From the comments boxes

Vin Manratty wrote:

Declaring the Abolition of the wages system as your first and only demand could be interpreted as ending wages within capitalism, which of course would be chaotic. Just to clarify: A class conscious working class must first take control of the state and use the state to transfer ownership of the means of production into common ownership. When this is achieved the state and wages become superfluous.

I consider myself, almost, taken to task. Given, though, that the wages system is the essence of capitalism, you cannot abolish it within capitalism. Yes, it's conceivable that it could be abolished to be replaced by some other class society: a restored serfdom; a return to chattel slavery; or something new altogether. As our commenter notes, however, we're calling on the working class to do this for themselves.

Indeed, I would agree with the prescription that political action to achieve common ownership is a prerequisite for abolishing the wages system; and the only way in which I think it could realistically be done. That said, we start from the conscious knowledge that we are people who live by selling our labour power, and our struggle to free ourselves must include ending that condition.

From the comments box:

vin maratty said...

I wish you all the best for the elections but - as I understand Marx and your position - the material conditions for socialism do not exist within capitalism: class consciousness. The election will only show that the workers neither understand nor want socialism.

As my colleague has already said: we don't expect to win, just to raise class consciousness. More than that, though, how can we know the state of class consciousness unless we test it in the most effective way available, through the universal franchise?

More importantly, though, if people let others know about their class consciousness, the more chance we have of spreading it and building it. That's why it is important that, if you live in either of the constituencies we're contesting, and you support the socialist case, that you vote for us.