Dear Editor
The system of capitalism under which we live – where resources are mined, extracted, made or grown – are mainly owned by private investors; they even claim ownership of the land itself.
To realise profit on these materials they need the labour of the wage-earning population to turn these resources into items to sell or use. The cheaper this can be done – by keeping wages and conditions of work as low as possible – the more profits are made.
The lives and poverty of the wage-earning population throughout history, including today, shows capitalism is a failed system for the majority, by it’s nature of seeking maximum profit for the few – even to the extent of closing industries if profit is considered not enough, regardless of the devastating effect on workers and their families.
This is why generations of people – men and women – have struggled in their various ways to change the system to one where the wealth of resources and labour power is used for the benefit of all. These generations called the new system Socialism.
The system was, and is, heavily weighed against them in many way. Communication is the only way to start to convince people of the necessity for change, but how to do this when most channels of communication are owned by private companies or individuals? The sheer volume of their support for capitalism blurs the truth and can shape people’s minds. The working population, by contrast, has limited access to alternative socialist communications, they have limited means to promote it – and have limited time to do so.
The working population can make lives better if they seek maximum unity to right glaring wrongs, such as privately-owned essentials for everyday living. These should be publicly owned – electricity, gas, water and sewerage. Rail and bus transport to get to work and/or leisure. These are essential to all, as is the National Health Service.
A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens
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