The Socialist Party of Great Britain
Part of the World Socialist Movement
November 7, 2018
Below, we look at how some reform legislation has fared in capitalism. Environmental regulation The difficulties of regulating the profit system have shown up in recent attempts to reach an international agreement on ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions, which are causing global warming. The proposed agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol, was rejected by the US, the …
A vision of a stable, poverty-free capitalism was shared by many during the post-war years of steady economic growth. Through government investment and economic control, it was thought that severe slumps, like the 1930s Great Depression, could be avoided. Poverty, squalor and disease, it was claimed, would be a thing of the past (Economic Slumps—What …
November 6, 2018
“Recessions,” “Slumps,” or “Crises,” as they are variously referred to, are now accepted as a quite regular part of economic life. Politicians now rationalise such crises, describing them as a “necessary pain” to be endured every so often. Ultimately, it is the economy that controls politicians and not the other way around. What is an …
“It’s a nice idea but it will never happen” is one of the most common responses to the suggestion that it is in our interests to work towards building a socialist society. The assumption is that socialism will rely upon everybody being altruistic, sacrificing their own interests for those of others. But socialism would actually …
The extent to which malnourishment and death from starvation still pervades human society is made clear by statistics, such as the following: In 1994, the United Nations estimated that one eighth of people were actually starving.(1) “Millions are constantly hungry; while others suffer from deficiency diseases and from infections they would be able to resist …
Should we vote in a new government? Or should we link up with the struggle to usher in a democratic society? We are being asked to elect a new government through what is said to be a democratic process. It is true that the vote, together with other hard-won rights such as the rights of …
Contents What is human nature? The facts of life How did we get here? Anti-Social Darwinism Genes for everything? Behaviour and socialism What is human nature? Socialists want to see come into being a new system of society based on the common ownership and democratic control by all the people of productive resources, with …
How often do we hear it said “It’s only human nature?” And mostly about an anti-social piece of behaviour, as if it couldn’t be avoided? Curiously, it is not often said about the best things that people can do. On hearing that someone has risked their life to save another, for some reason we are …
Is a change in the basis of society from one of minority class ownership to one of common ownership against human nature? Are human beings naturally lazy, aggressive, hostile to one another? Or are we by nature friendly and co-operative, ready to help others when they are in trouble and share what we have with …
Socialism will be a society based upon production for use. But what does this mean? How could this work and what part could be played by information technology in socialism? When describing the new society they are working for, socialists frequently encounter the question of “how will it work?”. Questioners often assume that only with …