Socialist Alternative is a revolutionary socialist organisation. The point of a socialist group is ultimately to fight to overthrow the capitalist system and create a world run democratically by workers—one that prioritises human need, not profit.
In moments of mass resistance, which break out periodically under capitalism, the question of which political forces are the best organised becomes crucial. The ruling class have numerous defences to protect their rule, from repressive laws and armed police to the loyalty of “moderates” in the movement—reformist politicians, well-heeled NGO leaders, union officials and more.
A socialist party is necessary to challenge these “respectable” and “pragmatic” leaders, who usually enjoy a privileged position within the system and want to keep it that way. They tend to argue that change comes through the official channels, rather than workers’ own power. Socialists, by contrast, argue that real social change is possible only when the mass of people are actively engaged in bringing about change. In workplaces, this means workers taking control and deciding for themselves what to produce and how, in a collective and democratic manner.
This is exactly what tends to happen at high points of social struggle or during revolutions—but at such moments, the movement can be crushed or coopted by those looking to preserve the system. This is another reason why a mass socialist party is necessary: to push in the direction of mass action and stronger grassroots organisation. That requires people who can convince others of the need to dismantle the police, armies and parliamentary institutions that back up the rule of the rich, and to begin building a new society based on democracy and solidarity.
We’re a long way from this today, but this gigantic task isn’t going to be accomplished by pontificating in armchairs and waiting until the barricades go up. It requires an organisation of people committed to building resistance wherever possible in the here and now. Through campaigns and organising, socialists can gain experience in fighting for and winning things, figure out what tactics and strategies are effective and learn who are allies or enemies.
This is why we expect our members be active wherever they are—whether at work or on a university campus. It’s why we take working in campaigns seriously—from the fight for LGBTI rights to campaigns against war, racism and fascism, to struggles for workers’ rights and against education cuts. We want to win reforms because we support workers and the oppressed having as much control over their lives and the highest living standards possible within the confines of capitalism. And every struggle is a chance to learn how to challenge the power of the capitalist class and its defenders.
So whenever or wherever the oppressed and exploited have a grievance against the system, socialists want to stand with them, strengthen the fight, learn from it and, through this process, demonstrate in practice that socialist politics can both explain the capitalist system and provide a strategy to fundamentally change the world.
This is particularly important at work. Our members often do the painstaking and unglamorous work of convincing individual workmates to join their trade union or to raise their voices about seemingly small workplace grievances. But this work, which builds union culture and marks out socialists as workplace leaders, is invaluable. It can at times lead to fairly impressive union activism. So Socialist Alternative members have led or been an important part of a number of strikes across Australia, and more recently multiple walkouts of community service workers in Melbourne in solidarity with Gaza.
Also, socialists can’t expect workers to follow their lead in a radicalisation if they have not already proved themselves to be committed, principled workplace activists. Any organisation that is serious about its claim that workers have the power to bring about socialism must be part of the workers’ movement and aim to win the respect of other workers.
We are also involved in the task of building a genuinely radical electoral alternative to Labor and the Greens, establishing the Victorian Socialists, which has begun to put socialist ideas back on the political map. The election campaigns have involved conversations with tens of thousands of people, in which we must make socialist ideas accessible and convincing to those not already involved in political activism. Last year, we expanded Victorian Socialists nationwide, quickly growing to 5,600 members and becoming the largest socialist party in Australia since the Second World War.
In all the campaigns we’re a part of, our approach is determined by our socialist politics.
Because we are revolutionaries, we don’t limit what we demand to what we think will be acceptable to those in power. This stands in contrast to moderate organisations and NGOs, which often oppose even minimal demands and activism for fear of alienating their friends in high places or being seen as “extreme” or “fringe” and not listened to by those in power.
We are one of only a few organisations that has held the line on Palestine in the face of constant government and media attacks. Decades of perseverance were crucial in laying the basis for the massive solidarity movement of the last two years, giving successive generations of activists the arguments to stand up to the smears and the confidence that they’re on the right side of history. The consistent activist work of Socialist Alternative members has allowed us to initiate some of the most important Gaza solidarity actions in Australian history, from the university encampments to the March for Humanity over the Sydney Harbor bridge.
