The World Socialist Movement (WSM) view the international gathering in Glasgow at the COP26 as an opportunity to share information across borders, worldwide, building links from a common global pool of knowledge and strategies, inter-linked and in opposition to the corporations of international capitalism and all the agencies, institutions and governments that they control. Within such a context the WSM seeks to become a more effective force in local, regional and global struggles for a better world. It is definitely not time to give up on the struggle for environmental justice.
The World Socialist Movement possesses a long tradition of opposing the many deadly problems of capitalism, from the daily exploitation and oppression of working people to the never-ending wars as well as the environmental crises. In the politics of socialist working-class solidarity and political consciousness in relation to environmental emergencies, we go beyond what too often remains at the level of personal habit, individual morality and private lifestyle to expose the root cause.
The ecology movement is alive with radical ideas and revolutionary prospects if it is not sidetracked into any diversions such as a return to a pre-industrial age. The most welcoming aspect is the focus placed on internationalism, blurring the outdated concept of national frontiers and borders in regard to the coordination and planning necessary to tackle the climate crisis democratically as a planetary problem to be resolved.
Despite the actions of certain countries and some irrational individuals, the Covid-19 pandemic revealed that people are not generally selfish and self-centred but possess the capacity to share and act in solidarity with one another, even in the midst of a disaster.
Social revolution is the essential objective of the World Socialist Movement, the end towards which every step it takes must directly tend. Fraternity is its ideal and harmonious humanity is its aim. The goal is to inspire working people to overturn the redundant system of capitalism, in order to replace it with a society built on a socialist basis, free of class exploitation, oppression and inequality.
The task is no mere idle aspiration for we can see the dawn of a better day for humanity. The people are stirring and awakening.
Despondent appeals to “patriotism”, despairing statements about “serving” the nation or calling for loyalty to “one’s” country, are dangerous and deceptive. The mystical notion that the country is “our” country, something to which we belong and which protects us, is cultivated by the ruling class for the purpose of hiding the reality of class cleavage and the fact of economic exploitation to persuade a person to believe that he or she makes a sacrifice, it is for ones “own” community, and for the capitalist class. Patriotism is the powerful passion that capitalism calls upon in order to ensure subservience in a moment of crisis.
Living under capitalism with all its accompanying misery where working-class housing and education are in a permanent state of chaos, scapegoats become an essential part of the setup. Finding something or someone to blame is the easy answer for those who take a crude and superficial view swayed by emotion rather than facts. The capitalist class pounds patriotic poison into workers’ heads in order to produce mass conformity.
Nationalism is completely opposed to the real interests of all workers. It leads them to identify with the interests of the capitalist class and to line up behind the commercial ambitions of that class. Such loyalty, bolstered by fear and insecurity, is dangerously misguided. The ideology of nationalism is divisive and dehumanising. It is the ideology of the slave. The whole ethos of capitalism is built upon lies and the promotion of the crudest class ignorance in the form of racism and bigotry.
We must not fall into the trap of arousing sentiments upon which the demagogues can in any way play much more effectively than revolutionists can, and which in the end can only be used to counter any growing revolutionary movement. The hold of capitalist nationalistic symbols upon the workers must be broken, not confirmed.
The World Socialist Movement promotes strengthening the solidarity of class – the working class against the capitalist – and consequently the idea of labour internationalism against nationalism.
To build socialism the working class have to wrest power from the capitalist class, and therefore the fight for socialism, and its establishment must be international. It is not the function of the World Socialist Movement to support nationalism. National aspirations are not socialist aspirations. Nationalism holds the illusory hope that working people can improve their conditions through national independence. Yet national self-determination has not emancipated the labour. Nationalism has always been the constant handmaiden of the ruling class.
The World Socialist Movement is determined to bring the liberating ideas of socialism to the people. We are the inheritors of the only tradition that can effectively spur on the battles for fundamental social change. The current political parties cannot and will not solve the problems with their self-serving vested interests.
The World Socialist Movement is engaged in a struggle that can unite the working class to overthrow capitalism and end the exploitation of mankind forever, creating a world, a socialist society, where working people live from birth to death never having to suffer under the chains of wage slavery.
Socialism is the only answer to capitalist property relationships. The key to socialism, the key to revolutionary internationalism, the thread and the connecting link are the impoverished and desperate and angry people all over the world. This is a time for revolutionary change. For the first time in history, humankind can produce such abundance that society can be free from hunger, homelessness and back-breaking toil.
The World Socialist Movement is only the beginning of a revolution for a better world, politically, socially and economically.
The World Socialist Movement’ members take as their mission the political awakening of their fellow workers. We invite all who see that there’s a problem and are ready to do something about it to join us. With our organised strength, we will liberate the thinking of our fellow workers and unleash their energy. We will win them to the cause of the cooperative commonwealth.
The World Socialist Movement will win the people over with a vision of a world of plenty. The new technology provides better with less labour and fewer resources. Society now has the capacity to devote the energies and talents of the population to satisfy the needs of all.
We will inspire working people with the alternative: a society organised for the benefit of all, a society built on cooperation that puts the well-being of people above the profits and property of a handful of billionaires. When working people assume the administration of all productive property and transform it into the collective property, they can re-organise society so that the abundance is then equitably distributed according to need.
The World Socialist Movement hopes to empower fellow workers with the understanding of their role in striving for this new society and instil within them the confidence that it’s possible to win. More and more, people from every walk of life are looking for a plan for what has to be done.
We call upon you to join with us to campaign for a world where we neither harm people or our planet.
