May Day Greetings

The Socialist: 25 years of assisting workers' struggles and fighting for socialism

Birmingham bin workers on strike, supported by the Socialist newspaper, photo Corinthia Ward (Click to enlarge)

This month, the Socialist celebrates 25 years of being to the fore in fighting for a democratic socialist society, to end the nightmare conditions of inequality, poverty, wars, and environmental catastrophe arising from the capitalist profit system.

To that end, our reports, analysis, and programmatic articles have assisted the independent struggles of working people and the poor internationally, in order to build trade unions and left parties that can challenge the rule of capital.

The Socialist was launched at a time of 'triumphal capitalism' when US imperialism policed the globe and dominated the world economy unchallenged.

Politically, the direction of this capitalist tide during the 1990s had blunted the organisations of the workers' movement and given rise to 'Blairism' - an unashamed embrace of the capitalist market.

This 'counterrevolution' culminated in Gordon Brown's infamous boast that the New Labour governments of the early 20th century had eliminated capitalist 'boom and bust'.

The Socialist was virtually alone in predicting that this capitalist boom rested on 'fictitious capital' ie the accumulation of vast quantities of debt. The inevitable meltdown of the banks, etc, followed; and with it a new capitalist paradigm of austerity, which has been deepened by the Covid pandemic of today.

The Socialist also opposed and mobilised to stop the disastrous wars in the Middle East and elsewhere by, initially, Bush and Blair, as working and poor people in those countries, and domestically, paid a bloody price for western imperialism's geopolitical adventures.

Today, the Socialist continues to provide an unrivalled socialist alternative to capitalist misery and in assisting the working class in its day-to-day battles over the cost of living and for independent political representation.

We ask trade union branches, groups of workers, and community campaigners to join us in celebrating 25 years of the Socialist by placing a May Day greeting in our pages. This act of solidarity will also assist us in securing the resources necessary to maintain and expand the Socialist in the future.

Send greetings, see prices and make payments: socialistparty.org.uk/mayday
Resources and enquiries: [email protected]

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
We must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.