Like the NGOs and moderate organisations, most union leaders have been utterly silent since Labor won government federally in 2022, while workers’ living standards have taken a battering. Socialist Alternative is a small group; we don’t pretend that we can transform the union movement. But when we argue against the conservative union leaders, we can find an audience—because lots of workers want their unions to fight for them.
For instance, during the pandemic, members of Socialist Alternative led a national campaign to defeat a proposed 15 percent wage cut on every worker in the university sector, a plan that was being pushed by the university union itself.
All the various campaigns raise participants’ political horizons, give them experience in organising and allow them to draw practical lessons. They demonstrate in practice that the instincts and attitudes of workers are frequently well in advance of their “representatives”, but so often are invalidated by those with a more conservative agenda.
ButYet campaigning alone is not enough. Small victories can be overturned. And many campaigns don’t win their demands. This doesn’t mean that they are a waste of time. But defeat often demoralises people. This is not inevitable—defeats can be important learning experiences that make victory next time more likely. And, if the appropriate political conclusions are drawn, they help establish political lessons in the eyes of those who take part that are important for future struggles.
Socialist organisation plays an important role here, helping to ensure that the skills, insights and political principles learnt through generations of class and social struggles are passed on and built on in a way that can shape the future of the workers’ movement—toward overthrowing the entire system. That’s why socialists meet, discuss and write about struggles, and attempt to draw the participants into ongoing political activity, rather than let them drift away when a campaign ends.
Winning in the long term will require building a mass socialist organisation. This is why we don’t just organise activism: we are constructing an experienced, collaborative group. There are many elements to this. First and foremost, we constantly grow our ranks. To challenge capitalism, we will need socialist organisers in every workplace, every campaign and on every university campus. That starts with recruiting individuals, educating them in socialist ideas and giving them the political experience to become effective organisers and recruiters. This is why we promote our politics at rallies, sell a publication and regularly host anti-capitalist meetings after the demonstration concludes.
Contrary to the complaints of some, this isn’t “hijacking” or bringing an “outside agenda”. This is what every serious organisation, and even many individuals, do in every struggle. Every campaign is a battle of ideas, bringing together people who want to work for a common goal but who have different political approaches.
What’s more, many activist campaigns have been sustained only because a minority of participants were convinced to become ongoing socialist organisers, turning a moment of protest into a lifelong political commitment. The more socialists we recruit today, the more people there will be to build resistance in the future.
For a socialist group to be effective, it must build a culture of serious political activity. This is why we make regular activity a requirement of membership. This is not only about maximising Socialist Alternative’s impact. It is also necessary for the organisation to be democratic. We make decisions, carry them out and evaluate them collectively. Only an active membership can hold the leadership to account and learn how to be leaders themselves.
All the work that Socialist Alternative does takes significant resources. Running multiple campaigns, publishing a magazine and a theoretical journal, renting and booking venues to organise in, hosting the Marxism conference every year—all this costs money. We are funded through members’ financial contributions, which vary according to their personal situation. For a revolutionary organisation, this is even more important than for other parties because it’s a question of political independence—to function as a radical group, we can’t rely on corporate donations as the ALP does, or government grants as is the case for NGOs.
We organise weekly branch meetings in every area where we have a presence. These meetings allow members to discuss what’s happening in the world and in campaigns we are involved in, and to deepen our collective knowledge of history and political theory. And we democratically decide the direction of the group—unlike most traditional political parties, which operate according to a top-down model. We have elected leadership structures at a campus, city and national level to coordinate the activities of our group, all of which are democratically accountable to the members.
Socialists need to be well organised to have an impact. But revolutionary groups don’t build themselves. They have to be built by those who believe it’s possible for workers to create a society fit for human existence. We still have a long way to go—from an organisation of around 800 to many thousands. But we also know that our politics stand a chance of winning the fight for a better world. If you agree with these ideas, you should join the largest and most serious group of revolutionaries in Australia—you should join Socialist Alternative.
