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1 Socialist Standard March 2020 Socialist Standard March 2020 1 Editorial Towards a Disunited Kingdom? The turmoil of the Brexit process has of the 2008 financial crisis, many workers It must be noted that the electoral exacerbated the fissures within the UK, turned away from the mainstream successes of the SNP and Sinn Féin do not which threaten to tear it apart. The capitalist parties. In Scotland, this helped always reflect support for their respective Scottish National Party leader, Nicola the SNP to secure a majority in the 2011 aims of an independent Scotland and a Sturgeon, seized on the fact that the elections for the Scottish Parliament and a united Ireland, but more often a deep majority of Scottish voters opted to landslide in the 2015 General Election. dissatisfaction with the political status remain in the EU, and is demanding a The Irish border has been in contention quo. Nevertheless, these parties will use second independence referendum. The since 1921. However, with the repression their increased leverage to push for their border between the North of Ireland and of the Civil Rights movement in the aims. the Irish Republic which appeared to be North of Ireland in the late 1960s, Irish Do the working class have any invisible since the Good Friday agreement republicanism experienced an upsurge interest in whether or not the United became a stumbling block in the Brexit of support. In the 1980s Sinn Féin was Kingdom remains intact? Or should negotiations. Sinn Fein wasted no time in able to capitalise on the outrage that they, as the Left urges them to, support pressing for a border poll which they hope the British government’s response to the an independent Scotland and a united will lead to the reunification of Ireland. hunger strikes elicited in Catholic working- Ireland? We say no on both accounts The spectre of Scottish independence class areas. It also managed to gain a as, wherever the boundaries are drawn, is nothing new. Scottish workers were foothold by providing welfare services to workers will still be subject to the vagaries badly affected by the economic downturns Catholic workers. With the peace process of the global market system and will of the 1970s and 1980s which hit the and the IRA laying down its weapons, continue to experience problems such as traditional industries (shipbuilding, coal, Sinn Féin was able to reinvent itself as a unemployment and low wages. Workers steel) particularly hard. Many workers workers’ party. will need to organise for a socialist society were also dissatisfied with Labour In last December’s general election, which will abolish borders rather than governments. North Sea oil seemed the SNP increased its seats in Scotland, rearrange them. to promise higher living standards. In whereas the pro-Brexit Conservative these circumstances the SNP was able Party prevailed in England and Wales. to position itself as the workers’ party. In Northern Ireland, for the first time, With the establishment of the Scottish Nationalists won more seats than Parliament in 1999, the then Labour Unionists. Sinn Féin has made a significant government thought they had seen off the breakthrough in last month’s general nationalist threat. However, in the wake election in the Irish Republic. Introducing the Socialist Party The Socialist Party advocates a society why actions to prevent the depredation of unattractive -- meaning: state ownership where production is freed from the the natural world can have limited effect and control. As the Socialist Standard artificial constraints of profit and and run counter to the nature of capitalism pointed out before both courses were organised for the benefit of all on the itself. followed, the results would more properly basis of material abundance. It does not Gradualist reformers like the Labour be called state capitalism. have policies to ameliorate aspects of the Party believed that capitalism could be The Socialist Party and the World existing social system. It is opposed to all Socialist Movement affirm that capitalism war. is incapable of meaningful change in The Socialist Standard is the combative the interests of the majority; that the monthly journal of the Socialist Party, basis of exploitation is the wages/money published without interruption since system. The Socialist Standard is proud 1904. In the 1930s the Socialist Standard to have kept alive the original idea of explained why capitalism would not what socialism is -- a classless, stateless, collapse of its own accord, in response to wageless, moneyless society or, defined widespread claims to the contrary, and positively, a democracy in which free and continues to hold this view in face of the equal men and women co-operate to notion’s recent popularity. Beveridge’s produce the things they need to live and welfare measures of the 1940s were transformed through a series of social enjoy life, to which they have free access viewed as a reorganisation of poverty and measures, but have merely become in accordance with the principle ‘from a necessary ‘expense’ of production, and routine managers of the system. The each according to their abilities, to each Keynesian policies designed to overcome Bolsheviks had to be content with according to their needs’ slumps an illusion. Today, the journal developing Russian capitalism under a All original material is available under the Creative exposes as false the view that banks one-party dictatorship. Both failures have Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales create money out of thin air, and explains given socialism a quite different -- and (CC BY-ND 2.0 UK) licence. 2 Socialist Standard March 2020 Socialist Standard March 2020 3 Stories from the city rounded triumphal arches. Empires didn’t What’s always gone on in the PEOPLE ASK a lot of questions about come more bad-ass and macho than background and is also hot today is the socialism in practice, some we can answer, Rome, which is why the growing empires ‘vernacular’ style, which is designing Islands of socialism? Dear Socialist Party, Reply: some we can’t. But nobody ever asks what of the Renaissance revived its styles and buildings in local materials and in the I’m a big fan of yours. I used to be a liberal, Thanks for your supportive remarks. When we talk about socialism we the architecture would look like. it finally arrived in Britain with Inigo Jones local or regional style, so that they fit but you guys have opened my eyes and It’s nice to feel appreciated. You make mean a worldwide sustainable society It’s not a pressing social issue, after all, in the 17th century. Instead of piety, it harmoniously into their surroundings I would like to thank you for that. I have some interesting points and we agree of common ownership, with no leaders, like food or disease prevention. In fact it’s was all about muscular statements of instead of clashing horribly with them. In realized that the only solution to our that the story of Nestor Makhno and so by our global definition socialism has rarely discussed at all, except to complain state power. You often see it on banks theory anyway. problems and the way to a better life for the Makhnovists deserves to be better never existed before. Temporary or small- about some new local monstrosity. or theatres or museums, as well as When you start thinking about the all is through socialism. But, having read known, especially as it is a good example scale experiments have certainly occurred When you think about it though, there’s government buildings. Not surprisingly, socialist architecture of the future, you the replies under your tweets, I’m aware of something which leftists often tend to at different times in history, but we tend something a little strange about this. the Georgians and the Victorians, who realise that all bets are off. First you would there is still a long road ahead. gloss over. to question their usefulness in convincing People who live in rural areas often have a had a high opinion of themselves as rulers have to ask how people wanted to live. However, there’s also something else Leninists usually excuse the top-down, anyone of the viability of socialism. If great familiarity with their landscape and of an emerging globally dominant power, Would they stay in settled communities that I’d like to address: what do you guys authoritarian structure of the Bolshevik anything, the very fact that they didn’t its features, right down to individual tree couldn’t get enough of the neo-classical as now, or move around constantly, think of the Free Territory of Ukraine that regime, as well as its murderous excesses, last long can be trumpeted as proof that and plant species. They know the language style, and neither could Mussolini later exploring the entire world and ‘working existed from 1918 to 1921? Was that a by saying that ‘there was a war on’. But socialism is not viable. Of course it’s not and vocabulary of their environment, and on. But changing political priorities their passage’, in the sense of helping out real example of socialism working? They that war didn’t stop the Makhnovists, proof of any such thing, but neither is it this knowledge undoubtedly adds to their could change tastes. When the Houses with odd jobs wherever they happen to had no top down control (only a defensive who were under attack from both the proof that socialism could work long-term. appreciation of it. be? Would the current global urbanisation military, which was needed considering White Army and the Bolshevik Red Army, Besides, not everyone finds such obscure The majority of the world lives in trend continue, or go into reverse, with they were under threat from all sides); from, as you say, trying to set up an historical debates either attractive or cities, and the built environment has its cities becoming depopulated? There are they had collective property; lived in egalitarian social system, although given relatable.
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