Making a Decision (2009)

From the January 2009 issue of the Socialist Standard

“Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past”

This was the slogan of the dreaded Thought Police in George Orwell’s book 1984. It is today’s rulers’ slogan too, for the ruling class want to perpetuate their dominance. This is why their ideologues and media have redefined “socialism”; to maintain a class-divided society; this is why there are many career politicians claiming “socialism” to gain power. It is a pity that many follow them who have a genuine sympathy with suffering and seek to remedy the disease of capitalism. But, as Oscar Wilde said, “the remedies do not cure the disease: they merely prolong it, Indeed, their remedies are part of the disease” (Soul of Man under Socialism).

Technology, science and human goodwill can solve the problems confronting humanity but only after removing the restrictions of the absurd market system.

The minority capitalist class promote the market system as it maintains private property, by which they gain ownership of wealth produced by the working class who actually run industry from top to bottom. The ownership of this monopoly must be taken from the capitalist class. How? We suggest that the socialist majority of society impose the democratically-expressed will for common ownership on the minority class. Then, with common ownership established, the whole edifice of the market, private property, wage labour, money, rent, capital, interest, for they are all interdependent, is abolished. It is replaced by a rational, classless, society with free access for all to the common wealth of society; and real human progress begins.

Conscious democratic control and application of shared available knowledge will allow the opportunity

of real true freedom. The evidence that everyone has equal power and an equal vote in every decision taken will be obvious within this future, stateless society by the removal of hunger – used as a subtle form of control under capitalism. Within this society of freely associating equal individuals, every woman, man and child will take what goods they need from a communal store. This free access, this freedom, is what will maintain real democracy and it will be possible because money will be non-existent and unnecessary. Our common sense will tell us not to waste what could be shared with others; this is what the early socialists expected.

As socialists we want to participate in a progression of the global community to free humankind’s real human potential. “Give us our world,” you will say. It will not be given; you must make it. Socialists are equal but are each different. We don’t accept leaders, Thought Police or career politicians, which is why we invite you to ignore leaders and Thought Police too. Begin to free yourself, be confident, be disobedient; think for yourself, ask questions and inquire after the case we suggest. We have nothing to lose but our chains. We have a world to win.

CB