Caoimhin O’Muraile ☭ The economic and productive system we know as ‘capitalism’ practiced in the misleadingly called ‘free world’ is as fraudulent as it is exploitive. 

The very nature of capitalism is based on the exploitation of the many by the few. When the western media talk of this so-called ‘free world’ they mean the freedom of the few to exploit the many thus amassing huge profits year on year. Employers constantly tell their workforce they must be more productive and ‘competitive’. In other words they have worker competing with worker in a world artificially designed to have ‘finite resources’. 

These workers competing with each other to make their employers (users) richer than the employers of other workers are often in the same trade union. However, it is not the trade unions who own the means of production, distribution and exchange. It is not the trade unions who have the power of ‘hire and fire’. In other words it is the employers who decide if a person be allowed to earn a living and that depends on how productive the worker is. Once the workers have produced themselves out of a job through ‘over production’ they are laid off until such time the bosses need them again. Meanwhile the employers sell for a huge profit the goods produced by the workers until they can sell no more. Many then diversify into another line of production re-employing workers on reduced wages and the whole process starts again. 

The economist John Maynard Keynes once described capitalism; “capitalism is not caring, it is not virtuous, and it does not deliver the goods”. Keynes was a liberal and certainly no Marxist but he hit the nail on the head with this description and he could see the contradiction in capitalism. The free market is geared towards making the capitalist class richer by the year as they sell their goods not for the needs of the population but the needs of their bank balances. This legalised theft of the workers' produce is described by many as ‘the finest system available’ - which is laughable to any sane person.

In the former supposed and again misleadingly called ‘communist countries’ of Eastern Europe (they were not genuine communist) there were certain advantages as well as contradictions. They did provide free health care, full employment on a permanent basis, housing for all, basic as the homes may have been, and single tiered free education. Since the fall of so-called communism none of these advantages exist. Instead today these countries have drug dealing, prostitution, and the streets are run by Mafia style gangs. The move towards capitalism has not brought - as we in the west were told - freedom to these former ‘communist countries’ but enslavement by this Mafia style rule. Governments in the former ‘Soviet bloc’ are part and parcel of these Mafia style gangs and, similar to their western counterparts, amass huge profits. Admittedly the communism practised there previously was a bastardisation of the genuine political communist system, and had very little in common with the teachings of Karl Marx. However, what these peoples have got now is far worse as fear runs their daily lives, fear of the ‘Mafia’ which government officials are often a part of. They have all the horrors of western capitalism and a bit more. Workers, like their western counterparts, are now exploited by private employers who filled the void left by the former state industries. They no longer receive a pension from their employers, another advantage of once state employment, and wages are fraction of those paid in the west. In the former GDR (East Germany) wages paid are not compatible with those paid in the former West Germany, around 60% of western wages for the same job. The ‘Black Market’ operates alongside the ‘free market’. In fact the ‘black market’ run by the various Mafias is larger than the ‘free market’ in the former ‘communist bloc’.

The two sides of capitalism, the ‘free market’ and the ‘black market. In the west a black market exists but is dwarfed, though still thrives, by the legalised theft of the free market. In the east it is the other way round. Some so-called high flyers in legal capitalism also have feet in the less savoury side, the illegal dealings of the black market. This is often referred to as ‘white collar crime’ which is supposed in some way to dignify criminality. These people, whether in the free market, black market or both, do not actually produce anything: they just steal and profit off the ‘labour power’ of the workers and misery of those victims on the streets. 

Fraud is one of the biggest ‘white collar’ crimes in the west and again there are two types of fraud. Legalised fraud is the exploitation of the workers and illegal fraud is what we have come to know as just that, fraud. Illegal fraud is described as; ‘wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain’ and it is rampant in all capitalist countries east and west. The system even has two types of avoiding paying tax for the ruling classes; one is the perfectly legal ‘tax avoidance’ which is applying tax legislation in a way that inappropriately obtains a tax advantage. This avoidance of paying tax can involve the misuse of tax reliefs and allowances, or the re-characterisation of a business transaction. The other way of avoiding paying their taxes for the business elite is the illegal tax evasion. Tax non-payment relies on illegal methods to reduce taxes such as underreporting income. Tax avoidance is a subtle and legal way of tax evasion. The ruling classes really do have it sewn up.

