody to blame benefit recipients. But they can be fought. Scottish Unison's call for a one day strike, across Scotland and the UK, is a clear call to action as is the refusal of councillors in Southampton to vote for cuts. Working people and youth must unite to fight back. But we must go further than resisting attacks. Things are rotten for a reason. While the system that spawns such a corrupt elite continues, so will all the abuses, injustices and inequality. The capitalist free market system demands we suffer and the politicians and press are merely the instruments of enforcing that. They have had it all their own way for over 30 years and the result? The mother of all economic crises and a sick society, made more unbearable by their arrogance. When Leveson reported, Andy Coulson and Rebecca Brooks were appearing in court. One or two of the elite may get rapped knuckles - don't bank on it - but as well as fighting every cut or injustice, the real answer is to change the system. If the super-rich 1% carry on owning the vast majority of the wealth they will continue to pull the strings. We need a voice. Imagine if there was a mass party that said what we all know - that cuts are just a way of making workers pay for the bankers' crisis. Such a party would oppose them. Imagine if that party was also part of the campaigns in workplaces and communities, if its leaders were workers, trade unionists, pensioners and young people. A new mass workers' party will need a programme that shows how jobs, services and benefits could be paid for without making other working class people suffer. Socialists points to the hoarded billions of the mega rich - an estimated £800 billion they hide away in bank accounts as they can see no easy route to a quick profit. What about a 50% levy on that as a start to pay for investment in jobs, homes and the NHS? But fundamentally it's about ownership - and that means nationalisation of the banking system and also the taking back of all the privatised utilities and services that the 1% vultures are grabbing. So don't waste energy shouting at the TV. Get involved instead and join the socialist party today. With extracts taken from this weeks socialist paper issue 745

An idea whose time has come

Certainly times are changing; very quickly indeed it feels like years go by in a day at the moment. SO it is no surprise to me that ideas such as workers in struggle once again is coming back to the foreground. It’s been a while since the terms socialism and capitalism were being openly discussed and an idea that we cannot go on like we are. System change or at least the early signs of people discussing things need to change are on the agenda. I was at the NSSN lobby of the TUC yesterday and there was certainly a mood of defiance and determination to take the struggles forward. Whilst I say all this I do not think socialism or socialist ideas are popular in the mass’s of workers minds yet only by being drawn into struggle be that attending demonstrations against the cuts this autumn, taking strike action or coming into contact with a party like the socialist party of which I’m a member of. Consciousness as we know always lags behind but in periods of heightened class struggle which we are certainly in today consciousness can make big leaps and I do think the occupy movement while we have many reservations with the structures and slogans it did show a change or a shift in peoples thinking slogans like capitalism is crisis and the ideas of the 99% and the 1% was a first attempt of drawing conclusions of what is going on in society and the wider global economy. Workers are facing the biggest attack on their living standards possibly ever. What was won since the Second World War the welfare state, NHS, public services including many local services are disappearing under our very noses. Do you think workers will just stand by and watch this happen? No, they won’t and will by their class instincts be drawn into battle with the boss’s. The Tories are in disarray with arguments and splits a plenty in the coalition too we cannot predict what will topple this government or which split could open up as a huge split but increased strikes and industrial action on a mass scale including public and private sector workers which the NSSN supports could be the start of changing things out there. It is a slow process but ideas and people’s ideas are slowly starting to understand the reality of their children’s future being worse than their own. Socialism as we have always said as Marxists will come roaring back on to the scene as an alternative but it won’t just fall into our laps we must fight for the ideas of genuine Marxism of the teachings of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky. As revolutionaries we will fight for every reform for workers but know that ultimately the system, the system of capitalism must be overthrown no amount of tinkering or reforming the state will do. I’ve drawn these conclusions through being in the socialist party and I am sure in the coming months and years many more will do to. Its no longer enough to say what you are against, we can all say a million and one things we are against but where we differ we put forward an alternative. Things do not have to be this way, Workers can take control of society to run for need of the many not just the few.