UK

Socialism or Barbarism

By Ben Hayes, Arise – a Festival of Left Ideas

The warning in Rosa Luxemburg’s Junius Pamphlet, that “Bourgeois society stands at the crossroads, either transition to socialism or regression into barbarism,”has usually been viewed in terms of how it reflected the historical period of the First World War –  and all the catastrophe which it spawned. It has also been deployed as a rallying call to encourage new layers into the movement. It is easy to see, however, why it is being increasingly related to the context of the modern day.

In Britain, as with the US and much of Europe, the living standards of millions have been continuously squeezed all the way back to the financial crisis of 2007-08 and the austerity programmes designed to ensure that the class which caused the crash would not be footing the bill for it. A report from the Social Metrics Commission last year found that poverty levels had reached a new high in the 21st century, affecting an astonishing 24% of the population. With the past few years seing the Conservatives implode to an unprecedented extent in recent British political history, it is safe to say that any hopes of a ‘honeymoon period’ following Keir Starmer taking office last July are well and truly over. The policy of ending Winter Fuel Allowance payments for millions of pensioners has proved especially damaging.

Looking internationally, the need for a new order based on peace and cooperation could scarcely be more apparent. From the horrific scenes witnessed in Gaza on a daily basis, to the new nuclear arms race between major states, and the devastation caused by conflicts in countries such as Sudan and Yemen, there is a consistent legacy of destruction and suffering being left across the world. Yet for some, these events represent an exciting business opportunity – with the world’s top 100 arms companies seeing their real terms revenue increase to $632 billion over the last two years. Few figures can be said to more starkly highlight the rotten nature of the economic system which dominates the world today.

Of course, the future of our planet does not simply face one existential threat. 2024 was Earth’s hottest year since records began, and the first four years of these decades have already seen numerous extreme weather events, with calamitous human consequences. There remains little sign of a response which properly addresses the urgency of this situation from our government. Indeed, if anything, the indicators seem to suggest quite the opposite, with the second Trump administration scrapping $4 billion pledged towards the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund. Plus, not content with pushing for a third runway at Heathrow, Starmer and Reeves are reportedly keen to back the proposed Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields in Scotland.

Unsurprisingly, a political system which has overseen such a mess is becoming increasingly messy itself. It is important that polling suggesting that there has been a significant decrease amongst support for democracy as “the best system for running a country effectively” amongst those aged 18-45 in Britain is neither treated as somehow representing grounds for optimism nor met with a stern lecture about how too many people don’t recognise how lucky they are to live under it, but instead met with serious analysis. For a significant section of the population, the term democracy has come to represent not the vision that various mass movements struggled to bring about, a system where all of us are empowered to take part in collectively addressing the issues impacting our lives, but a kind of reality show where various figures come and go without ever bringing about anything that might actually be of some meaningful benefit to you, your family or your community: and anyone with hopes of doing so is soon told that they haven’t understood the rules.

Trump’s victory is a particularly notable example of a phenomenon which is playing out across many of the world’s leading capitalist economies. As political figures seen as embodying a widely discredited and unpopular existing order find themselves, as Aneurin Bevan put it, getting run down after standing in the middle of the road, various strands of reactionary politics are positioning themselves not only as sticking two fingers up but as representing a bright new future. Multiple opinion polls this month have shown Reform taking the lead.

While appreciating the severity of the crises we face on numerous fronts, it is important that we do not see them as grounds for slumping into defeatism – but rather as reasons why bringing about positive change is so vital. Even with all the difficulties of the past few years for the left here, there has not been an absence of examples showing what can be achieved with the right initiative at the right time – take the youth climate mobilisations, the breadth and perseverance of the Palestine solidarity movement, or the unity shown in the face of last summer’s street violence. And as the RMT begin the process of electing their next General Secretary, it is worth recalling how strongly the unapologetic class politics put forward by Mick Lynch and other leading representatives of the union in often hostile media interviews resonated during their dispute – with the union also demonstrating how this message goes hand in hand, rather than being opposed to, taking a principled stance on questions of internationalism and oppression.

In a period where socialists understandably have a range of perspectives on where and how it is best to focus on organising, it is key to build forums that develop our understanding of the world around us, and support all those fighting for a better future on a political, industrial, campaigning and global level. For all the damage being done to the world, its potential remains – and is worth realising.

Join Arise – a Festival of Left Ideas in our events and campaigns over the months ahead, and be part of this vital work.

Online rally, Tuesday February 11th, 18.30 – Winning a socialist future – ending austerity, racism & war. Jeremy Corbyn, Apsana Begum, Stand up to Racism. Strikemap and speakers from across the Union Lefts. Register at http://bit.ly/winningasocialistfuture

Ben Hayes will be speaking at the Socialism or Barbarism in-person day-school in London on Saturday March 29th, alongside John McDonnell, campaigner Jess Barnard, socialist economist Grace Blakeley and campaigns such as PSC, CND and Stand up to Racism. Register and info at bit.ly/socialismorbarbarism