Editorial

What about the real issue?

By now you will perhaps have heard a  fair bit from the mainstream candidates in this month's General Election. They will have waffled on about services, jobs, crime, and how things will improve, if only they are put in power. They all talk about money - spend more, spend less, tax it, borrow it, lend it, find it - but they never talk about where it  comes from. They never talk about the basic  rules by which it is used. They just assume that money is being made, and that they can adapt their policies to the rules of the money-making game That is, they assume capitalism.    They defend a society in which the majority of the population must sell their capacity to work to the tiny handful who own most of the wealth. They defend a society in which things can only happen if there is a profit to be made. In short, they subscribe to the law of no profit, no production.   One thing is certain, and perhaps you'll already be of this opinion. Whichever candidate or party will win  brings about no significant changes to the way things are. And in between elections we have little or no say in the important decisions, the 'real issues' that concern us. Politicians are fond of telling us that we must take responsibility for our own actions and that we must see to it that our world is a fit place for our children to grow up in.   But how can we seriously do anything  about it when the real decisions are not in our hands? Because of the way things are organised at present, none of us are allowed to take part in the really important decisions that effect us - the ones about our schools, about health and housing, peace and pollution, and the distribution of wealth.    What the Socialist Party urges as the alternative to this insane set-up is a truly democratic society in which people take all of the decisions that effect them. This means a society without rich and poor,  without  owners  and workers, without governments and governed, a society without leaders or the led.   In such a society, people could cooperate voluntarily to run all of the world's natural and industrial resources in their own interests, freeing production from the artificial constraints of profit and establishing a system of society in which each person has free access to the benefits of civilisation. Socialist society would consequently mean the ending of buying, selling and exchange, an end to borders and frontiers, an end to force and coercion, waste and want and war.   Today we have the technology, the resources and the know-how to satisfy everyone's needs. That fact is well established.           However, we cannot utilise society's assets sensibly because of the profit-driven requirements of the market- system.   In a society in which the fundamental need of production is profit, our needs will always come a poor second. The profit system exerts such an  influence in society that it impinges upon every aspect of our lives, and you'd really be hard pressed to think of some service or product that is not balanced against cost - something to muse on when you're waiting for the bus, the police or visiting the local shops.   You may consider that the society we urge sounds nice, but that we are demanding the impossible. In truth all we are asking is that you, as members of the waged and salaried class, think for yourselves, value yourselves and your fellows higher, expect more for your children and grandchildren. Is it not the case that our world would be a better place to live in if we had a real democratic say in the decision-making process and real democratic control over the means and instruments for producing and distributing the things we need to live in comfort? Is it not high time that we took back control of our destiny from the profit-mongers and the masters of war? Contact Details

