SOCIALIST COMMENT

SOCIALIST COMMENTThis pamphlet consists of a selection of articles that appeared in the SocialistStandard during 1955 and 1956. They have been published because they dealwith issues of current interest and give the Socialist Pa rty’ s attitude to them in ahandy f orm.CONTENTS1. Th e Rich Stil l Own the Co untry2. Are You Sati sfied wit h Your Pay?3. Plan less Bo oms an d Run away Slumps4. Hou sing, Planning an d Modern Life5. Cl ass and Col our in Sout h Afric a6. W hy So cialists Opp ose the Lab our Party7. Th e Materialist Co nception of History1THE R ICH STI LL OW N TH E C OUNTRYLA BO UR SPOKES MEN AD M IT OUR CHARGEThough the Fa bian forerunners of the Labour Pa rty recognised well over half a century ago thatthe basic fact about capitalism Is that the means of production and distribution are owned by thesmall capitalist minority, the four Labour Gov ernments of 1924, 1929, 1945 and 1950, didnothing about it. The early Labour Pa rty placed on record tha t 10 per cent. of the population own90 per cent. of the wealth and promised to change this situation: it was to be their alternative tothe establishment of Socialism, their answer to the S.P.G.B. For a time, in the burst of Labourenthusiasm after the second world war, some of their spokesmen claimed that the aim had beenpractically achieved. They said that the Welfare State and the Labour policy of "Fair Shares forAll " had pretty nearly abolished the old extremes of riches and poverty. We ...