The Communist Manifesto

I have just read the communist manifesto again.  I first read it aged 13 in preparation for the first general election I was able to observe in Britain.  I wrote to the Communist Party of Great Britain and requested some literature.  A kind comrade sent me their own copy of Marx and Engels 1848 Manifesto of the Communist Party.  I read it and returned it. I don't think they had many similar requests, but that is the story of communism in the  UK.

I must say I was not impressed.  I felt the tone was very defensive.  "and you say the communists will abolish the family"...."It is said that people will all loose their property.  We say yes, that is correct."  The main group to receive principle scorn seemed to me to be the intellectual 'socialists',  'So near and yet so far', seemed to be their error.

The basic premise of the argument for communism is flawed.  It is based on the assumption that two clear camps have evolved; the 'haves' and the 'have nots', or the plebs and the patriarchs, or the proletariat and the bourgeois. Especially in Britain, this distinction is very difficult to draw.  Even the queen is caught up in it; despite technicality being the only person not to be a subject, she is arguably the least free of all of us.

So I thought I would have a go at rewriting the Communist Manifesto, and make it more upbeat and convincing.

The Communist revolution shall not be by armed struggle, but come into being by common consent.  The people shall simply decide that they want to live a fair, just and efficient life, where all are valued.

1)  All land belongs to the people.  Similar constraints apply to air.  Land rent is abolished.  Current society looks down on the poor who claim benefits to survive.  They are described a feckless, fostering dependency, and work-shy.  The rich meanwhile make thousands from land rent, where not a iota of work is rendered for this arbitrary reward.  The ownership of land is not a right.  It is a social construct.

2)  An end to inheritance above a certain agreed amount.  It is likely that wealth will therefore be spent before death.  Fair enough.  Spend it wisely.  Inheritance is the biggest inequality in society, creating unequal advantage over generations.

3)  Transport and communication shall be jointly owned by the people.  Freedom of movement and communication are a right to all.  In the past, only the rich could travel.  Now travel will be fair, open and straightforward.  All routes will have a fixed price, and be subsidised.  Public transport will be by far the simplest and cheapest way to travel.

4) Education will be freely available to all, at all stages of life.  Education will also focus on the needs of the community, and not be dominated by any one culture.  All cultural strands will have an equal right to representation.

5)  Utility and creativity will be preferred over gain and material reward.  Cities and towns will be created as beautiful spaces.  The countryside will be treated as essential for upholding quality of life.

6) Health services will be delivered by the people, for the people. Full stop.

7) The system of merit by birth will be abolished.  Merit by intellectual performance will likewise be abolished.  In its place will be a system of merit by endeavour, creativity and courage. All people will have an equal opportunity to achieve this merit.  Intellectual excellence is to be honoured, but in this context.

8)  All work shall be designed to offer the worker satisfaction, and appropriate reward for effort, creativity and motivation.  Collective ownership of companies will be preferred.  Also cooperative models of working.  People who cannot work will be supported to feel able to contribute to society, what ever their age.  All work that benefits society will be honoured.

9)  Internationalism will be preferred to Nationalism.

10)  All people will be given freedom of conscience.  The people will be enabled to able to decide who holds power in their society.  This power will be held in reverence and respect by the holder.