Socialist — Not Labour (1974)

From the September 1974 issue of the Socialist Standard

The Socialist Party of Great Britain has no connection with the Labour Party, or any other Left-wing group, including Communists, Trotskyists, International Socialists or Anarchists of any description. We are an organization of over seventy years’ standing, completely independent, and in favour, as always, of a fundamental social change from capitalism to Socialism.

Socialism means the introduction of an international socialist system of society based upon the common ownership and democratic control of the means of wealth production and distribution. None of the political parties referred to above stands for this objective. All are opposed to Socialism and the means of obtaining it, i.e. by a politically enlightened majority using the franchise, fully democratic in its intention.

No Government has ever had a mandate for Socialism, and we include the Russian and Chinese. The pitiful rubbish which emanates from members of the Labour Government about their intention to introduce “Socialist” policies is an act either of duplicity or ignorance. Socialist policies cannot be introduced without a working class which understands Socialism. The Labour Party is the “break-down gang” of the capitalist system, who will encourage the workers to hope that something better will turn up. These hopes are fostered and encouraged, not only by the capitalists’ propaganda machine, but by the alleged friends of the working class — the trade-union leaders. Mr. Scanlon, Mr. Jones, Mr. Murray (all members of the Labour Party): In the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed man is king. Their influence is based on the support they receive from the majority of politically uninformed workers whose lack of knowledge of Socialism is equal to theirs.

History repeats itself — the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. Another minority Labour government prepared, as always, to delude the workers in the interest of capitalism. Capitalism cannot be controlled by Acts of Parliament — it runs according to its own anarchistic economic laws, and it controls the policies of the politicians. As for the others, the Liberals, the Scots, the Welsh and the cavemen from Ulster, it would be hard to find such a talentless mass of narrow mediocrities and bigots under one roof at one time.

There is not one original idea to be found among the whole gang at Westminster. The whole rotten system cries out for social change, and what’s more — we can have it. The working class must get Socialist knowledge — they must resist apathy and challenge their existence of poverty and uncertainty. They must not allow capitalism to get on top of them, but seek Socialism as a priority.

We Socialists are optimistic about the future, and we are equally optimistic that the working class will achieve this social change. This is urgent and necessary.

Jim D'Arcy