Would You Die For Them ? (1975)

From the April 1975 issue of the Socialist Standard

So runs the caption on a full page advertisement of the Ministry of Defence in the national dailies.

Above the banner headlines are a series of illustrations. A ballot box (the right to vote), a cartoon (the right to lampoon the government), hands in prayer (the right to worship), the figure of the Old Bailey (the right to justice), a group of strikers (the right to strike), and yes! unmistakably the platform of the SPGB (carefully taken from the back to obscure the name on the front) with one of the Party’s best-known speakers in full flight on the box (the right to speak your mind) in Hyde Park. Who or what the “them” you are asked if you will die for is not very clear — the “rights”, the strikers or the SPGB speaker’s (although at face value it would appear to be the speaker’s).

First let us repeat as explicitly, categorically, as plain as can be, what we said consistently when the last war was on.

Anybody who has, without asking first, foolishly undertaken or elected to “fight” for us has our official written permission herewith to stop now.

We have never asked, nor ever invited anybody, any political party, group or even individual, to “fight for us”. Reference to our Declaration of Principles will verify that we are hostile to every other political party, including the Labour Party responsible for these ridiculous recruiting advertisements.

During the last war, when our platform was the only one in Hyde Park, on September 3rd 1939, we proclaimed:

Don’t die for capitalism, live to fight Socialism.

It appears that Mr. Roy Mason, the Labour Party’s chief warmonger, is anxious to recruit young army- officer cadets for Sandhurst. (What has happened to the Labour Party’s tripe about equal educational opportunity for all?) Who will be “reasonable, good humoured and brave [because] it is perilous to be a member of a peace-loving force”? On this comical line of reasoning it might be better to form one of the old fashioned war-making armies if (vide the Minister of Defence) “peace keeping” is so perilous.

“How would you feel if you were handed a voting paper with just one name on it?” he asks. Just like we do now when we are given two and a quarter minutes on the BBC to state our case.

“What would you say if your dad was bundled into a truck and sent to a labour camp in some remote part of Europe?” he whines. About the same as people in Northern Ireland, or Brixton probably.

Would you risk your life to stop one of the poets being sent to an asylum for “knocking the system”? he wants to know.

There is something fishy here.

1. Become an army officer to be a member of a peace-keeping force.
2. Risk your life for the “basic human rights” you could be asked to fight for.

How can you get killed in a fight — if it’s not war — but peace?

One thing has got to be made clear, whatever goes on in Russia. East Germany, Cuba or China has the tacit consent of a majority. In all industrial countries, where workers are the majority, they have the potential should they wish, to make constitutional changes.

It suits the capitalists of the industrial countries to run a system of parliamentary democracy. In modern times, this is the most efficient, cheapest form of capitalist administration. Dictatorships are extremely destructive and wasteful.

Democracy assures deluded working-class support. The very tone of these advertisements, and the militaristic propaganda of the Labour Party is itself evidence that the support of the working class is required against Russian capitalism.

It seems more honest 

says the advert

than showing pictures of cheery young men water-skiing or tinkering with advanced electronics to stress the dangers.

So the previous army advertisements were admittedly “less honest”! We are glad the Minister of Defence has emphasized his honesty; otherwise we could have been tempted to think that the whole lot of it was a blatant outrageous perversion of the truth, which is that the Socialist Party propagate the establishment of Socialism by democratic, non-violent methods.

Let no-one be under any misapprehension, the SPGB in peace or war-time will denounce and expose the bloody crime of capitalism called war which is fought to increase profits and guard possessions.

It has as much to do with basic "civil rights” as a sewing machine with fried eggs. It’s almost like joining the Bookmakers’ Protection Society to stop betting. As for using photographs of our speakers on our platform to recruit army officers most readers will more likely die laughing than fighting.

Horatio.