Pivotal moment for Burnham?

Capitalism No Comments

Westminster watchers were glued to the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, and none more so than new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, after a Conference speech laying out his ‘vision’ of undoing 40 years of Thatcherite privatisation and ‘wrong turns’.

Will he call a snap general election to secure a popular mandate for this vision? The Tories are nowhere, the far-right divided and mired in scandal, and the Greens have arguably damaged their prospects by passing a resolution that Zionism is racist.

Thrilling stuff, if you like domestic soap operas. But capitalism will continue regardless, just as socialists continue working for its abolition. Because only then will anything really change.

The Socialist Party of Great Britain – Part of the World Socialist Movement

Socialist Sonnet No. 249

Socialist Poetry No Comments

Going through the Motions

 

Fine promises are all too glibly made

In a conference hall, filled with delegates

Gathered from the political estate,

Where future electoral plans are being laid.

All this nation’s ills are the fault, of course,

Of other parties, but power won’t be lost

With well thought through proposals, fingers crossed:

All delivered with rhetorical force.

The only real obstacle is the cost,

Because money’s always in short supply.

Profits remain sacrosanct, which is why

Though politicians try, markets won’t be bossed.

Conference approves what has been arranged

And then departs; yet nothing will have changed.

 

D. A.

Odd world isn’t it?

Capitalism No Comments

Odd world, isn’t it?

October 1, 2026

Nowadays, an accumulator (a single bet on, e.g, 5 horse races) has a cash-out option. If the first 2 nags win, a gambler with nagging doubts about the remaining selections can cancel the bet and take the current winnings. Rational, no?

Rational too is the capitalist with nagging doubts about future elections who cashes out some of the wealth gifted by the workers to bet on politicians who, if the electoral gamble comes off, will doubtless ‘work’ tirelessly to defend donors’ sectional interests. To do that, they will also have to act in the interests of the owning class generally by defending the biggest accumulator of them all – the profit system. (see also October’s editorial)

October 2026

Socialist Sonnet No. 248

Socialist Poetry No Comments

Social Truth

 

‘What is truth?’ Is an immemorial

Question posed by Pilate, and still a sage

Query this secular social media age

That’s dominated by the spectacle.

Don’t let bare-faced fact tarnish an image

Fostered by some present day potentate,

Determined to determine others’ fates

As he pompously struts his national stage.

Meanwhile, red hobgoblins haunt the courts

Of public debate, their schemes and schisms

Practically confusing socialism

With nostrums, redundant and out of sorts.

While potentates will secure their capitals

For as long as the spectacle holds.

 

D. A.

Vote for World Socialism

SPGB No Comments

There will be a lot of noise about the Holborn and St. Pancras by election – Labour and the Greens competing over who can be trusted to handle the cost of living crisis. Neither, though, will address the root cause of the crisis, that society is run on behalf of those who own the land and factories.

Until these are brought into common ownership, there will be poverty and unemployment, as this is how the owners get us to work for them. Our aim is to get this message out through the noise. You can help punch through the noise by getting people to write World Socialism across their ballot paper.

Get in touch with us to find out other ways you can help

Wordsocialism/spgb/

Socialist Sonnet No. 247

Socialist Poetry No Comments

Today

 

Today billions did not kill each other,

Didn’t perpetrate any atrocity,

Didn’t bomb any village, town or city,

Didn’t knowingly exploit one another.

Didn’t become celebrities or famous,

Didn’t receive honours for doing their jobs,

Didn’t gather together in murderous mobs,

Didn’t see different colours and make a fuss.

They did work required for wealth creation,

They did hours of housework, as ever unpaid,

They did see folk in need, came to their aid,

They did all the world’s administration.

And no one ever really seeks their views,

And not even be mentioned in the news.

 

D. A.

Promoted by the Socialist Party of Great Britain, 52 Clapham High Street, London, SW4 7UN.

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