Monday, January 07, 2013

Vote for yourself for a change?

The party is contesting a council by-election at Brixton Hill in South London.  Polling day is January 17th. This is the text of the election manifesto that will be distributed within the ward.

Vote for yourself for a change?


Why, when the resources exist to provide a decent standard of living for everyone, are we going through “austerity”?

It’s because the present system is not geared to meeting our needs but to making profits for businesses and the rich people who own and control them. At the moment this capitalist system is in an economic crisis where profits have fallen The only way out for the system is to restore profits at our expense.

That’s why what our wages can buy has shrunk. It’s why benefits are being slashed. And it’s why Lambeth council has been cutting local services.

It’s not just Lambeth. It’s councils everywhere, whichever party is in control. Councils get most of their money from the government, but market forces have obliged the government to reduce this. National and local politicians are just running the system in the only way it can be – as a profit system where priority has to be given to profit-making over meeting our needs.

It’s the system that’s to blame, not those elected to run it. That’s why changing the politicians in charge makes no difference. As the saying goes, “changing governments changes nothing”. It will be like this as long as the profit system lasts. So there is no point in voting for parties that accept this system.

The alternative is to change to a new system based on satisfying our needs, where the places where wealth is produced will no longer be owned by profit-seeking businesses but will be owned and democratically controlled by us all. That’s what the Socialist Party stands for. We are contesting this by-election to raise this issue, and to give those of you who agree a chance to be counted.

You can do this by voting for the Socialist candidate, Danny Lambert. And then get in touch to help bring an end to the system that can never be made to work in your interest.

An election hustings arranged by the online Brixton newspaper, the Brixtonblog will take place. Our candidate will be present to answer questions directly

Thursday, 10 January - 7:00pm
Corpus Christi Catholic Church,
11 Trent Road, Brixton Hill, SW2


Follow the election at our election blog here

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