Socialism or
your money back, articles from the Socialist
Standard published by
the Socialist Party 2004, ISBN
0-9544733-1-0,
soft back, 300 pages.
by
Eric Trevett
This review was published in the New Worker
on 20th August 2004
THE
SOCIALIST Party of Great Britain has celebrated the
centenary
of its foundation (June 1904) and the production
of
its monthly paper with a special edition of selected
articles
in a single volume. On an occasion such as this it
would
be churlish not to congratulate the SPGB on its
achievement,
especially as it purports to be supporting
workers'
struggle to end their exploitation and achieve a
socialist
society.
Indeed
some of the articles, such as the one about the
attack
on the Tonypandy miners, are very good in exposing
the
ruthlessness of the capitalist class and the betrayal
of
right-wing Labour leaders. But the SPGB is based on an
ideological
position that is fundamentally wrong and leads
it
into a position of condemning any and all attempts
hitherto
to establish a socialist society.
Not
only that, but the national liberation movements are
also
condemned and the valid fight for reforms within
capitalist
society also tend to be denigrated. To prove the
point,
let us quote a full passage from the foreword of the
collected
articles. It is a long quotation but it must be
made
in full in order to do justice to the SPGB argument:
"The
Socialist Party is particularly proud of the fact
that
one of the things we have succeeded in doing over the
past
100 years has been to keep alive the original idea of
what
a socialist society was supposed to be a
classless,
stateless,
frontier less, wage less, moneyless society, to
define
it somewhat negatively. Or more positively a World
community
in which the natural and industrial resources of
the
planet will have become a common heritage of all
humanity,
a democratic society in which free and equal men
and
women co-operate to produce the things they need to
live
and enjoy life, and to which they have free access
with
the principle from each according to their ability, to
each
according to their needs." Accepted
For
many years it has been accepted that socialist
revolution
ushers in a long period of transition before a
communist
society is established and in the initial period
of
socialism, the principle is not from each according to
their
ability, to each according to their need. But it is
in
fact from each according to their ability, to each
according
to the work they do.
The
seed of socialist society germinates in the womb of
the
capitalist system and when through struggle
economic
and
political it breaks free of the body of
its parent, it
inherits
many of he faults, inadequacies and shortcomings
of
the previous society. To overcome these, as well as
developing
the necessary production to eliminate poverty,
and
achieve a situation where co-operation is an even
greater
force than competition, will certainly take
decades,
perhaps centuries.
When
judged by such standards as the SPGB puts forward, it
is
not surprising that any attempt to break with the
fetters
of capitalism is condemned by the SPGB as being
state
capitalist.
In
addition the SPGB adopts a position of hostility
towards
such countries. For instance, during the vicious
war
launched by the United States against Vietnam, the SPGB
declared
that they did not support either side and said:
"Of
course defeat in Vietnam and the whole of South East
Asia
would have serious consequences for American
capitalism.
That is why they are fighting. It would deprive
them
of access to many raw materials, but more important it
would
shift the balance of power around the Pacific in
favour
of Chinese state capitalism.
"It
is not true that the Vietcong and workers are fighting
the
same enemy. The Vietcong are fighting American
capitalism.
The interests of workers are opposed not only
to
American capitalism but also to capitalism everywhere
including
Russia and China.
"Victory
for the Vietcong, as we have already explained,
would
shift the World balance of power from American to
other
capitalist powers. This is not something that is in
the
interests of workers, or something they should support.
There
is not an issue at stake in Vietnam worth a single
worker's
life."
Lest
there be any doubt we can include another quote:
"Politically
the socialist party nailed its colours to the
mast
on the nation or class issue at the outset and the
article
here on the rise of Sinn Fein in Ireland is a
stinging
attack on the idea that national liberation
movements
against established imperialist powers are in
some
way progressive and worthy of working class support."
Another
crucial issue ignored in this volume is the
question
of state power and the concept of the dictatorship
of
the proletariat in particular. Without the working class
establishing
its authority on society, having command of
its
oppressive and persuasive organs of power, socialism
cannot
be developed. This goes far beyond the social
democrat
idea that socialism can be achieved comfortably by
parliamentary
legislation. For socialism to be developed
there
has to be mass involvement of the working class,
which
takes political power to itself and can effectively
defend
itself against the national and international
efforts
to destroy it whilst at the same time taking
measures
to consolidate and develop conditions for a new
society.
The
extent to which the revolution will be bloody or
bloodless
depends on the unity and determination of the
working
class to champion the interests of the bulk of the
people.
This is essential to win firm allies in support of
the
revolutionary process. It will also depend on the
degree
to which there is disaffection among the personnel
of
the coercive forces of capitalism. This will determine
the
extent to which the capitalist class, which is being
displaced,
can command the loyalty of its state apparatus.
Invalid
From
the standpoint of the SPGB, such an authoritarian
interpretation
of socialism would be invalid. But in the
world
we live in the working class needs to be aware that
it
is dealing with a ruthless adversary, which as we have
seen
in innumerable wars does not blink an eyelid at
consigning
millions of men, women and children to their
death.
The
SPGB's general negative approach to people in struggle
is
often reflected in the articles published in this book.
This
includes the efforts of the suffragettes and extends
to
people active in the peace movement. This is a book that
has
to be read very critically. It would be nice to think
that,
on its centenary, the SPGB would reflect
self-critically
on its ideologically flawed position. Only
in
this way can it correct its practice and really play a
positive
role in the fight or socialism.
Currently
it is in effect opposing and impeding all real
efforts
in the direction of socialism because they cannot
achieve
full, perfect communism in the blink of an eye. And
this
position helps to sustain capitalism.
