Library:Red Spectre Draft Program
Red Spectre Draft Program
Editor's note
The following document is the draft for the political program of the Red Spectre organization. This program was never finished nor published previously, as all work on it ceased following the dissolution of the Red Spectre in December 2024. This draft has been published on Revolupedia for archival purposes and to inspire other revolutionary activists in the future.
This document does not necessarily reflect the views or positions of former members of the Red Spectre and Communist Labor Organization.
The Red Spectre Maximum Program
The international development of capitalism has, for over a century, guaranteed the international character of the class struggle of the proletariat, and its struggle to rid humanity of exploitation. The Red Spectre takes as its most immediate political task the overthrow of bourgeoisie dictatorship and its replacement by a democratic, socialist republic, the constitution of which would ensure the following:
The destruction of the entire bourgeois state machine, its complete upheaval, and its replacement with the dictatorship of the proletariat, in the form of a democratic workers republic in which the workers vanguard party has sole power.
We call for the radical transformation of the economy from a capitalist one, to a socialist one, in which production is geared towards need not profit. This economy will function democratically, and be controlled by the workers. We demand the complete abolition of private ownership of the means of production in favor of worker control, either directly or indirectly through the control of the workers state.
In the situation of semi-feudal countries and massively underdeveloped countries, there will be a transitionary period of state capitalism to rapidly develop the economy to be ready for socialism similar to the NEP,[1] until electrification had been achieved.
The end to the crisis of overproduction, which is destroying our planet.
In countries with many oppressed nationalities that choose to stay united, there will be the creation of systems premised on the Soviet of Nationalities to safeguard and protect the rights of formerly oppressed nations from the oppression formerly conducted by national majorities.
The abolition of the United Nations, and its subsequent replacement with a mutual association of socialist states.
The complete and total abolition of transnational exploitation and other manifestations of imperialism. We further demand the abolition of all imperialist associations and organizations, including the IMF,[2] EU,[3] and others.
The Red Spectre Minimum Program
Democracy and Political Rights
To guarantee a democratic and free society which upholds the civil liberties of all peoples, to provide immediate relief from the worst forms of capitalist violence against the working class, and to provide the people with the best, most viable conditions to practice self-defence against all forms of exploitation, the following policies are to be implemented:
Universal suffrage, including the right of former felons to vote, as the bourgeois courts are not legitimate.
The abolition of all anti-democratic mechanisms, including "first past the post" and all forms of Gerrymandering; such as the Electoral College in the United States and hereditary titles and monarchies such as in the United Kingdom or Thailand. The vote of a person should not be ignored or provided less importance than any other.
The end to all forms of corruption used by the wealthy to exert any unfair influence on government, including "lobbying" and legalized bribery.
All Independent political candidates are to be displayed on electoral ballots.
The legalization of communist parties and organizations everywhere.
The right to freedom of conscience, freedom of the private practice of religion without state, private, or individual harassment and interference.
The illegalization of all fascist, pro-war, racist, and anti-democratic parties and organizations.
The right to the freedom of speech, excluding racist, bigoted, war-mongering, and pro-fascist abuses of this right.
The right to abortion without restriction.
The end of abusive family dynamics, such as domestic servitude (i.e. if a wife doesn't want to be in the role of housekeeper, she should have no obligation to fulfill that role, husbands should take part in housework, etc.)
The abolition of sex trafficking and pimping with severe punishments for violations. Sex workers themselves will not be punished.
The right to participate in monogamous, polyamorous, and polygamous relationships based on consent between adults.
Economic Rights
In pursuit of the liberation of the proletariat, and as a means to provide immediate relief to the most heinous violations to the working class, the following policies are to be implemented:
Workers will be guaranteed no less than a 72hr weekend except in emergency situations. (i.e. a doctors patient needs immediate surgery) In such situations, the worker shall be entitled to no less than double their normal pay.
Abolition of Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, etc. models of pay. Wages are to be paid out no later than at the end of each shift.
A reduction of the working day, alongside livable and comfortable wages. The right to a decent quality of life. Profits should be reduced as much as possible to supplement wages and worker welfare
The expropriation of large capitalist firms, and their reorganization into state-owned enterprises, democratically controlled by the workers and peasants.
Disabled workers and peasants are to receive full compensation for the hours they are unable to work. In cases of lifetime disabled workers (such as those with severe mental health deficits), an amount will be decided factoring in the national average pay of workers, and the specific considerations of the persons disability.
A reasonable retirement age, and a comfortable retirement with all economic rights being maintained for the elderly. Due to variations in life expectancy and economic development, the exact retirement age should be determined by the progressive forces of local nations, rather than abiding by a single international standard.
The creation of democratic and worker-led unions in all places of work. These unions should have the right to strike without trying to cede their demands to the capitalists. Furthermore, these unions have the final say on the firing of workers.
