Politics and You (1977)

From the July 1977 issue of the Socialist Standard

No doubt many of you are increasingly indifferent to politics and hold most politicians in contempt. This is understandable — the politicians make promises which they do not keep, and so more and more of the electorate adopt a cynical attitude to it all.

The Socialist Party of Great Britain do not blame the politicians for failing to “deliver the goods”; in fact our case is that they cannot. Surely if they could, they would, because this would be a certain recipe for retaining political power.

What we in the Socialist Party say, in other words, is that present-day society we live in cannot be shaped or directed at will. Merely because a politician pledges to reduce inflation, cure unemployment or solve the housing problem does not mean that this can be done. Most of you are becoming aware that far from governments controlling events, the reverse is true.

All right then! This calls for a basic examination of present-day society — which most people accept, and bemoan the inevitable consequences.

It calls for a recognition that in a world of competition turmoil is inevitable, stability impossible. In the existing economic system, which operates throughout the modern world regardless of political labels, goods and services are produced for a market, sale with profit being the only motive for production.

A rational and human attitude to resources, technology and the needs of mankind cannot be brought about within a society of money-dominated production and conflicting nation-states.

We all know that the British economy is facing the twin problems of inflation and slump. These problems are facing other industrial countries. The great argument and competition among them (USA, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Britain and the emerging industrial countries, not to mention the Soviet Union etc.) is who are to be top rats in one gigantic rat-race.

In every country the workers are being told that they must work harder to make the national economy more competitive than its rivals.

The exhortations to work harder (to those in employment) are particularly prevalent in this country. Such is the nature of the capitalist system that the problems facing the successful economies like Japan are just as pressing. Their very growth of productive capacity means that they require a large slice of the world market (at the expense of the other industrial countries). Yet we are told that the only solution to British problems is “growth”.

The following figures demonstrate the irrational world of capitalist competition in (for instance) shipbuilding.

Japan cutting shipyard labour force by 25,000, France 6,000. West Germany 4,000, Sweden is cutting by 30 per cent, Holland’s shipbuilding is only at 10 per cent of full capacity. Australia is closing 3 of its 5 shipyards.

(Daily Telegraph, 8th December 1976)

It is interesting to note that these various countries have different political parties in power operating supposedly different economic policies (Australia replaced their Labour government last year with a Conservative one, likewise Sweden): but with the same result.

Going back to October 28th 1976, the Daily Telegraph (City page) had the following statement on shipbuilding:

The oil crisis has been merely the catalyst for the shipbuilding crisis, which has been looming since 1969-70. Any expansion beyond that date has been irresponsible.

It was forecast that shipbuilding world orders may drop to 13 million tons whilst the production capacity being worked now was 33 million tons. With the increasing development of shipbuilding in countries like South Korea, Taiwan and Brazil capacity could be raised to 53 million tons.

Against this background of so-called “overproduction” and the subsequent frenzy to survive, are the millions even in the advanced countries who live sub-standard lives and the teeming millions in the “Third World” who live in the direst poverty.

In this country the slump has hit the building industry. Side by side with homelessness and slum living are unemployed building workers. Likewise large classes in schools with poor facilities and unemployed teachers.

Then there is the obscenity of food surpluses in one part of the world and starvation in another part. Even in those countries where the mountains of food are stored there are many ill-fed people: look at the world’s richest country, the USA .

The Socialist Party of Great Britain does not seek votes in a futile attempt to administer the existing system. The problems facing mankind can only be solved on a global scale upon the basis of worldwide common ownership and production for use. This means the ending of the whole paraphernalia of wages, profits, taxes and money. The end of state coercion, of leaders and led (the blind leading the blind).

It requires the urgent marshalling of resources to meet human needs. The introduction of free access: “from each according to his (her) ability, to each according to his (her) needs”. A change of this magnitude can be brought about politically, through the ballot box and using Parliament to lay the foundation stone of Socialist society. At the same time breaking down centralized government and replacing it with real democracy. This form of decision-making can only be decided by the majority of the population.

The various Socialist administrations in the different countries would then have to co-ordinate their activities so as to have a world approach to world needs. No doubt many of the existing forms like the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation could be adapted to this end.

Too tall an order, too vast a dream, too naive a hope? We think not. There is no other way to safeguard mankind’s future survival. You know the problems are real enough. There never has been a period in man’s history where the survival of our species has been so thoroughly discussed and society’s contradictions so thoroughly exposed.

Men and women of the working class, YOU in conjunction with your fellows abroad are the ones who can change things. The politicians are caught up in the power struggle within the present system. The industrialists, the wealthy in general have a vested interest in capitalism.

The working class have to bear the brunt of today’s problems and they are the majority.

If you agree with the World Socialist position you will wish to join the Socialist Party of Great Britain. It would not want to have you for any other reason.

Frank Simkins