UK BRANCHES &  CONTACT INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS LONDON Central London branch. Corres:Richard Botterill, 21 Ashwell Park,  Harpenden, Herts AL5 5SG. Tel: 01582 764929. Email: 2nd Wed. 7.30pm. Penderel Oak's pub, 286-288 High Holborn,  London WC1V 7HG Enfield and Haringey branch. Tues 8pm.  Angel Community Centre, Raynham Rd, NI8. Corres: 17 Dorset Road, N22 7SL Email: South London branch.  1st Mon. 7.45pm. Head Office. 52 Clapham High St, SW4 7UN. Tel: 020 7622 3811. West London branch. 1st & 3rd Tues.8pm, Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace (Corner Sutton Court Rd), W4. Corres: 51 Gayford Road, London W12 9BY Pimlico. C. Trinder, 24 Greenwood Ct, 155 Cambridge Street, SW1 4VQ.  Tel:020 7834 8186 MIDLANDS Birmingham branch. Thur. 8pm, The Square Peg, Corporation Street. Tel: Ron Cook, 0121 533 1712 NORTHEAST Northeast branch. Corres: John Bissett, 10 Scarborough Parade, Hebburn, Tyne & Wear, NE31 2AL. Tel: 0191 422 6915   Email: NORTHWEST Lancaster branch.  P. Shannon, 71 Coniston Road, Lancaster LA1 3NW. Email:. Manchester branch. Paul Bennett, 6 Burleigh Mews, Hardy Lane, M21 7LB. Tel:0161 860 7189 Bolton.  Tel: H. McLaughlin, 01204 844589 Cumbria.  Brendan Cummings, 19 Queen St, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4BG Rochdale.  R. Chadwick, 01706 522365 Southeast Manchester. Enquiries Blanche Preston, 68 Fountains Road, M32 9PH YORKSHIRE Huddersfield. Richard Rainferd, 28 Armitage Rd, Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield, West Yorks, HD4 7DP Hull. Keith Scholey. Tel: 01482 44651 Skipton.  R Cooper, 1 Caxton Garth, Threshfield, Skipton BD23 5EZ. Tel: 01756 752621 SOUTH/SOUTHEAST/SOUTHWEST Bournemouth and East Dorset. Paul Hannam, 12 Kestrel Close, Upton, Poole BH16 5RP. Tel: 01202 632769 Brighton.  Corres: c/o 52 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UN Bristol. Shane Roberts, 86 High Street, Bristol BS5 6DN. Tel: 0117 951119 Cambridge. Andrew Westley, 10 Marksby Close, Duxford, Cambridge CB2 4RS. Tel: 01223 570292 Canterbury. Rob Cox, 4 Stanhope Road, Deal, Kent, CT14 6AB Luton. Nick White, 59 Heywood Drive, LU2 7LP Redruth.  Harry Sowden, 5 Clarence Villas, Redruth, Cornwall, TR15 1PB. Tel: 01209 2192 NORTHERN IRELAND  Belfast.  R. Montague, 151 Cavehill  Road, BT15 1BL. Tel: 02890 586799 SCOTLAND Edinburgh branch. 1st Thur. 8-9pm. The Quaker Hall, Victoria Terrace above Victoria Street), Edinburgh. J. Moir. Tel: 0131 440 0995 Email Website Glasgow branch.  1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at 8pm in  Community Central Halls, 304 Maryhill  Road, Glasgow. Richard Donnelly, 112  Napiershall Street, Glasgow G20 6HT. Tel: 0141 5794109 Email: Website Ayrshire:  D. Trainer, 21 Manse Street, Salcoats, KA21 5AA.  Tel: 01294 469994. Email Dundee.  Ian Ratcliffe, 16v Birkhall Ave, Wormit, Newport-on-Tay, DD6 8PX.  Tel: 01328 541643 West Lothian. 2nd and 4th Weds in month, 7.30-9.30.  Lanthorn Community  Centre, Kennilworth Rise, Dedridge, Livingston.  Corres: Matt Culbert,  53 Falcon Brae, Ladywell, Livingston, West Lothian, EH5 6UW. Tel: 01506 462359. Email WALES Swansea branch. 2nd Mon, 7.30pm, Unitarian Church, High Street. Corres:Geoffrey Williams, 19 Baptist Well Street, Waun Wen, Swansea SA1 6FB. Tel: 01792 643624 Cardiff and District. John James,  67 Romilly Park Road, Barry  CF62 6RR  Tel:01446 405636 AFRICA Gambia. World of Free Access. c/o 21 Dobson St, Benjul. Kenya.  Patrick Ndege, PO Box 56428, Nairobi Namibia.  Anthony Amugongo, PO Box 1502, Oshataki. Uganda.  Socialist Club, PO Box 217, Kabale. Email: Swaziland.  Mandia Ntshakala, PO Box 981, Manzini EUROPE Denmark. Graham Taylor, Spobjervej 173, DK-8220, Brabrand. Germany. Norbert  Email: Norway.  Robert Stafford. Email: COMPANION PARTIES OVERSEAS World Socialist Party of Australia.  c/o Rod Miller, 8 Graelee Court, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia. Email: Socialist Party of Canada/Parti Socialiste du Canada.   Box 4280, Victoria B.C.  V8X 3X8 Canada. Email  : Website World Socialist Party (New Zealand) P.O. Box 1929,  Auckland, NI, New Zealand. Email: Website World Socialist Party of the United States P.O. Box 440247, Boston, MA 02144 USA. Email:  Website