The Case for Solidarity

by Stella Baker

“Solidarity is necessary to prevent social fragmentation and to ensure that nobody in society goes hungry, becomes needy, is without a home, without medical care or without hope of a better future...”

Pope John Paul II 'Solicitudo Rei Solidaris'

I'm of the sincere belief that many of the things you learn in life and remember come from your disappointments, failures, mistakes and your adversaries. For years the political right, particularly in the West have been more than willing to present us with Lech Walesa the hero, the man who helped bring down communism, and he himself believes he was the central figure. Closer to the truth was that he was a leader in the right place at the right time and part of a collective of people who worked together to inspire millions to struggle for and achieve political change.

But there were two figures with ideas which formed the basis of Polish Solidarity and gave it the foundation necessary for it to succeed. The first was the Solicitudo Rei Solidaris Catholic social teachings of Pope John Paul II, who in the final years of his life also strongly opposed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The second was a suggestion made by Polish philosopher and historian of ideas Leszek Kolakowski. The suggestion was made in an essay he wrote in the 1970's 'Theses on Hope and Hopelessness' (banned by the former communist regime) in which he wrote 'the totalitarian regime can be overthrown by many different self-organized groups working collectively towards a common objective.'

The major political parties in this country have made much of the belief that it is good to be 'aspiring' and 'hard working' and in the words of David Cameron 'to do the right thing'. But there are many people in this country who know from their own personal experience that quite often aspiration, hard work, and doing the right thing can amount to very little and can often be seen as lesser than more important social factors which determines people's social position and quality of life. Here I am referring specifically to the immutable social markers such as ethnicity, skin colour, background, social class, disability, gender, gender identity, and for those who have come to live in this country even your birthplace, citizenship and the passport you hold.

This is partly because we're living in a two tier society which has evolved out of our class system and the upper tier are people who enjoy a lifestyle of relative freedom and social privilege, who can aspire and work hard to get on if they choose to do so. Many don't, not necessarily because they are lazy, but because as a society with rapidly developing technology and a market based on free market principles they are constantly being sold comfort, pleasure, convenience, instant gratification, either to promote consumer spending for profit or to promote debt and living beyond one's means, which is the only way those at the top have of controlling society – through money and debt.

Unlike those held back by a lack of social privilege or through marginalization, social stigma or 'othering' these people can only be controlled if they are seduced into a cycle of personal debt and wage enslavement. They are usually unaware of the sheer level of inequality in our society, they are quite often blind to matters such as discrimination. Inequality is maintained through a constant campaign of social stigmatization carried out by the media aimed at subduing the minorities and keeping them in their place.

We are living in times of uncertainty and what seems to be inevitable change. Just like in the former Eastern Europe we are living under a totalitarian system, not political totalitarianism (though this can be debated), but an economic totalitarian system which maintains control through shortages, fractional reserve banking, quantative easing, monetarism, and social inequality. Furthermore the political right is organizing through UKIP adopting a distinctly divisive approach.

It seems that the major parties are happy to gamble the future of our society and economy in the banking and corporate casinos of Europe and America.

If there is anything we need less of, it is division, whether it be social division, community division, economic division, or for that matter a division between our politicians and the people. We are a country rich in culture and full of ideas, a country which if given the opportunity everybody can have a place, have a future, and be a part of society.

But can something like the success of Polish Solidarity happen again in this country? I believe it can. We have a bigger population than Poland, a greater ethnic diversity, a stronger feel for equality and fairness. We simply need the courage to stand up, the commitment to our communities and our society, a solid belief in a peaceful, non-violent, inclusive approach, and to work independently within our own communities and social groups but towards one common objective – political change. The Respect Party which stands for peace, justice and equality is the ideal platform.

It will not be easy. It will be hard work. We need to meet the challenge of addressing people who are expecting change through the existing sham of a democracy and unwilling to do anything more than vote for what is available. We need to meet the challenge of addressing people who support one party and believe that party is right and the other parties are wrong.

But to meet these challenges we need to address our biggest challenge of all – we need to become the party of solution, not the party of struggle, not the party of conflict, but the party with the solution.

We also need to become the party of solidarity, a party which stands shoulder to shoulder with the disabled, the marginalized, the poor, the exploited, the destitute, the homeless. We need to stand up and become the first class party for the second class citizens in this country. If we are prepared to stand in solidarity and shoulder to shoulder with such people, surely they will with us, and surely others will join us in that solidarity.

But if we don't try we will never find out, we will never learn, and we will never succeed.