Socialist Resistance is a group of Marxists who are convinced that capitalism is a system that offers most of humanity a future of war, environmental catastrophe and poverty.
We are Marxists because we can see that human society is divided into conflicting social classes. We take the side of the working class, the poor and the oppressed in Britain and internationally.
Our political activity has the aim of putting society under the democratic political and economic control of working class people. They are the majority of the population. Political control in Britain today is in the hands of tiny numbers of politicians and business people who make the decisions that affect all our lives. They are much more concerned with profit than human need.
Socialist Resistance stands in opposition to racism and Islamophobia and to the oppression of women, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people and disabled people. We believe that the most effective way to fight these forms of discrimination is by the coming together of those who directly experience them.
We are revolutionary socialists because it is clear from history that social classes only give up power when they have been overthrown by a revolution.
Ecosocialist
Revolutionary socialists have always been in favour of the development of the economy, on a global and national basis, to meet the needs of humanity. But that doesn’t mean we favour the production of an increasing number of commodities of any type whatsoever. Much of what is produced under capitalism is socially useless, and either redundant or directly harmful. Some products, like cars, harm the environment directly; others are useless and just use up huge amount of the planet’s resources.
Our critique of the so-called “commodity spectacle” does not mean we are against all further economic development, especially in the third world. Neither does it mean that decisive new inventions in the future should not be applied, and the level of technology should remain stagnant. New development and production can be planned and go ahead if it meets human need and are not environmentally destructive.
We are the only Marxist organisation in Britain that calls itself ecosocialist. We know that the ruling class will look for solutions to the environmental disaster that capitalism has created but they will try and make the poor, the working class and the developing world pay. They will also carry on destroying the environment as a result of their need to make profits.
It is the people who are young today who will have to live with the consequences of this capitalist created disaster. We therefore want the working class to develop their own solutions. Young people will have a big part to play in this fight.
New class struggle parties
Supporters of Socialist Resistance argue that the Labour Party has become so right wing that, even though millions of workers still support it, a big for socialists in Britain is to create a new anti-capitalist party that supports workers’ struggles, defends asylum seekers and womens’ rights and opposes imperialist wars. Our supporters in Scotland are in the Scottish Socialist Party for exactly this reason. In England today, we don’t think any such organisation exists but continue to be committed to this road
Why we organise
We run a website, publish books, and organise monthly local meetings and larger national events. In July 2009, we became the British section of the Fourth International, the worldwide socialist organisation.
5 Comments
You have said who you are not supporting in London Mayoral elections, you should say how you are advocating people to vote!
Hi Simon,
Pick up the new issue of our magazine to read this: http://socialistresistance.org/2008/02/29/socialists-and-ken-livingstone/.
We are joining with the rest of the ‘red’ and ‘green’ left in calling for people to give their alternative vote to Livingstone, and to give their first choice to a credible left-wing candidate.
Hello There
If I were in England, I would support the Socialist Party of Britain. My reason is they are making great strides in building a movement with the Trade Unions. I agree with you on Cars. In fact I talk about their being too many cars, and the accidents, and car rage and the cause that most cars do to the Environment. I refuse to own a Car. We need a better mass Transit World Wide. To where we have a bus that can drop us off at our door. And better train service and Taxi service. Like they have in a small town in Switzerland.
They are Electric. And more Walking paths, and bike paths. Jimmy.
Hi Jimmy. I can’t say I know the Socialist Party of Britain well, but I think it’s great that all socialist groups share an understanding of how central the trade unions are in defending workers’ rights, especially in the public sector. Socialist Resistance places a lot of emphasis on the idea that trade unions need to think socially and act politically about climate change. That’s why we have played a central role, with other ecosocialists, in the trade union movement against climate change.
Are you in solidarity with the powerful revolutionary struggles in India and Nepal led by Maoists?