On 'Why Marx was Right'

As a socialist student, I have encountered many people in my life wo have questioned my political views, and tried to convince me of why I am utterly wrong. I have had my loyalty to my country questioned (spoiler alert; I am anti-monarchy and a raging communist, I don’t need anybody to tell me this). Many people face similar problems with expressing their political views, especially on the left of the spectrum, due to the popular opinion that the Conservatives do nothing but save Britain from Labour’s blunders time and time again, and that tradition is the only way forward.

Sometimes, politics can be overwhelming to the youth, and many students don’t have the time or energy to form an educated political opinion. It is not very often that I have spoken to someone as politically energised as me, and when I do, it’s usually a Tory. Friends and family know of socialism, and think it sounds good as a concept, but have little to no desire to read all three volumes of Das Capital in order to better understand it. Whilst the works of Marx, Engels and Trotsky are all staple reads for budding socialists, sometimes they are just too inaccessible. They aren’t written with the intent of being read by students in 2018, who would much rather play their PS4 or go for a drink (or ten). Why Marx was Right, is a gateway, for the new generation of prospective socialists, due to its accessible writing style and brilliant structure.

The first step in becoming a socialist, is educating yourself on what socialism is, what it stands for, and what it hopes to do. The second step in becoming a socialist, is to argue with every right-wing person you come across. The book is organised into chapters and each chapter addresses a common argument against Marxism.

As a member of debate society in my sixth form college, I know as well as I’m sure the rest of you do, that stating that you are a socialist will immediately provoke a thousand arguments against your belief. You will be compared to Stalin or Mao, you will probably be given a lecture about how communism is nothing but destructive, and how you will never win in this country, so you might as well co-operate with the government and vote Labour if you feel that strongly.

However, should you come into contact with an actual intelligent debate, Why Marx Was Right is your manual. With logically worded arguments against Marxism, followed by lengthy discussions to support Marxism, it goes in-depth and applies Marxist views into a modern-day context. No, we might not all understand Marx’s view of the world, as it was a significant period of time before I was born. But that doesn’t mean to say that his theories don’t still apply today. Let’s talk about employment for a second.

Good news everyone. 79,000 people now have jobs in the UK who didn’t have one this time last year. Now we only have 1.63 million people still left to find work for!

Maybe we should re-introduce the Roundsman System from the early 1800’s, in which able-bodied unemployed labourers would be forced to travel around their parish to find a day’s work. If they found a day’s work, there was no security over this job, and they would be paid a lesser wage than those who were formally employed. This meant that employers were able to take on singular workers with no strings attached, abuse their work, and make money from this. We still have this in place today, in a cleverly shrouded and mysterious thing called “zero hour contracts”. “Shock horror” cried the Tories at the suggestion that anything the capitalists do may be inhumane or abusive.

Zero hour contracts do not give the worker employee status, restricting them of rights that all labourers are entitled to, such as sick pay, maternity leave, and so on and so forth. They aren’t guaranteed work, but when they do have work, they are treated as inferior to the other employees, and are often paid a shocking amount compared to those with contractual hours.

It’s funny, Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 883,000 were employed on zero-hours contracts as their main job, compared to 168,000 in 2010. Yet on this matter, Mrs May stated that “only a very small number of workers are on these contracts.”

Theresa May is on £150,00 a year. Theresa May probably does not actually know what a zero-hours contract is, as we all know that she has never really listened to a thing that the people of Britain, or even her advisors, have had to say on the matter.

Last year, after losing out on her majority, May stated that “she would act to protect the rights of workers” following the publication of Matthew Taylor's report on the so-called "gig economy".

In the following month, May denied these previous claims, and stated that “the economy must avoid overbearing regulation”.

This is not a new problem. Marx called them the “industrial reserve army” – who can be drafted into and thrown out of production according to the capitalists’ changing requirements. When the economy is improving, they need workers immediately: hire some of the unemployed. When business turns down, save money ­– lay them off. You can always get more when things pick up.

Marx highlights the abuse suffered by ordinary workers, who are used as cogs in the machine of greed, offers them a solution, and proposes some logical theories and evidence to back up his claims.

What does he get in return? The BNP. UKIP. Ordinary, working people, unionising to spew hatred of minorities instead of against their bosses. Liberal fucking democrats.

What does that sound like to you? I could go on and on, and maybe if I do another talk we can make this into a mini-series on ways Marx is applicable to today. But when push comes to shove, one of the biggest issues in our country right now can be solved by applying Marxist theories. Why Marx Was Right is important to share amongst the younger generation, because it discounts myths and pre-conceived ideas about socialism which are shunned by the media, and provides an understandable, easy to grasp education on practical issues that affect everyone daily. It genuinely saddens me to see ordinary, working class people scoff at the idea of communism, whilst blindly following Theresa May and praying that they will be given some hours next week to support their family and household. In conclusion, I would like to make it clear that Marx’s theories are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them 170 years ago, and perhaps today we need them more than ever, due to the increasing power of the establishment, and the growing poverty and class difference we are experiencing in our daily lives.