The legal side of capitalism, exploitation, free market etc, regularly describes as criminal the so-called illegal side of profiteering, prostitution, drug dealing, and their very own pet crime of fraud. Both sides of capitalism are linked by one word; profit. Both the free market and the black economy are dependent on amassing huge fortunes by the few in the workplace - legally stealing after paying wages - the goods produced by the ‘labour power’ of the many. 

In the black economy the profiteers live off the misery of drug addiction and young girls working as prostitutes which are just two examples of this other form of exploitation. Young girls growing old before their time and drug addicts, victims of these parasites, dying prematurely. It is all part of the capitalist economic system where profit, and only profit, is the motivator. As much as these two sides of the same coin may in public be antagonistic towards each other privately they share the same interests, making money at the expense of others. Should a revolutionary socialist party or movement including strong shop stewards committees at the point of production ever lead the working-class to freedom these two sides of capitalism would join forces unleashing their army, their police force, judiciary and their governments to crush the revolutionary tide. Suddenly all sides of capitalism, including the judiciary and executives would be allied and no longer antagonistic towards each other.

For this reason the revolution, if it ever comes about, must be armed to defend itself and let the capitalists fire the first shot. A general strike, civil disobedience and an armed wing are the three ingredients necessary to overthrow this system of exploitation once and for all. End the private ownership of the means of production and the uncertainties which accompany such ownership like the prospect of unemployment ever looming. Treatment for drug addicts and long jail sentences for the dealers ending premature teenage deaths. Then and only then can we call it the ‘free world’, the whole world from Moscow to Beijing to Washington to London to Nairobi to Johannesburg to Edinboro, to Dublin to Cardiff. To quote the Irish revolutionary Marxist James Connolly; “our demands most modest are, we only want the earth”!

Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist.

The Two Sides Of Capitalism

Caoimhin O’Muraile ☭ The economic and productive system we know as ‘capitalism’ practiced in the misleadingly called ‘free world’ is as fraudulent as it is exploitive. 

The very nature of capitalism is based on the exploitation of the many by the few. When the western media talk of this so-called ‘free world’ they mean the freedom of the few to exploit the many thus amassing huge profits year on year. Employers constantly tell their workforce they must be more productive and ‘competitive’. In other words they have worker competing with worker in a world artificially designed to have ‘finite resources’. 

These workers competing with each other to make their employers (users) richer than the employers of other workers are often in the same trade union. However, it is not the trade unions who own the means of production, distribution and exchange. It is not the trade unions who have the power of ‘hire and fire’. In other words it is the employers who decide if a person be allowed to earn a living and that depends on how productive the worker is. Once the workers have produced themselves out of a job through ‘over production’ they are laid off until such time the bosses need them again. Meanwhile the employers sell for a huge profit the goods produced by the workers until they can sell no more. Many then diversify into another line of production re-employing workers on reduced wages and the whole process starts again. 

The economist John Maynard Keynes once described capitalism; “capitalism is not caring, it is not virtuous, and it does not deliver the goods”. Keynes was a liberal and certainly no Marxist but he hit the nail on the head with this description and he could see the contradiction in capitalism. The free market is geared towards making the capitalist class richer by the year as they sell their goods not for the needs of the population but the needs of their bank balances. This legalised theft of the workers' produce is described by many as ‘the finest system available’ - which is laughable to any sane person.

