The election: an anarchist view
As we publish this first issue of Picket Line, the federal election is coming to an end. Whoever leads the next government, the ruling class will celebrate. And no matter how well the minor parties do, they won’t be able to achieve anything of significance.
So what has this election been all about? What do the parties represent?
Liberal and Labor
The Liberals are the natural party of bosses and landlords. When capitalism is stable, business will normally line up behind them. They are more aggressive than Labor in supporting fossil fuel capital and in minimising workers’ rights. Along with the National Party, which represents landowners in rural areas, the Liberals mobilise a socially conservative mass voter base to stay in power.
The Labor Party, on the other hand, claims to represent workers. But this has never been true. It is not even accurate to call Labor a party of the union movement; rather, Labor is the political arm of Australia’s conservative trade union bureaucracy. Since the party aims to manage a capitalist economy, it must also prove itself useful to the ruling class.
Historically, Labor has done this in two ways: first, by representing capitalists who want greater levels of state investment in the economy (they’re also favored when the Liberals seem incapable of managing a crisis). Second, when union democracy is strong, and workers use their power to strike, the capitalist system will empower progressive governments to make concessions. Labor’s connection to the union bureaucracy places it in the ideal position to negotiate compromises, suppress radical members, and keep class struggle in check.
Labor has only ever advanced the interests of ordinary workers when union membership is high and militancy among the rank and file is strong. The bosses and union bureaucracy fear rank-and-file members taking matters into their own hands. If they want to hold onto their power and privileges, both groups share an interest in preventing workers from getting out of control.
Absent pressure from workers, elections become contests between different factions of the ruling class. In the 1970s, half of all workers were in trade unions, and the movement was at a high point of militancy. This produced the Whitlam government and its reforms. Today, union membership is only 13%, and unions are too weak to confront laws that restrict the right to strike.
As a result, Labor now campaigns as the more competent and socially progressive manager of Australian capitalism. The conflict between the major parties reflects disagreements within the capitalist class. How much government investment should go into public transport? Should we strengthen ties with China or prepare for war? Parliament is where the ruling class decides.
Mostly though, capitalists agree on how things should be run. They want to maximise profits, grow the economy, and keep workers disorganised. And our disorganisation is why this election has been a virtually policy-free zone.
The Greens and Victorian Socialists
There are two main left-wing alternatives this election. At the national level, the Greens, and in Victoria, the Victorian Socialists.
How should we understand these parties?
The policies of the Greens are driven by two main factors: their voting base and the need to prove they can be trusted with power.
Unlike Labor, which has at least some connection to union leadership, the Greens have no roots in the workers’ movement. They also don’t claim any specific orientation toward class politics. Instead, the Greens emphasise whichever socially progressive values they think will maximise their vote in a given electorate. For the most part, this has meant appealing to highly educated professionals.
As the possibility of influencing government gets closer, the Greens are forced to prove they are a safe pair of hands for capital. This election, they demonstrated their willingness to embrace militarism, pledging $4 billion for drones and missiles. Were they ever in a position to win a majority, even greater concessions would be made.
The Victorian Socialists make similar criticisms of the Greens and aim to be a party of the working class. The project is largely controlled by Socialist Alternative, which means, unlike the Greens, the party is run by self described revolutionaries.
Ask a Socialist Alternative member about their goals for the party and they will all respond in the same way: they have no faith in elections; they have no intention of managing the capitalist State; the real purpose of the party is to spread revolutionary socialist ideas. For this reason, they insist is is not a reformist project.
But if it walks like a duck, and quacks like one too… In reality, the Victorian Socialists campaign on policies barely to the left of the Greens. Far from spreading revolutionary politics, they conflate socialism with reforms like higher taxes on the rich. They do this because elections force parties to fight for votes, which means promising a “realistic” set of results that can be argued for in parliament.
For real change, we need class struggle
This election, the major parties have felt free to ignore workers’ concerns. No solutions are offered for inflation or the insanity of the housing market. Desperate to sit at the big table, the Greens have embraced the imperialist defence of capitalism.
The Victorian Socialists claim their campaign will encourage workers to organise. But their actions say otherwise. The real message sent to workers is contained in one of their slogans: “For real change, vote socialist!”
As anarchists, we believe that real change only comes when workers organise and take action for themselves. Our class has never been more disillusioned with politics. Rather than drag our fellow workers back into the parliamentary mess, socialists should be engaging them in direct struggle.
Struggle transforms people in a way that no “how to vote” card or policy conversation ever could. When workers take action against their bosses, they not only gain a better understanding of how the world works, but also of how they themselves can change it. It is class struggle, not elections, that develops the skills and power which could force the hand of corporations and governments. Rather than try to get ourselves elected, all our efforts should be dedicated to rebuilding that power.