A Question On Our Pamphlet: "The Socialist Party—Its Principles and Policy" (1952)

Letter to the Editors from the February 1952 issue of the Socialist Standard

We received the following letter from Mr. Simcox to which we replied. He now asks us to print his letter and our reply.

Editorial Committee.

To the Executive of the S.P.G.B.

In discussion with one of your members of the 1934 edition of your pamphlet “The Socialist Party," I drew his attention to the second half of the second last paragraph of p. 9 in which it is stated that under Socialism “no able-bodied member of the community would be exempted from rendering his due quota of useful service to the community, in return for the material wealth placed at his disposal by society." This did not seem to me vastly different from what was denounced at the top of page 8 as part of Capitalism: “They (the workers) have to sell their labour-power to the owners of the means of living in order to obtain subsistence."

On inquiry, my S.P.G.B. friend found that, in the 1950 edition of “The Socialist Party" pamphlet, the second half of the paragraph to which I had drawn his attention is omitted on p. 9. The 1949 prefatory note says that the pamphlet is “re-issued with minor deletions and additions made necessary by the passage of time since the first edition was published." May I then ask whether the omission of the passage to which 1 drew my friend’s attention is regarded by the executive as a “minor deletion made necessary by the passage of time since the first edition was published."? It seems to me a very important deletion.

John V. Simcox,

Clapham, S.W.4.

P.S.—Possibly the matter could be cleared up in the Socialist Standard.

Reply:

Mr. J. V. Simcox.

Dear Sir,

We have your letter in which you claim that “a very important deletion” was made in the 1949 edition of the pamphlet “The Socialist Party—Its Principles and Policy."

May we point out, however, that you only arrive at the conclusion that it is  "very important" by attributing to the deleted passage a meaning which it never had. Your interpretation is that it meant something “not vastly different” from the workers having “to sell their labour-power to the owners of the means of living in order to obtain subsistence.”

But as it was clearly and repeatedly shown that under Socialism there would be no wages system and no class owning the means of living your interpretation is absurd.

The passage (“no able-bodied member of the community would be exempted from rendering his due quota of useful service to the community, in return for the material wealth placed at his disposal by society”) was written in the Socialist Standard in July, 1912, and carried on in the pamphlet. It was intended to emphasise (as you can see by the whole paragraph) that there would be no privileged section of society. The writer, having his attention on that aspect merely meant to show that under Socialism there would not be people, like the capitalist class, “exempted," etc. It was not until we were going through the pamphlet again that our attention was drawn to the possibility of it being misunderstood to mean a form of state compulsion. It was therefore deleted. If it had ever been intended to mean what you suggest its deletion would have been important. As it never meant that its deletion was a minor one to avoid the possibility of misunderstanding.

Yours for Socialism,

Editorial Committee

Party News Briefs: Paddington, Hackney and Glasgow (1952)

From the February 1952 issue of the Socialist Standard

Indoor Lectures throughout the Party have been held regularly during the winter and on another page in this issue is a list of meetings for February.

Paddington Branch is launching out with fortnightly Sunday meetings at Dennison House, Victoria.

Hackney Branch hold meetings every Friday at Bethnal Green Library at 8 p.m. There is comfortable seating accommodation for 160 visitors in this hall and the Branch specially invite their many sympathisers in East London to make these meetings widely known. There is always ample time for discussion where sympathisers and opponents can participate.

Kelvingrove Branch have sent two contributions to News Briefs. One is addressed to the Working Class of Kelvingrove and states, “ You have probably bought the Socialist Standard for the first time. Much of it will seem new to you and some of its contents may need explaining when compared with what you thought was Socialism. Our canvassers will be at your door again sometime in the near future to sell you another copy of the Socialist Standard or perhaps a pamphlet. But in the meantime, why not come to our Branch meeting in St. Andrew’s Hails, Door G, Berkeley Street, and find out a little more about Socialism. There is not time to waste, the need for abolishing Capitalism is urgent. Kelvingrove Branch meets every fortnight on Mondays at the above hall. The following are the meeting dates for February: 4th, 18th, and March 3rd, 17th and 31st. Time 7.30 p.m.”

The Kelvingrove Branch are continuing with their efforts in bringing to the notice of the Kelvingrove constituency the need for Socialism. In the month of December the sales of the Socialist Standard, through canvassing, increased again to 14½ dozen copies; nearly two dozen copies of these were the November issue.

So far about one sixth of the constituency has been canvassed and the number of members engaged in the task is six. These members canvass on an average of two nights each week. As time goes on the Branch hope to encourage other members who are a little self-conscious at "going on the knocker,” to take part. In the summer it is hoped to extend the propaganda work by chalking the area with suitable slogans advertising the Socialist Standard. It is our aim to get the Party well known in the district and in time to have quite a few more members of the working class understanding Socialism and joining the Party, to work for the achievement of Socialism.