Like the others, they want to keep the working class divided because they know that way we are more easily ruled over. They want us to blame our fellow workers for the problems which capitalism causes. They try to turn us against ourselves - blaming immigrants, or Muslims, or non-whites instead of understanding that it's the profit system itself which is the problem.
The BNP like to pose as a radical alternative to the mainstream parties of Labour, Conservative and the Lib-Dems. The fact that these parties seem united in regarding the BNP as 'beyond the pale' serves to bolster the BNP's image. But what neither they nor the mainstream can ever acknowledge are some fundamental things which they share in common. Chief among these is that in supporting one variety of capitalism or another, all these parties are fundamentally anti-working class.
The mainstream parties have long used the tactic of 'divide and rule' to keep us - the majority - in our place. Instead of realising what we have in common as a class, we are taught to regard our fellow workers as being the enemy, or the cause of our problems. The BNP's version of this, of course, is its rabid nationalism. But when the BNP talk of putting 'Britain' first, it simply means putting the interests of the ruling class first! You can't just wish away the reality of class division, and the interests of Blair, Cameron, Branson etc. are most certainly NOT the same as the interests of the working class in Britain. We have far more in common with our fellow workers elsewhere than we have with those who rule over us, and swapping Labour or Tory for BNP won't alter that.
The BNP hits out at symptoms but fails to understand causes. Take immigration for instance. Immigrants are, quite simply, our fellow workers. They are NOT the cause of unemployment, they are NOT the cause of overcrowding, they are NOT the cause of crime. These things are caused by the system of production for profit; in fact, capitalism itself. It is the profit system which forces employers to drive wages down by importing cheaper labour, but the BNP have no wish to tackle this system - in effect, they think it's ok for the ruling class to exploit the rest of us.
They also think we need leaders to do things for us - only with them being in charge instead of the present rulers...
An End To Pessimism
We, in the Socialist Party, reject the view that things will always stay the same. We CAN change the world. Nothing could stop a majority of socialists building a new society run for the benefit of everyone. We all have the ability to work together in each other's interests. All it takes is the right ideas and a willingness to make it happen.
9 comments:
I always admired socialism and at one point even communism. But as I grew up and learnt more about economics I realised it was a utopian system.
If just one nation could prove it could work it would be like a second coming. Unfortunately there is one element in the communist system that will inevitably lead to it's downfall - human beings.
Human beings have personal wants and needs. They develop communities and culture. A communist economic system cannot deal with this, as you cannot 'plan' the production to cope with this. Not to mention other issues such as lack of incentives to innovate, x-inefficiency & the story of animal farm.
I'd love to follow your communist cause, but until people have evolved into a hive like mentality where every action is taken for the greater good regardless of their own self-sacrifice, it won't work.
Anonymous ,
thanks for your comments and in reply i have to say that you should follow the links and discovered that what we say is socialism may be a bit different from previous interpretations you might have read before .
Firstly , we do not make any difference between socialism and communism , following Marx and using both terms interchangeably for the same type of society . Secondly , we cannot foresee socialism ever being achieved in one country as it requires to be world-wide system , as capitalism is today . We have always refuted claims that various countries had socialism .
Indeed , people do have individual wants and needs and that is why we do not advocate a "rationing" society that decides what those are . We seek democratically decided production for use and not for sale or profit with free access to what is produced.
Contrary to your doubts that people can live co-operatively i think human history and just a look at the news can reveal that human beings are capable of selfish acts of self interest , or good deeds of charity . We aren't molded into one fixed human nature but will behave according to our surroundings and circumstances . If we are placed in a rat-race world , then it is no wonder that we begin to act like rats .
(As an aside , the great innovators and inventors and artists always seem to be struggling from non-recognition and poverty so their drive appear to exist elsewhere from the desire to acquire riches and wealth.)
George Orwell's parable , "Animal Farm" , was a very good indictment of Russian State-Capitalism arising from his personal experience of the duplicitious diplomacy of Stalin during the Spanish Civil War but not really applicable to the aim of the Socialist Party who have always recognsed the dangers of leadership and thus rejected the leadership principle in our party and in our politics .
A man once said that "If i could lead you into the promised land , i would not . Because if i could lead you there , then another man could come along later and lead you out again."
Changing society ourselves is what real revolution is all about .
Call us utopians if you wish , but please don't expect Captialism to deliver anything but more suffering and disaster - that would be indeed very utopian of you .
With the imminent catastrophe of Global Warming , the choice is indeed going to be "Socialism or Barbarism"
That's a damn good leaflet on nationalism, I might nick parts of it for future anti-racist/anti-fascist work if that's alright.
