“I had long considered myself a Labour voter, even before I could vote, but as I learned more about Socialism, I became increasingly disillusioned with Labour’s actions in government, especially their impact on poor and working people…
4 young activists tell us why they joined the Workers Party:
Josh Glue
Aged 22
I had long considered myself a Labour voter, even before I could vote, but as I learned more about Socialism, I became increasingly disillusioned with Labour’s actions in government, especially their impact on poor and working people. After a time I decided I was best described as a Revolutionary Socialist, convinced that the people who create the wealth ought to own it, but didn’t think there were any viable political parties in New Zealand in which I could really participate.
It was this point that I stumbled upon a Workers Party stall at university. I joined and started attending meetings, talks, protests and have been an active member for over a year since then. The more I’ve read about Marxist and Socialist theory since joining, the more satisfied I’ve been with the Workers Party’s platform of revolutionary social change and workers control of society.
Alastair Reith
Age 16
I joined the Workers Party in May 2007. I’d held my socialist (and by this time, revolutionary communist) beliefs for quite a wee while, but that alone wasn’t enough. If you believe in something but don’t get off your arse and do something about it, you might as well not believe in it at all. You can’t do your bit in changing the world by bitching about it to your mates, posting stuff on internet forums or whatever. If you really want to do something about the crap system we live under, you have to get out there, link up with people who have similar beliefs to yours and start playing a part in the revolutionary struggle.
As well as that, you may feel strongly about the need to change the world now, but there’s no guarantee you’ll feel the same way ten, twenty or thirty years from now. The world is full of people saying “oh yeah, I used to be right into Marxism when I was your age” who are now driving flash BMWs and doing absolutely nothing in the struggle for a better world. If you’re not in a Party, you’ll end up feeling isolated, alone, like you’re the only person who feels the way that you do. You’ll end up thinking that “nah, a compromise here and a bit of moderation there won’t hurt”, and within ten or twenty years you’ll be just another washed up liberal, voting for Labour or the Greens and sipping margaritas in some yuppie bar. You’ll have sold out.
This scenario terrified me. But joining a Party does a lot to prevent that from happening. You’ll be in constant contact with comrades who feel the same way as you do, you’ll be able to actually accomplish something for the cause you believe in, and you’ll be able to educate yourself and train yourself up in Marxist theory and the history of our movement. You’ll get the veils lifted from your eyes, and you’ll be able, for probably the first time in your life, to understand what our world is and why it is that way.
The Workers Party is the only organisation seriously dedicated to building a strong, Marxist-Leninist Party with real, organic links with and roots in the working class. It’s the largest, fastest growing, most widely dispersed and all round healthy revolutionary group in the country, with a branch in every single major urban centre in New Zealand.
If you’re serious about the need to overthrow capitalism and build a better, socialist world, you should join and get active in the Workers Party. I did.
Marika Pratley
I became a member of Workers Party in early 2007. It stands true to Marxist and Socialist values while proactively supporting the rights of the workers, unions and the class struggles within New Zealand (unlike other New Zealand political parties). Our studies about Marxism were on a level that everyone could understand, and everyone had equal opportunity to contribute and make decisions together. This has helped me understand my rights as a worker and the flaws of capitalism in theory and practice. Workers Party is also inclusive to all people and treats everyone with respect.