ALB
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
The idea of refusing to vote for something you don’t want when you can’t vote for what you do want is spreading and almost becoming mainstream:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7773909/Nigel-Farage-reveals-spoil-ballot-paper.html
This is what those who want socialism should do on Thursday (except in Cardiff Central and Folkestone & Hythe of course).
It’s something we started in 1918. Our answer to tactical voting — principled voting.
It appears from this that the protests in Hong Kong have had some sort of echo on the mainland:
All the 15,000 leaflets printed for distribution outside the two constituencies that we are contesting have now been distributed by members and sympathisers, door to door or in the street, in various parts of the country.
After the LibDems’ claim that:
“The Liberal Democrats will build an economy that works for everyone. not just the rich.”
and Labour’s that:
“Labour will rewrite the rules of the economy, so that it works for everyone.”
Here’s the Tories claiming they too can control the economy (from a leaflet on the NHS that came through my door on Saturday):
“With a majority government, we can continue to grow our economy”.
Oh yes? How? Since when has any government been able “to grow the economy”? The capitalist economy grows itself (accumulates capital out of profits) but in fits and starts, irrespective of what governments do. In fact, governments have to react to the way the capitalist economy moves and the phase of its boom/slump cycle that it happens to be in. They dance to its tune not vice versa.
Today’s news announcement that one of the documents Corbyn has quoted may have come from Russia has an uncanny parallel with the Zinoviev Letter that brought down the first Labour government in 1924:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinoviev_letter
The trouble is that, as then, we won’t know till after the election is over whether it is a dirty trick or not.
Here is the wording of the advert that appeared in the Cardiff edition of the South Wales Echo on 5 December.
General Election Thursday 12th December 2019
Cardiff Central Constituency
Vote for Brain Johnson
What is this election about?
This election is about one way or another of organising the profit system, capitalism, so it doesn’t matter which of the major parties is elected. Nothing will change. Brexit is a small detail in that system, so it doesn’t matter that an arrangement has been made to manipulate that detail in the interests of the tiny minority who hold most of the wealth. What does matter is how many voters understand the case we are putting for a real social upgrade – a world community without states or frontiers based on participatory democracy.
We are talking about a society of material abundance, without buying and selling, where everyone has access to what they need without the rationing system called money.
We are talking about a rational and sustainable society where people are the Earth’s custodians, not its destroyers, where they contribute the knowledge, skills and effort to maintain it.
Capitalism will do all it can to discredit the idea of world socialism. Don’t let it succeed. Take a first step by voting for our candidate, Brian Johnson.
For further details of our policy, an information pack and three months free subscription to our journal ‘Socialist Standard’ write to:
The Socialist Party FREEPOST,
52 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UN.
Phone: 020 7622 3811
E-mail: spgb@worldsocialism.org
Website: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb
All the candidates in Cardiff Central, including the Socialist (and his cat), have their say:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/cardiff-central-general-election-candidates-16891903
This Saturday, 7 December, there will be an insert in the<i> i </i> paper on sale in the south of England and Wales of 160,000 copies of a Party statement on the general election, with a cut-off reply form for more information, as we successfully did during the Euroelections in May. If anyone here wants to buy that paper that day, it’s only £1.20.
It looks as if the Tories are on course to win. One reason might be that Johnson is promising something he can deliver, i.e. the formal withdrawal of the UK from the EU (even though trade negotiations will continue) while Corbyn is promising what many voters judge to be pie in the sky (as it is under capitalism).
Another factor may be resentment amongst some that they were asked a question (as doesn’t happen all that often) only to find that attempts have been made to ignore or reverse their answer. In other words, such voters are now not so much concerned about the question (which they didn’t really want or ask to be asked) or even about the consequences of their answer as that their vote is being ignored. Lesson for the ruling class: don’t bring the people into your quarrels.
Despite the cold, South Wales comrades held two stalls in different parts of the Cardiff Central constituency yesterday for nearly two hours. They met someone who had already voted for us by post. However, this might be as unrepresentative as the other person who told us that she too had voted, switching from Tory to Labour, as she was one of those Waspi women who had been swindled out of an expected earlier State pension.
Andy Thomas was interviewed this morning by BBC South East for their news if anyone out there can get on that on their TV.
Kent comrades also report more coverage in the local printed press.
What about the opposite but unlikely outcome of a Labour win? I don’t want to sound like a Trot tactician but, as we know that they would fail in less than two years and end up being forced by the economic laws of capitalism to put profits before their promises to meet people’s needs and improve their lot, that should make a few more turn to socialism. On the other hand past failures of Labour governments has led many more to turn to outfits like the National Front.
