Socialist Party congress 2022: Social explosion is inevitable
Socialist Party congress took place from 14 to 16 May in London – the first since February 2020 because of Covid. Congress is the most important democratic decision-making body of the Socialist Party.
Highlights from the meeting: World revolt is on agenda
Socialist Party congress took place from 14 to 16 May in London. "Congress is the most important democratic decision-making body of the Socialist Party." World revolt is on agenda.
Highlights of the meeting: Class society is the root cause of women’s oppression and only overthrowing capitalism will lay the basis for the ending it. “Our branches and their meetings are important to discuss ideas and plan the work, but also to develop the political education of every member through reading and discussing Marxist ideas.
Every area has to have a strategy to build, and use it to develop its influence in the local workers’ movement.” There has been a dramatic escalation of crises, and a fall in living standards internationally. These will lead to revolts around the world.
Socialist Party national committee member Robin Clapp later said the “world economy was on a precipice”, with experts predicting slowdowns in growth or recession internationally. Any ‘solutions’ to capitalism’s problems will increasingly create new problems and help prepare massive social explosions.
Sometimes right-populists gain from the current vacuum in the workers’ movement. New working-class formations will emerge and help to build the forces leading the struggle for socialism.
The discussion gave us the outlines of likely developments in the next period as a guide to action in building socialist ideas internationally.
The role of the trade unions in organising workers, including in the gig economy, will be vital.
There is a rising tide of workers’ militancy. But the threat of recession could mean a new phase, and change the character of workers’ disputes from offensive battles over pay, to defensive ones on jobs and conditions. The Socialist Party is also giving a lead in the unions on the question of political representation for the working class.
The Covid pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis have impacted on workers’ consciousness and readiness to resist attacks. Judy concluded that this would make social explosions inevitable.
Socialist ideas for people looking for answers. For the last eight months, Socialist Party members have been discussing a new draft programme for the party. This had been circulated in a publicly available ‘What We Stand For’ pamphlet.
The What We Stand For document points to the workplace as the site of developing struggles – where the battle is over the surplus value created by the working class, but expropriated by the capitalists – and how workers’ consciousness can develop during struggle.
Marxism and women’s oppression in the new era. The Covid pandemic, she said, has further exposed the level and extent of women’s oppression.