It seems a shame that there is a tremendous amount of effort and resources expended by left-leaning individuals and groups in the attempt to reform our present system of capitalist exploitation, when in fact it can't be reformed. At least it can't be reformed so as to work for the benefit of the majority. Capitalism is capitalism and can only function the way that it does, it is based on exploitation, plain and simple. Expecting somehow to create a fair and compassionate capitalism through the process of putting pressure on the state is the stuff of myths. The modern state and capitalism are welded into an economic system that functions from the top down, and all calculations and legislation are based on the economic benefits or otherwise to the system, not the people. Tinkering around with this, and trying to shift a little of that economic benefit towards the people, is playing the beggars game, and will keep the people perpetually walking forward with their begging bowl in hand.
If we want a fair and just society then we have to admit that the present system isn't fit for purpose, it has to go. The next revolution must be a revolution of consciousness, we have to turn things on their head. Top down thinking has to be killed off. It is direct action at grassroots level that all our efforts should be directed, action and power must be based on horizontalism, we have to stop playing by the systems rules. Only when we circumvent, short circuit and ignore the rules of the present system can we hope to create that better world for all.
It would be a much more rapid move towards a fair and just society if all the effort and resources of those left leaning individuals and groups went directly into the community, helping to develop the alternative society we all want, and accepted that the present system has to be destroyed and consigned to the fog of history.
Our comrade Eric Chester puts it well in his article for The Commune:
Reviving the Alternative to Capitalism.
In spite of an economic crisis that has lasted more than five years, and the constantly escalating attack on the public sector, the Left in England and Scotland remains in the doldrums. There is a pervasive sense of despair, a widespread belief that there is nothing that can be done other than to continuously readjust downward our expectations for the future.Read the full article HERE:
Projects such as the People’s Assembly can not provide the organizational framework for a revitalized resistance. This is yet another top-down initiative controlled by the union bureaucracy, in particular UNITE. Furthermore, the social democratic perspective that underlies such projects have totally failed. These projects start with the belief that capitalism can be reformed, and that all that is required to reverse the corporate onslaught is the creation of a broad Left coalition to effectively exert pressure on the state. This broad Left coalition, it is claimed, will be able to exert its influence primarily through the electoral arena, either through the Labour Party or by forming a new progressive party, such as Left Unity.
There is an alternative model, one that starts with the belief that capitalism can not be reformed, but must be changed through a revolutionary transformation of society. From this perspective, fundamental social change does not occur through legislation, but rather as a result of militant, grass-roots movements engaging in non-violent direct action.
This is what everyone should be aware. Being aware of this is an essential first step.
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