Political views Socialist Party (England and Wales)

1 political views

1.1 minimum wage of £10 hour
1.2 unemployment , youth
1.3 environment
1.4 war , terrorism
1.5 nationalisation
1.6 internationalism
1.7 critique of former soviet union

political views
minimum wage of £10 hour

obtaining higher wages workers central policy objective of socialist party. in 2014, 17 front-page headlines of socialist focused on wages.

on 16 july 2014, socialist front-page headline stated raise minimum wage: £10 . front page quoted general secretary of bakers, food , allied workers union, ronnie draper, calling minimum wage of £10 . call £10 hour minimum wage, front page explains through second quote, inspired historic victory of $15 minimum wage in seattle. on 24 september 2014 front page, carrying slogan need £10 hour now! states result of bakers union motion, trades union congress (tuc) adopted £10 demand @ recent conference.

unemployment , youth

in 2011, socialist party gave prominent support jarrow march jobs, 330-mile march jarrow in south tyneside london highlight youth unemployment, supported several mps, 8 trade unions , daily mirror newspaper. kevin maguire, associate editor of mirror, spoke @ jarrow launch rally, following socialist party s coventry councillor dave nellist, featured on number of socialist party videos event. jarrow march featured prominently @ socialist party s socialism 2011 weekend event in november 2011, coincided marchers arrival in london.

youth fight jobs socialist party s first issue of 2010, headlined rage against unemployment , written youth fight jobs national organiser sean figg, took part in jarrow march jobs, argues young people suffer permanent psychological scars unemployment. figg calls right decent job , living wage of @ least £8 hour, , end university fees. figg demands government bail out young people had banks, stating capitalist politicians claim cost high .

socialist students national union of students’ nec voted stand in complete solidarity workers taking strike action in 3 december strike in higher , further education result of emergency motion passed nus nec, moved socialist party , socialist students nus nec member, edmund schluessel.

environment

former socialist party councillor dave nellist calls climate change outcome of gigantic market failure citing united nations report. places blame climate change on big business . in issue of socialist headlined climate change: gigantic market failure , socialist party calls green job creation , proposing unemployed construction workers employed build new , affordable housing, insulating existing properties , installing solar panels . suggests retooling car industry production of lower emission vehicles , demands massive investment renewable , sustainable energy sources profit motive eliminated .

war , terrorism

socialist party on anti g8 demonstration in edinburgh

the socialist party opposes british government s military interventions around world, such wars in afghanistan , iraq, , called withdrawal of troops. opposes both terrorism , war on terror. joined protests against group of 8 (g8) meetings part of committee workers international.

in aftermath of 9/11 attacks on twin towers of world trade center in new york in september 2001, peter taaffe, socialist party s general secretary, writing in socialist party s newspaper socialist, states:

the socialist has been forthright in condemnation of attacked world trade center , pentagon. described methods of small groups employing mass terrorism .

at same time, have not given support george bush or tony blair, call war against terrorism , yet support state terror against defenceless , innocent people in neo-colonial world.

however, our approach not shared all, amongst other socialist groups. equivocal or refuse condemn these attacks. attitude profoundly mistaken , risks alienating majority of working class people, driving them arms of blair , bush , war preparations. moreover, flies in face of long-held principled opposition of socialists these methods.


nationalisation

in december 2009, socialist party demanded called socialist nationalisation way save manufacturing industry. marks response socialist party nationalisation of major banks labour government, beginning nationalisation of northern rock in february 2008.

in stand column of socialist, weekly paper, socialist party calls socialist government take public ownership top 150 companies , banks dominate british economy, , run them under democratic working-class control , management. compensation paid on basis of proven need. socialist party defines socialist nationalisation include @ least 3 distinct features: no compensation except on basis of proven need; democratic workers control , management, , nationalised industries should part of plan of production .

banks

in end of year statement on december 2009 pre-budget, article under name of socialist party deputy general secretary, hannah sell, indicated socialist party s response banking nationalisations. sell argued trade unions should demand nationalisation of major financial institutions , compensation paid small shareholders , depositors on basis of proven need. sell added should first step unification of banks 1 democratically controlled financial system , called introduction of state monopoly of foreign trade.

on workers control , management, sell argues nationalised finance sector run , mass of population . suggests done through majority representation @ levels. representatives drawn workers in banking unions, , wider working class , labour movement , , government.

internationalism

socialist party on anti g8 demonstration in edinburgh

the socialist party believes socialism can realised on international basis:

socialism has international. s impossible create socialism in 1 country, surrounded world capitalist market. nonetheless there enormous amount achieved socialist government after came power part of transition capitalism socialism.

in accordance perceived need internationalism, socialist party member of committee workers international, organisation of trotskyist political parties across globe.

critique of former soviet union

the socialist party argues soviet union not socialist: regimes in former soviet union , eastern europe not genuinely socialist, grotesque caricature. analysis follows of leon trotsky, who, vladimir lenin , others, led october 1917 russian revolution.

the socialist party argues neither lenin nor trotsky wished establish isolated socialist state. argue lenin, trotsky , bolsheviks defended , advanced gains of revolution of february 1917 carrying through october revolution. emphasise lenin , trotsky s call on workers in advanced capitalist countries carry through socialist transformation of society. this, say, have been step towards goal of world socialist federation , have seen countries come aid of economically , industrially underdeveloped russia. however, not successful , advanced capitalist countries invaded, blockaded , imposed trade sanctions on young workers state. socialist party agrees trotsky isolated russian revolution inevitably degenerated under stalin bureaucratic dictatorship. in , many other ways, socialist party s policies may therefore termed orthodox trotskyism.