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Is Values Socialist?

Your correspendent 'Values Voter' criticises the Young Socialists for 'compromising' ourselves by calling for the return of a Labour Government. Instead we should vote for Values, who 'stand out as a humanitarian party firmly based upon Socialist principles.'

But is Values socialist? Cathy Wilson, Deputy Leader of the party, claimed in a letter to the Young Socialists that they are 'fundamentally opposed to capitalism.' However, Values does not even begin to seriously analyse capitalist society. The outline in their 'Why Join the Values Party' leaflet how 'we're polluting the environment ... We're turning people into 'production' work slaves'—how 'we' are causing all sorts of problems. But who is it that are creating these problems? The Young Socialists say that the problems are not caused by the majority of New Zealanders, but by the small minority who make profits out of the exploitation of others. It is not the working people who make themselves into 'production' work slaves. It is the businessman thirsting after bigger profits—and these are the same people who make the real decisions in out society.

Because they do not see that capitalist society is run by and for a small wealthy minority, Values will never have a strategy than can challenge that minority. They will remain in the blind alley of policies of 'zero population growth' and 'zero economic growth', which shift the blame for this society's problems from its rulers to its masses of victims. We need to create a society organised rationally to provide for everyone—not make further calls for the working people to tighten their belts to solve the problems that capitalism has created.

As 'Values Voter' points out, the Young Socialists are severely critical of the Labour Government. We have see for three years the Labour Government trampling on the rights of working people, Maoris and other Polynesians, women, and young people. Pensioners, dental nurses, student teachers, university students, Maoris, unionists, women, and gay people have all been forced to organise to defend their rights, demand changes. What sort of alternative does Values offer these people: a muddled series of reforms with no clear strategy for achieving them.

The Young Socialists in contrast see the only solution is to transform this society into a socialist one. There is only one way to achieve this—through the majority of working people and other oppressed sectors of our society organising independently of big business, and making fundamental changes.

The Labour Party was originally formed as the political arm of such a movement of working people. Despite its present rotten leadership it still remains the party of the unions, retaining the support of the overwhelming majority of workers and underprivileged people. Therefore we call for the return of Labour to office, but at the same time we challenge the Labour leaders to respond to the demands of the working people—the people who vote for them—and to abolish the power and influence of bib business.

The Young Socialists will be running a vigorous campaign in this year's elections. We are supporting the candidates—in Wellington, Kay Goodger is running in Island Bay and Russell Johnson in Petone.

Our campaign will represent the people who voted for Labour in 1972, but who feel betrayed by its performance. Values can offer these people no real alternative, as they have no strategy or programme for the fundamental changes that this society needs.