The removal of all laws criminalizing or restricting leaving the workplace before the end of working hours and "wrongful resignation" such as it exists in Canada. Workers have no obligation to give notice before quitting or walking out on the workplace except in cases where it would pose a risk to the health and safety of others.
A minimum of 6 months of maternity leave. The illegalization of firing workers who are unable to work due to pregnancy or childbirth. Free childcare while parents are both at work.
Free high quality universal healthcare (at the employers expense when applicable) that does not discriminate based on wealth. All private hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, clinics, etc. are to be nationalized to serve the interests of people, not profit. Furthermore this right should include the right to mental healthcare.
Shelter fit for human beings for everybody; The eradication of homelessness. It is unjust and inhumane that there are millions more empty houses than homeless people. For this, we must ensure the abolition of landlording without compensation, the nationalization of all construction companies, and the expropriation of properties held as an investment. Mortgages and rents should be abolished, and the workers and peasants should own their own homes.
Fundamental human needs such as food, water, housing, and employment in the workforce must be regarded as human rights. Local utilities for water, gas, and electricity must be nationalized and provided to the public freely.
The right of nations which are suffering from extreme poverty, malnutrition, or other great deficits in human need to receive unrestricted and unimpeded humanitarian aid. With this in mind, we oppose the attempts at Israel of restricting the access of humanitarian food, water, and health aid to Palestinians.
The nationalization of all private companies which develop or are in possession of any advanced artificial intelligence models, and have these models be freely available for usage and download, for any use-case which does not compromise the safety of the public.
A world in which no worker has to fear automation and the advancement of technology; Any worker who has lost their job due to a machine ought to be allowed to choose whether to begin retire early without loss of income or guarantees, or receiving assistance for changing profession without loss of tenure;
All professions which pose health hazards and pose great risk of harm to the workers which perform them, such as mining, must be made a priority to automate. Safety equipment such as hardhats, gloves, dust masks, etc. must be provided at the employers expense.
Education
Education is a fundamental pillar of our revolutionary program. The capitalist imperialist systems corrupt education, distorting it into a mechanism perpetuating the status quo, the status quo of exploitation. Therefore, in order to arm the minds of the working class against this corrosive influence of capitalism, the following polices are to be implemented:
The socialization and decommodification of all private schools and tutoring. These provide deeply unfair advantages for students born to affluent families.
The immediate cancelling of all student loan debts in America and abroad.
Free education up to the college level.
Religion to be kept out of schools, for no religion to be taught as correct, and to only be taught about in its historical context.
Free trade schools and technical programs after secondary education.
Media and Information
The existing systems handling of media has degenerated to dystopian levels. Misinformation is made profitable, truth is stifled, and corporations hold the keys to all of our art, tools, and personal data. We strictly oppose this system and are to put in effect the following policies:
The abolition of copyright and intellectual property.
The digitization and free access of physical media
The re-organization of the press and telecommunications companies into worker-cooperatives.
The limiting of maximum allowable donations to independent, non-party media, per-person. Only individuals should be allowed to make press donations.
The right to privacy should be protected and extend to the right to digital privacy and freedom from surveillance from both private and state entities.
The abolition of spy-ware, and the collection of personal data without consent. The collection of personal data should require an "opt-into" personal data being collected, that is not hidden by interfaces, or checked by default.
LGBTQIA+ Rights
The fight for LGBTQIA+ rights is not just an ethical imperative; it is a reflection of our commitment to a society where the entire working class is valued and empowered to participate in the revolutionary struggle. In contrast to the oppressive laws imposed against this community in bourgeois society, we enact the following policies:
The legalization of same-sex marriage everywhere.
The right to gender-affirming care to be covered by public healthcare completely free of cost for both transgender and cisgender people.
The decriminalization and legal protection of gender-nonconforming presentation and gender expression everywhere.
The criminalization of hate speech, harassment, and any other form of discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Asexual, Intersex people, or any other sexual or gender minority.
The abolition of eugenics against transgender people, such as exists in countries like Japan or Saudi Arabia.
The recognition of the gender-identities of transgender individuals on their official gender markers, such as in ID's and birth certificates.
The legal recognition and full equality of non-binary, neogender, and two-spirit gender identities based on self-identification.
The end to difficult and cumbersome bureaucracy to attain gender-affiriming care, legal recognition, or for any other legal processes transgender people have to undergo.
Racism and Oppressed Nationalities
Our struggle against racism is essential to building a true socialist society. Unlike capitalist systems that weaponize these divisions to divide the working class, we will champion the rights of all oppressed nationalities by enacting the following policies
The end to all forms of racism, legislative and judicial, as well as an end to all other forms of systemic racism, discrimination, and prejudice based on race.
The release of all black and indigenous people from the U.S. American, Australian, Canadian, and other colonial criminal systems, and a retrial by a jury of their peers. The racist and unjust criminal system of the colonial countries has not provided people of color a fair and just trial.
An end to police brutality against people of color. Police officers are often let off free for the murder, assault, and harassment of people of color. This is unacceptable.
