Editorial

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The threat of global warming is clearly a global problem that can only be
dealt with by co-ordinated action at world level. But this is not going to
happen under capitalism. As a system involving competition between
profit-seeking corporations backed up by their protecting states, it is
inherently incapable of world-wide cooperation. There never has been
such cooperation. Just the opposite, in fact. The inevitable clashing interests
between different states, each seeking to pursue the interests of its
profit-seeking corporations, breeds war rather than cooperation. Look what
happened last century. Look at the invasion of Iraq this century.

So it’s not going to happen. There is not going to be any coordinated world
action to deal with global warming as long as capitalism is allowed to continue.
Something will be done but it is bound to be too little, too late.

It’s certainly going to be too little. These days, when private corporations
have governments under their thumb much more than in the recent past,
what is being proposed is not even state intervention to force carbon-polluting
corporations to limit their emissions in the overall capitalist interest. It’s to try
to use the mechanisms of the market to solve the problem: fiddling about with
the tax system to make investment in anti-pollution measures more profitable;
establishing an artificial world market and price for carbon. Anybody can see
that this is not going to work.

Governments are also proposing that individuals play their part, as if individuals
rather than the system were to blame. They want us to drive smaller cars, even
cycle to work, turn off the lights when we leave a room, not leave our TV on
standby, not fly to our holiday destination. That’s all very well but unless they
want us to reduce our standard of living that will just mean we would have
money to spend on something else. As the capitalist class are always wanting us
to reduce our standard of living since this means more for them as profits - and
provoke strikes and impose austerity to try to do so - , socialists are naturally
suspicious of the motives behind the government propaganda here.

In any event since the great bulk of carbon emissions come from energy generated
for industry, offices and commercial transport, as well as from deforestation, even
if we did all the things they want - and we’re not saying people shouldn’t, that’s an
individual life-style choice - it wouldn’t make much difference. Changing life-styles
is no more a solution to global warming than letting the invisible hand of the market
have a go.

Having said this, individuals do have some responsibility in the matter. Capitalism
 - the cause of the problem - only continues in the end because people put up with it.
Most people don’t see any alternative to working for wages, producing for profit,
using money, the world divided into states, the existence of armies. These attitudes
 both reflect and sustain capitalism. And every time people get a chance to vote, a
majority back politicians committed to maintaining the capitalist system as the way
of organising the production and distribution of wealth. So capitalism continues. As
do its problems, including the threat of global over-warming. Maybe as this gets
nearer people will be driven to consider an alternative.

Global warming can only be tackled by global action. And effective global action
will only be possible within the framework of a united world. A united world is
only possible on the basis of the Earth’s natural and industrial resources being the
common heritage of all humanity.

Introducing The Socialist Party


The Socialist Party is like no other political party in Britain.
It is made up of people who have joined together because we want
to get rid of the profit system and establish real socialism. 

Our aim is to persuade others to become  socialist and act for
themselves,organising democratically and without leaders, to 
bring about the kind of society that we are advocating in this
journal. 
We are solely concerned with building a movement of
socialists for socialism. 
We are not a reformist party with a programme of
policies to patch up capitalism.

We use every possible opportunity to make new socialists.
We publish pamphlets and books, as well as CDs, DVDs and
various other informative material.

We also give talks and take part in debates; attend rallies,
meetings and demos; run educational conferences; host internet
discussion forums,make films presenting our ideas, and contest
elections when practical. 
Socialist literature is available in Arabic, Bengali, Dutch,
Esperanto,French, German,Italian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish 
and Turkish as well as English.

The more of you who join the Socialist Party the more we will
be able to get our ideas across, the more experiences we will
be able to draw on and greater will be the new ideas for building
the movement which you will be able to bring us.

The Socialist Party is an organisation of equals. There is
no leader and there are no followers. So, if you are going
to join we want you to be sure that you agree fully with 
what we stand for and that we are satisfied that you understand
the case for socialism.
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