En Passant

Politicians say “we” must change our ways to save the planet—but Sadie Robinson in Socialist Worker UK argues waste is built into capitalism

To realise the dream of Christmas we need not to reform the current unreformable capitalist system but to overthrow it. For a warm caring humanity, for Christmas every day for everyone, we need socialism, a democratic society in which production occurs to satisfy human need.

So to summarise, rorters on the system either reflect the drive for personal enrichment or profit that the system gives number one priority too. But the system itself is corrupt in the sense that it only exists by exploiting workers and not rewarding the working class for the value it produces.

The solution to corruption is a democratic society in which production is organised by the vast majority of people, we workers, the people who produce the wealth and will do so for the benefit of that vast majority, that is to satisfy human need, not to make a profit. That my friends is socialism.

Big business, politicians, even sports people are ripping off the system with their corruption. Tony Abbott’s expense rorts are not an aberration. Corruption is part and parcel of capitalism and a consequence of the exploitation of workers. Only by overthrowing the ruling class can we abolish the corruption of the system and its rulers and […]

First published in Red Flag, this feature looks at the links between capitalism and environmental destruction, the Australian media’s woeful record in failing to explain the science of climate change, and offers practical suggestions for a zero-emissions economy.

Capitalism is destroying the planet. Now we suffer, says the Labor Party-Philippines.

The horror of devastations unleashed by monster-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) upon eastern and central Philippine regions is unspeakable. As of writing, estimates on number of casualties and actual damages stay tentative since many areas remain isolated and communications, power, road and port systems are down.

The ruling class warmongers have won the battle for the soul of Remembrance Day. Under the guise of remembering the dead, they ready the next generation of working class warriors to die in defence of capital.

It looks to me as if profit and competition are the barriers to addressing climate change. If that is the case then only a democratic revolution of workers to run society to satisfy human need can address climate change. As the banners at some environmental demonstrations and eco-socialist conferences say ‘System Change, not Climate Change.’

Capitalist democracy is a compromise between the classes, a concession won generally by workers’ struggles. While democratic rights have to be defended at every turn, they should be seen only as the basis on which we can fight for rule by the people for the people. We could hardly make as big a mess of it as the present mob who rule.

If you want to join the fight against the barbarities of capitalism, if you want to fight the system that breeds injustice and inequality, war, racism and homophobia, that sends vulnerable asylum seeks to rot in PNG, or even if you just want to find out more given that Labor is not an option, then you should consider one of the revolutionary socialist groups in Australia like Socialist Alternative.