In the former supposed and again misleadingly called ‘communist countries’ of Eastern Europe (they were not genuine communist) there were certain advantages as well as contradictions. They did provide free health care, full employment on a permanent basis, housing for all, basic as the homes may have been, and single tiered free education. Since the fall of so-called communism none of these advantages exist. Instead today these countries have drug dealing, prostitution, and the streets are run by Mafia style gangs. The move towards capitalism has not brought - as we in the west were told - freedom to these former ‘communist countries’ but enslavement by this Mafia style rule. Governments in the former ‘Soviet bloc’ are part and parcel of these Mafia style gangs and, similar to their western counterparts, amass huge profits. Admittedly the communism practised there previously was a bastardisation of the genuine political communist system, and had very little in common with the teachings of Karl Marx. However, what these peoples have got now is far worse as fear runs their daily lives, fear of the ‘Mafia’ which government officials are often a part of. They have all the horrors of western capitalism and a bit more. Workers, like their western counterparts, are now exploited by private employers who filled the void left by the former state industries. They no longer receive a pension from their employers, another advantage of once state employment, and wages are fraction of those paid in the west. In the former GDR (East Germany) wages paid are not compatible with those paid in the former West Germany, around 60% of western wages for the same job. The ‘Black Market’ operates alongside the ‘free market’. In fact the ‘black market’ run by the various Mafias is larger than the ‘free market’ in the former ‘communist bloc’.

The two sides of capitalism, the ‘free market’ and the ‘black market. In the west a black market exists but is dwarfed, though still thrives, by the legalised theft of the free market. In the east it is the other way round. Some so-called high flyers in legal capitalism also have feet in the less savoury side, the illegal dealings of the black market. This is often referred to as ‘white collar crime’ which is supposed in some way to dignify criminality. These people, whether in the free market, black market or both, do not actually produce anything: they just steal and profit off the ‘labour power’ of the workers and misery of those victims on the streets. 

Fraud is one of the biggest ‘white collar’ crimes in the west and again there are two types of fraud. Legalised fraud is the exploitation of the workers and illegal fraud is what we have come to know as just that, fraud. Illegal fraud is described as; ‘wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain’ and it is rampant in all capitalist countries east and west. The system even has two types of avoiding paying tax for the ruling classes; one is the perfectly legal ‘tax avoidance’ which is applying tax legislation in a way that inappropriately obtains a tax advantage. This avoidance of paying tax can involve the misuse of tax reliefs and allowances, or the re-characterisation of a business transaction. The other way of avoiding paying their taxes for the business elite is the illegal tax evasion. Tax non-payment relies on illegal methods to reduce taxes such as underreporting income. Tax avoidance is a subtle and legal way of tax evasion. The ruling classes really do have it sewn up.

The legal side of capitalism, exploitation, free market etc, regularly describes as criminal the so-called illegal side of profiteering, prostitution, drug dealing, and their very own pet crime of fraud. Both sides of capitalism are linked by one word; profit. Both the free market and the black economy are dependent on amassing huge fortunes by the few in the workplace - legally stealing after paying wages - the goods produced by the ‘labour power’ of the many. 

In the black economy the profiteers live off the misery of drug addiction and young girls working as prostitutes which are just two examples of this other form of exploitation. Young girls growing old before their time and drug addicts, victims of these parasites, dying prematurely. It is all part of the capitalist economic system where profit, and only profit, is the motivator. As much as these two sides of the same coin may in public be antagonistic towards each other privately they share the same interests, making money at the expense of others. Should a revolutionary socialist party or movement including strong shop stewards committees at the point of production ever lead the working-class to freedom these two sides of capitalism would join forces unleashing their army, their police force, judiciary and their governments to crush the revolutionary tide. Suddenly all sides of capitalism, including the judiciary and executives would be allied and no longer antagonistic towards each other.

For this reason the revolution, if it ever comes about, must be armed to defend itself and let the capitalists fire the first shot. A general strike, civil disobedience and an armed wing are the three ingredients necessary to overthrow this system of exploitation once and for all. End the private ownership of the means of production and the uncertainties which accompany such ownership like the prospect of unemployment ever looming. Treatment for drug addicts and long jail sentences for the dealers ending premature teenage deaths. Then and only then can we call it the ‘free world’, the whole world from Moscow to Beijing to Washington to London to Nairobi to Johannesburg to Edinboro, to Dublin to Cardiff. To quote the Irish revolutionary Marxist James Connolly; “our demands most modest are, we only want the earth”!

Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist.

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