The criminalization of any and all display of racist symbols, slogans, and hate speech.
Oppressed nationalities are given full rights to national self-determination and the ability to voluntarily unite or separate into a separate entity. In the course of their decision making, no coercion or violence should be used to force any one decision. In this way we call for total de-colonization.
The abolition of the racist systems in place against indigenous peoples and their ability to recieve reparations and return of their historical lands to the extent in which the victims collectively decide.
The abolition of the Israeli state in its entirety.
The Police and Military
The role of the police and military must be redefined in service of the people. Unlike capitalist states that use these forces to maintain oppression, our revolutionary forces must exist to protect the interests of the working class and uphold socialist ideals. In order for this transformation to occur, we put forth the following policies:
The abolition of the police, and its replacement with democratic workers militias. To achieve the total abolition of the police, we call for the defunding of the police as much as possible, the organized armament of the workers, and the replacement of the police to respond to non-violent emergencies. We view any defunding or demilitarization of the police as moving in the right direction, but also contend that we will not rest until this entire criminal organization is uprooted and replaced by the neck.
The abolition and illegalization of all private military companies, mercenary groups, war-profiteering companies,
The illegalization of the use of hired thugs, including PMCs,[4] the military, the police, and other Pinkertons[5] to bust trade unions and strikes.
Imperialism and War
The imperialist machinations of capitalist societies are a direct affront to the dignity of nations, instigating wars that devastate communities. We as socialists, are to adopt the following policies, which oppose this aggression and advocate national sovereignty:
The end to all imperialist wars, in which workers and peasants are sent to their deaths for the profits of the capitalists, such as with the imperialist Russian invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, we call for the end to imperialist intervention in wars and conflicts, including civil wars, proxy wars, and for example, as with the U.S. support given to Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The renunciation of all annexations. With this in mind, we call for the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea, from Israeli occupation and genocide.
As the "State of Israel" is a settler-colonial state based entirely upon the stolen, annexed land of the still living Palestinians who are an active victim of genocide at the hands of Israel, we call for the complete abolition of the State of Israel, with legal protections for Jews living in Palestine who do not oppose the legitimate governance of Palestine. Israelis living in settlements in occupied Palestine or Syria should not receive any legal protections, and should be deported from Palestine without any compensation.
The abolition of all settler colonial governments, to be replaced by a government representative of the indigenous peoples. This includes but is not limited to the abolition of the United States, Canada, Israel, and Australia.
The end to selling weapons to Israel or any other state which commits genocide or crimes against humanity, the end of all trade ties with the State of Israel or private corporations involved in crimes against humanity, including economic entities which operate in settlements and occupied territories.
The banning of all weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, biological weapons, chemical weapons, as well as artificial intelligence used for warfare. All countries that currently possess nuclear weapons are to safely and verifiably ,with international oversight, dispose of all nuclear weapons.
The abolition of NATO,[6] as it is anti-communist and serves mainly as a way to stretch US military operations across the globe.
Environment
We must invest in new forms of energy, and more energy-efficient production so as to over-time decrease pollution. We are opposed to "roll backs" in technological development, as older less efficient technology is more pollution intensive. Take for instance the reactionary policy in Germany of promoting coal power over nuclear power, despite the fact that nuclear power is considerably cleaner. Therefore, the following polices are to go into effect as soon as possible:
An end to the usage of unsustainable economic practices, an end to mass usage of fossil fuels, and large-scale economic planning to convert to a green economy premised on renewable forms of energy.
Invest in new forms of energy, and more energy-efficient production so as to over-time decrease pollution. We are opposed to "roll backs" in technological development, as older less efficient technology is more pollution intensive. Take for instance the reactionary policy in Germany of promoting coal power over nuclear power, despite the fact that nuclear power is much less polluting than coal power. Furthermore, we should place special emphasis on research into nuclear fusion technology.
Automation must be used to alleviate labor-intensive sustainable agricultural practices, so as to phase out unsustainable practices such as mass-monoculture, while still allowing for the mass food production necessary to protect the public against famine.
The reduction of car-dependency through limitations on car production, urban planning for pedestrians and cyclists over cars, and the building of state funded public transportation including but not limited to rail, bussing, subway's, and trolleys.
The end to the production of single-usage non-biodegradeable plastics.
The end to dumping waste in the ocean.
The end to deep-sea mining.
The end to drag-net fishing, also known as bottom trawing.
Signed:[7]
Notes
(Added by editor, no notes were present in the draft.)
- ↑ See New Economic Policy.
- ↑ International Monetary Fund.
- ↑ European Union.
- ↑ Private Military Companies.
- ↑ Pinkertons: privately-funded death squads and paramilitaries formed in the United States in the 19th century for the purposes of repressing working class movements and labor actions.
- ↑ North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
- ↑ Purposefully left empty. Members were only to sign their names onto this document after its completion, which never happened.