MANIFESTO for SOCIALISM!

Make no mistake: the issue at this and every election is -
do you stay with CAPITALISM? or go for SOCIALISM

After eight years of wars, with the widespread use of cluster-bombs and depleted uranium, the insane destruction of cities, towns and villages, and the ruthless slaughter of thousands of men, women and children in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq - are you going to use your vote to soil your hands with more working-class blood?

Blair says: "There is no greater liberty than to live free from terrorist attack". But he cannot guarantee safety from the terror which he and his US allies have helped create with their wars. His Labour government sell arms around the world, regardless of whose lives and "liberties" are threatened. Labour-run capitalism has meant Belmarsh prison, detaining people without trial or charge, for more than three years - and UK involvement in Guantanamo Bay with the torture of prisoners, also held without charge or trial.

What likelihood is there of world poverty being halved in 2015? Over 40% of all government aid is tied to trade in overpriced goods from 'donor' countries (ACTION AID , 28 February 2005). This is capitalism run by the Labour Party. The Tories have supported all of this. The Lib Dems too, while seeking to score moral points, support capitalism like the other parties. The Green Party, UKIP, Respect, etc, in seeking to retain capitalism, would retain its inevitable consequences - such as more wars. They are all guilty.

For as long as capitalism remains this is how the world will be since capitalism and war are inseparable.
The need to establish Socialism has never been greater.

Still more reforms?
Promising yet more reforms in education, the NHS, 'welfare' and pensions is an open admission of the failure of such policies. All the politicians have to offer is more misery: future working-class poverty is guaranteed, both in retirement and at work.

In the 'health' service, 67,000 operations were cancelled in 2004 - 10,000 more than five years ago. Dentists and nurses are recruited from overseas in desperation to meet urgent needs. The Royal College of Surgeons says there will be a 2,700 short-fall of surgeons by 2010. With 858,000 already on NHS waiting lists, a further 14,000 were added in December 2004.

UNICEF (March 2005) reports that 15.4% of UK children live in poverty. The National Minimum Wage is set to "rise" from £4.85 per hour to £5.05 in October, and to £5.35 in 2006. Blair says about 1.4 million people are affected. The 18-21 year olds' rate will rise from £4.10 to £4.25 per hour.

Blair claims this is a "powerful symbol of how Britain is changing for the good".

FACT - after eight years of his Labour government, "the top 1% of the population now receive more of the nation's income than at any time since the 1930s... The Office for National Statistics reports that this group of 600,000 people doubled its wealth to £797 billion in Labour's first six years. The share of national wealth taken by these super-rich has grown from 20% to 23%, while the share of the poorest 50% shrank from 10% in 1986 to 5% in 2002."
NEW STATESMAN, 7 March 2005

Socialists maintain that capitalism cannot be reformed to work humanely, without poverty and war. This is why Socialist Studies insists the issue is capitalism versus Socialism.

Socialism does not mean Labour Party stunts such as nationalisation or poverty reforms. It means the worldwide common ownership of the earth, its industries and resources, so that production can be carried on to meet human needs, instead of filling the gold-coffers of the richest 1% or so.

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