Two new members of the Socialist Party, Jacinta Chavulak and Sue Fuller, explain why they decided to join the party and get involved in politics.

The moment that I had the realisation that capitalism doesn’t work for ordinary people, I decided to explore other political systems. Capitalism puts profits before people and preaches individualism, this is the opposite of how I want to see society run.

More and more I discovered the wrongs of capitalism and the lack of empathy the system has for those in need. Despite massive amounts of wealth, capitalism is never stable - it has its ups and downs. Even during the ups people are still not guaranteed basic human needs such as food and shelter.

The Socialist Party not only gave me answers to the questions that capitalism couldn’t answer, but they fight for a better society. The party meetings are very open and friendly, with no questions too silly and all opinions welcome.

I’m glad that I finally found a party which agrees with my personal views. If you are puzzled by capitalisms failures, I suggest you explore socialism with an open mind, and if you want to change the world join the Socialist Party!

Jacinta Chavulak, Melbourne

After many discussions about current affairs with a friend in the Socialist Party I started attending meetings. I soon found that I believed in many of the ideas that the Socialist Party stands for.

I then started attending campaign stalls on Saturday’s about issues such as climate change and the economic crisis. The Socialist Party is very democratic and I soon found my self contributing to how we present our ideas to the public. Talking to people on the stall helped me grow in confidence arguing for socialism.

I was strongly affected by the Israeli attack on Gaza and found that socialism is not about taking sides between nationalities but forging unity between workers no matter where they are from.

Having been made part time because of the economic crisis I found that socialism is not just a good idea but a necessity to solve the problems of working people. Being a single parent of three teenagers, I find it very hard to make ends meet and I don’t see why I should have to pay for the capitalist crisis.

Sue Fuller, Perth