Be our guest to use it , Duncan . Of course , an acknowledgement would also be nice , as well , if you can manage it
Mr Johnstone
Although an eloquent reply, with a positive nature, for people to believe in you you will need more than that.
Could you direct us to the hardcore economic policies that will address the issues that occur after the removal of capitalism.
For example you state you wish to see democratically decided production. What does that mean? If it's decided at a national level then you certainly will not produce what people want. A national body will not make the right choice on, for example, how many shoes, trainers, jeans, trousers we need or want. And in terms of economies of scale you could not do it at the local level - the research for a cure for cancer for instance.
Also as regards to the worldwide socialism aspect how do you hope to bring cultures together without any clash. There still has to be laws, and each culture prefers there own set. I suppose that could be implemented locally but then you would have to restrict freedom of travel. Perhaps true communism can only be implemented after globalisation has eliminated culture and religion?
Perhaps I just need to buy a book, but like I said before you need to offer solutions. Take your article above for instance - people will not embrace your ideas just because you find fault with anothers. You have to offer real solutions with logical, realistic methods of achieving them. Perhaps you aren't out to achieve that in your blog, but I haven't seen any socialist blogs try and achieve it.
I know sitting down and considering the details is 'boring', but the more I read about socialism the more I think that they do not wish to address the 'boring details'.
Please take this post as an inquisitive nature rather than fault-finding, and don't feel pressured to respond I won't mind.
Of course , an acknowledgement would also be nice
Cheers, and I'll stick an acknowledgement on if I do use it at any point.
However, it's always useful to remember that the BNP are not only nationalist, a regressive political force, but fascist which is, as Upton Sinclar but it, capitalism plus murder.
Creating blueprints has been treated with a certain amount of caution by the Socialist Party , one reason being simply because of what rapid changes technology can have as an impact.For instance , the effect that home computers and the internet has had on decision making something wouldn't have been forseeable even in the 1950s .
But if actual specifics cannot be offered , generalisations can be made. I have posted a number of articles here on this blog in the past which deals with how we produce and the way we decide on what we produce .
How Socialism Can Organise Production Without Money
http://mailstrom.blogspot.com/2006/11/how-socialism-can-organise-production.html
Building Profits versus Building Houses
http://mailstrom.blogspot.com/2006/11/building-profits-versus-building-homes.html
Money Must Go
http://mailstrom.blogspot.com/2006/11/world-commonwealth.html
Then there is the SPGB pamphlets.
Socialism As A Practical Alternative
http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/pdf/saapa.pdf
From Capitalism to Socialism ...How We Live And How We Could Live
http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/pdf/fcts.pdf
The closer that Socialism becomes realisable , the more input there will be and the more fuller will become the drawing-plans for the necessary adaptations of present-day structures and organisations that will tackle the world's problems and present actual means of solution.
As for the clashes of various cultures , i think , localised , there may remain a few isolated difficulties but overall we do live in a global society . A walk down any town's high st will demonstrate the choice of world food menus that is on offer.We holiday all over the world on long-haul flights .
Perhaps there is a danger of the world becoming too homogenised but i think it will be Capitalism striving to make us all consumers that will have us all looking the same and acting the same and thinking the same .
The seeming rise of religious conflict is a reflection of real-life politics and power-struggles as competing capitalist ruling elites vie with one another for the sources of raw materials and control of trade routes and so religion has become the proxy ideology used to convince workers to slaughter and have themselves slaughtered . When the pretext of religious ( cultural differences )differences is no longer being manipulated by presidents and prime ministers and those who want to become them , religious rivalry will fade and when people begin to have their worldly needs satisfied then even actual belief in religion will eventually disappear .
Duncan ,
Thanks and as for your description of the BNP as fascist , i am personally always reticient and loathe to describe them as such.
George Orwell -
"...the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless. In conversation, of course, it is used even more wildly than in print. I have heard it applied to farmers, shopkeepers, Social Credit, corporal punishment, fox-hunting, bull-fighting, the 1922 Committee, the 1941 Committee, Kipling, Gandhi, Chiang Kai-Shek, homosexuality, Priestley's broadcasts, Youth Hostels, astrology, women, dogs and I do not know what else... almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’"
Wikipedia where i got the above quote from has an interesting summary of various definitions of what is fascism .
But i can understand why others use the term in relation to the BNP since so many of their members have shown themselves to be worshippers at the idol of Hitler .
That is a very good point, although I note the fact that people have been misusing the word 'socialism' for even longer than the word 'fascism' doesn't stop people from using it.
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