We are going to re-launch Socialist Resistance as a quarterly magazine and the statement below describes what we want it to be. We aim for it to be the leading class struggle and ecosocialist journal in English. We have started working with some interesting new people recently and there must be lots more out there that we have still to meet. We are in the process of pulling together a group of activists who are interested in collaborating in the new project. You can contact us if you are interested.
Socialist Resistance – What is it?
Socialist Resistance is a magazine produced by a group of people who are convinced that capitalism is a system that offers most of humanity a future of war, environmental catastrophe and poverty.
We used to produce a monthly paper called Socialist Resistance but we shut it down so that its resources could be used to allow Respect Renewal to have a paper. We have now decided to launch a quarterly magazine.
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. 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.
Some of us are in the International Socialist Group which is the section of the Fourth International in Britain but many of us are not. We are keen that our magazine is seen as a space in which a spectrum of Marxists, socialists and environmentalists from all sorts of backgrounds can collaborate both in the practical sphere and in working out the ideas needed to change the world.
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, the big job for socialists in Britain is to help create a new anti-capitalist party that supports workers’ struggles, defends asylum seekers, women’s rights and opposes imperialist wars. We are working hard to make sure that Respect Renewal is a success because we think that it is an important step along this road. Our supporters in Scotland are in the Scottish Socialist Party for exactly the same reasons.
We are in favour of the rebuilding of the fighting strength of the labour movement and democracy in the trade unions. Socialist Resistance members are active in their workplaces and trade unions fighting to defend and extend workers jobs and conditions through mass action. We are also active in trying to building fighting democratic broad lefts within our unions.
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 through the coming together of those who directly experience them.
Ecosocialism
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 amounts 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 needs and is not environmentally destructive.
We are the only Marxist organization 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.
Why we produce a magazine
From our political practice we have learned that it is necessary for Marxists to produce their own distinctive publication. We write for and sell Respect’s newspaper. But there will be occasions when we will disagree with some of Respect’s tactics or policies. By producing our own magazine we are able to argue our positions more fully and clarify what we think. It also allows us to explore history and ideas in more depth than a newspaper does. Having our own magazine is also important for us because along with our books, leaflets and meetings it allows us to organise independently around things that we think are important.
If you want to support a magazine that is socialist, revolutionary, ecologist, feminist and anti-imperialist join us in trying to change the world
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