The Socialist
Party of Great Britain election
platform on which we will be contesting the forthcoming 2010 General
Election. The election blog can be read here and should be regularly
updated
Capitalism Must Go
These elections are taking place in the middle of the biggest economic
and financial crisis since the 1930s. In a world that has the potential
to produce enough food, clothes, housing and the other amenities of
life for all, factories are closing down, workers are being laid off,
unemployment is growing, houses are being repossessed and people are
having to tighten their belts. And for once the main parties are being
honest in offering more of the same, competing with each other as to
which of them is going to impose the most “savage cuts”.
Capitalism in relatively "good" times is bad enough, but capitalism in
an economic crisis makes it plain for all to see that it is not a
system geared to meeting people's needs. It’s a system based on the
pursuit of profits, where the harsh economic law of "no profit, no
production" prevails. The headlong pursuit of profits has led to a
situation where the owners can't make profits at the same rate as
before. The class who own and control the places where wealth is
produced have gone on strike – refusing to allow these workplaces to be
used to produce what people need, some desperately. So, as in the
1930s, it’s poverty in the midst of potential plenty again. Cutbacks in
production and services alongside unmet needs. Why should we put up
with this? There is an alternative.
But that's the way capitalism works, and must work. The politicians in
charge of the governments don't really know what to do, not that they
can do much to change the situation anyway. They are just hoping that
the panic measures they have taken will work. But the slump won’t end
until conditions for profitable production have come about again, and
that requires real wages to fall and unprofitable firms to go out of
business. So, there's no way that bankruptcies, cut-backs and lay-offs
are going to be avoided, whatever governments do or whichever party is
in power.
What can be done? Nothing within the profit system. It can‘t be mended,
so it must be ended. But this is something we must do ourselves.
The career politicians, with their empty promises and futile measures,
can do nothing for us. We need to organise to bring in a new system
where goods and services are produced to meet people's needs. But we
can only produce what we need if we own and control the places where
this is carried out. So these must be taken out of the hands of the
rich individuals, private companies and states that now control them
and become the common heritage of all, under our democratic control. In
short, socialism in its original sense. This has nothing to do with the
failed state capitalism that used to exist in Russia or with what still
exists in China and Cuba.
THE SOCIALIST PARTY is putting up a candidate, here in Vauxhall, to
give you a chance to show that you don't want capitalism but want
instead a society of common ownership, democratic control and
production just for use not profit, with goods and services available
on the basis of "from each according to ability, to each according to
needs".
If you agree, you can show this by voting for us. But more importantly
get in touch with us to help working towards such a society after the
election is over.
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The Socialist Party's Summer School is
being held at Fircroft College, Selly Oak, Birmingham, over the long
weekend 23rd - 25th July.
The theme is
'Future Visions' - This year's weekend of talks and discussion looks to
the future. But what kind of future?
The residential
cost (including accommodation and all meals) is £130. The
concessionary rate (for students, unemployed people, pensioners etc.)
is £80. The non-residential cost (including meals) is £50.
If you're
interested in attending, e-mail Mike Foster at spgbschool@yahoo.co.uk .More
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