from George Cunvin ".eenearly all ‘democratic socialists' %, according to Philip Toynbee in the New Statesman ( Jan. 6), are democrats before they are socialists. From this he goes on to develop the theme that it would be “silly to go on thinking in terms of a ‘socialist Britain’ (or to go on talking about ‘socialist policies’ as a possible choice for the present government." A leftist government, according to this democratic socialist thinker may, with good luck, sneak into power in Britain about once every 20 years. It should make the best use of the 5 years it is in office. It must, of course, abandon all hope of ‘murdering the capitalist beast, but (should) try to humanise him to such an extent that he..,will become aware of his oin hideousness and undergo.?.voluntary course of plastic surgery."
There is, dne must admit, at least a basis of truth in ilr. Toynbee's premis. Most of those who call themselves democratic socialists share his pessimism
about the possibility of socialism. They go further than that -they make the word ‘socialism’ mean what they want it to mean. In their looking-glass world anti-trade union legislation; savage cuts in the social services; political and military alliances with the world's most poverful capitalist power and support for imperialist wars of ag:ression are all identified with 'socialism’, Thus a'democratic socialist’ ilinister of Labour can assure the Institute of Directors that he is contemplating lezislation which will curb the workers’ right to strike, revealing to all the world that in the last analysis your ‘democratic socialist’ is not only not a socialist but is also not a democrat. For the right to strike -- whether official or unofficial ~- is, surely, one of the fundamental tenets of democracy. Democracy is a word with many meanings. Classical Greece is often described as the birthplace of democracy but it was democracy only for the slaveowners. The United States, despite the grandiose promise of the ‘eclaration of Independence("A1l men under God, are born free and equal't), supported chattel slavery until late in the last century and today the black descendants of those slaves still fight and die for that promised equality. The Rritish “ilother of Parliaments", ruled for years, despotically, over the slave colonial empire with, sometimes a ‘democratic socialist’ government in temporary charge of the state machinery of oppression. To most ‘democratic socialists' democrscy means the right to cast a vote every so often in local or parliamentary elections. Once elected there is nothing to stop a government from passing legislation directly contradictory to the programm on which it went to the comtry. The present crisis through which Britain is passing has demonstrated, once and for all, that it is not the electorate which determines Government policy. It is big business at home and abroad which tells the Government, whether ‘democratic socialist’ or Tory, what to do. This is not democracy but a mockery of cemocracy, If space permitted this theme could be developed. The organs of mass communication are in the hands of the same people who control the econanic life of the country. Workers produce the nation's wealth but have no voice in its distribution. Women still have to battle for full social and economic emancipation, Immigrants and their descendants are treated as a source of cheap labour and as second-class citizens, Conte -=