Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Why the Profit System Must Go (2014)

From the August 2014 issue of the Socialist Standard

Millions of people no longer bother voting since nothing changes. And nothing ever changes because, no matter who gets elected, those given power always leave capitalism to continue.

If you seriously want to see an end to unemployment, long working hours for inadequate pay, a rapidly deteriorating health service, zero-hour contracts, insufficient decent housing for those who need it, grotesque inequality, the rising cost of living, insufficient and unaffordable nursing homes for the elderly, and numerous other economy-based problems, then you have to get rid of capitalism. Capitalism enables a tiny few to own all the vital assets (natural resources, factories, power stations, transport systems etc) which provide all the food, goods and services we need. And through this ownership — and with assistance from politicians bought with big party ‘donations’ and personal bungs — this capitalist elite are able to profit by forcing everyone to buy from them, even though it is working people (forced to toil for a wage) who do the actual labour.

Production within a real socialist economy will be carried out solely to meet needs. Money will then be obsolete, since when we all collectively own what we produce, everything produced is ours, and you don’t have to buy what’s already yours. There will then be free access to what is needed. This socialist system has never existed anywhere before.

Work within moneyless socialism will be far easier, since without production for profit, there will be no unemployment (or employers). Additionally, millions of people currently doing fundamentally unproductive money-related work (banking, insurance, sales, accountancy, welfare benefits, taxation, cash manufacturing etc) will also then be available to contribute something of real benefit to society. The capitalist demand on people to work as hard and long as possible, in order to maximise their profits, will be gone forever.
Max Hess

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