Politics (1971)

From the January 1971 issue of the Socialist Standard

The Democrats might be expected to be crowing over their arch-enemy’s failures and discomfiture. With their eyes on the next Presidential battle, they are already thumbing through their possible candidates. The two front runners are Edmund Muskie and (still) Edward Kennedy. Let us say now, before the ballyhoo about these men starts, that they are both rich, both calculating and both stand for the interests of the American capitalist class. It is tragic that when, in 1972, the workers of America cast their votes for their next President, in their millions they will be blind to those facts.

In England, of course, it is no different. The working class here also cry out for a leader for British capitalism in the John Bull mould. Even more, they pine for a strong, ruthless leader and at present express some frustration at what they see as the lack of strength and colour of Edward Heath. It is true that Heath seems to prefer to stay in the shadows which, whatever it does to his opinion poll standing, provides lots of copy for the political correspondents. The central point, though, is that it matters not whether the men who attempt to run capitalism are weak or strong. The fault is in the system and that is bad enough without getting masochistic about it into the bargain.

Christmas. Season, among the crises the disasters and the warring, of goodwill. The big spend-up with hundreds of millions going into the tills in exchange for mountains of junk and oceans of booze. Each year the salesmen nervously assure themselves that, whatever the prevailing economic climate, they will have bumper turnovers. And they are usually right. The workers will endure a lot of drabness and depression, provided they get the occasional flash of colour. The Socialist Standard did not send any cards last Christmas, but we wished all our friends and enemies a speedy end to the degrading, inhuman society we live under.