Democracy
Dear Comrades
The September issue of The Socialist Standard creates the unfortunate impression of a sharp division of opinion within the SPGB and the WSM on the vital issue of democracy within capitalism. The editorial in the September issue of The Socialist Standard states that ‘we must not [conclude] that capitalist political democracy is a sham,’ while RDC writes: ‘It can be argued that even the limited democracy allowed … is a sham’ (p. 10). The apparent discrepancy is bound to confuse readers.
I do not think that any real division of opinion exists on this issue. At most there may be differences of emphasis. RDC acknowledges that voting and the freedom to protest are ‘important rights,’ so clearly he does not regard capitalist democracy as a complete sham. At the same time, the author(s) of the editorial concur with RDC in stressing the limits of capitalist democracy.
I suggest that we formulate our position as follows.
‘No political system under capitalism is correctly described as democratic. However, the political systems of many (though far from all) countries do contain certain democratic elements. These democratic elements have arisen in the course of historical development, often – as the editorial notes – as a result of working class struggle. It is extremely important to socialists that these democratic elements be preserved and (to the extent possible) strengthened and extended, even though they can never neutralize the essentially undemocratic nature of capitalism. The stronger and more extensive the democratic elements in political systems, the greater the scope for the spread of socialist ideas and the surer the prospect of a smooth and peaceful transition to socialism. ‘
Stephen D. Shenfield
(WSPUS)
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