Get ready for 2015 - join the socialists

We have a world to win!

We are the 99%, photo Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)

When a BBC editor referenced George Orwell's Road to Wigan Pier in his analysis of the Con-Dems' Autumn Budget Statement he earned the wrath of Chancellor George Osborne. Wigan Pier contains a searing indictment of British capitalism in the 1930s. It was invoked to illustrate the colossal destruction of the welfare state threatened by the Con-Dem plans for austerity forever.

But Orwell doesn't just describe the situation - he draws conclusions: "everyone who uses his brain knows that socialism, as a world-system and wholeheartedly applied, is a way out."

In February 2010, even before the Con-Dem government was formed, Socialist Party general secretary Peter Taaffe revisited the Road to Wigan Pier. Peter wrote that the "desperation of working class people, brutally charted by Orwell, is present today". How much more true is that now? "Hunger stalks this country" is the devastating finding of a new report.

The experience of a world in crisis means increasing numbers are questioning capitalism as a viable way to run the world. If austerity, war, poverty and inequality are all that capitalism can offer for the 99%, then there must be a better way. Even in the US, the most powerful capitalist economy, a survey revealed that young people are more likely to favour socialism than capitalism.

Plenty of provisions

In Wigan Pier, Orwell described the world as "a raft sailing through space with, potentially, plenty of provisions for everybody; the idea that we must all cooperate and see to it that everyone does his fair share of the work and gets his fair share of the provisions seems so blatantly obvious that one would say that no one could possibly fail to accept it unless he had some corrupt motive for clinging to the present system."

The Socialist Party is not just an organisation that argues the case for socialism. The hallmark of our party is our confidence in the enormous potential power of the working class when it's organised to fight back, to win against bosses, landlords, capitalist governments, and to change society. We struggle to help build powerful organisations of our class, and for socialist ideas to be discussed and debated within them.

2015 promises to be a year when the working class has no choice but to continue our struggles for a decent life - living wages, decent housing, no cuts, etc.

If you agree with what we say in this paper and our other literature, campaigns and meetings, then think about joining us. If you're already a member, think about helping to build the party among all those seeking an alternative. We have a world to win!

To find out about becoming a member: www.socialistparty.org.uk/join

To read the review of Wigan Pier: www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/8909/26-02-2010/revisiting-the-road-to-wigan-pier

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.