AA nn aa rr cc hh ii ss mm IIttss AAiimmss,, PPrriinncciipplleess aanndd MMeetthhooddss EExxppllaaiinneedd ZZaabbaallaazzaa BBooookkss “Knowledge is the Key to be Free” Post: Postnet Suite 116, Private Bag X42, Braamfontein, 2017, Johannesburg, South Africa E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.zabalaza.net/zababooks TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 4444 All these essays were written by members of the Workers Solidarity Movement in Ireland except the chapter Racism and Class Struggle. Some were talks given to AAnnaarrcchhiissmm meetings of the WSM while others were articles that were written for the WSM's journal, 'Workers Solidarity'. The chapter Racism and Class Struggle was written by a South IIttss AAiimmss,, PPrriinncciipplleess aanndd MMeetthhooddss African comrade from the ex-Workers Solidarity Federation for the WSM's journal Red and Black EExxppllaaiinneedd Revolution (No. 4). They have been edited and revised slightly to make them more relevant to us here in Southern Africa. If you like what you have just read then why not get involved? Unite with us and together we can break the chains! Contents: (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhiissmm,, SSoocciiaalliissmm aanndd FFrreeeeddoomm 22 (cid:1)(cid:1) CCllaassss 44 (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhiissmm aanndd LLeeaaddeerrss 66 (cid:1)(cid:1) DDiirreecctt AAccttiioonn 1111 (cid:1)(cid:1) PPrriivvaattee PPrrooppeerrttyy 1122 (cid:1)(cid:1) SSmmaasshh tthhee SSttaattee!! 1144 (cid:1)(cid:1) DDeemmooccrraaccyy 1166 (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhiissttss aanndd tthhee TTrraaddee UUnniioonnss 1188 (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhoo--SSyynnddiiccaalliissmm:: iittss SSttrreennggtthhss aanndd WWeeaakknneesssseess 2200 (cid:1)(cid:1) RRaacciissmm aanndd CCllaassss SSttrruuggggllee 2255 (cid:1)(cid:1) WWhhyy WWoommeenn aarree oopppprreesssseedd 3333 (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhiissmm aanndd tthhee EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall oorr GGrreeeenn CCoonnttaacctt ddeettaaiillss ffoorr tthhee WWSSMM aarree:: MMoovveemmeenntt 3377 (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhiissttss aanndd RReelliiggiioonn 4400 Post: Workers Solidarity Movement, PO Box 1528, (cid:1)(cid:1) GGeettttiinngg OOrrggaanniisseedd LLooccaallllyy 4422 Dublin 8, Ireland Website: www.struggle.ws/wsm Email: [email protected] TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 22 TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 4433 (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhiissmm,, SSoocciiaalliissmm who get together, the more we can achieve. However organisation has to be more than like-minded people coming together. We also need a strategy, a way to link up aanndd FFrreeeeddoomm all the different progressive struggles into a common battle to get rid of the present set-up and to replace it with socialism, with real democracy, with control over our lives and futures. ANARCHISM IS a much-lied about and misun- One local struggle, no matter how determined or daring, won't overthrow the sys- derstood set of ideas. It has come to symbolise, to tem. On the other hand, a network of struggles, supporting and encouraging each many people, a society of destruction and other, can spread and grow to be capable of just that. It is the role of an anarchist disorder. Yet nothing could be further organisation to bring all the facets of opposition together. from the truth. Anarchism has been But this on its own is not enough, nor is it enough to simply explain the anarchist deliberately slandered and misrepre- alternative. We also have to build up confidence among our friends, neighbours and sented, not only by those running this workmates in their own ability to start fighting for themselves, to start taking back society but also by most on the Left. control over their destinies. Deliberately, for the reason that its That means combating the ideas and practices that reinforce passivity and uncompromising and radical critique of dependence. We do this by getting people involved as participants rather than mere society and how to change it poses a spectators in their own struggles. Today it can mean small but concrete things like challenge that cannot be met except by slander. Its roots and association with the at work arguing for having rotating shop stewards so that the skills are spread, for working class of all countries tells the real truth. regular elections so that we don't come to rely on the one 'expert', and lunchtime Anarchism views society, what it is and how it should be, on the basis of two fun- meetings to mandate our stewards. damental pillars. These are the economic nature of society and the manner in which In local struggles we don't do things for people, we do it with them. Share the political power is organised. We believe that the economic system under which we skills and knowledge. When we win a victory everyone who was involved should feel presently live must be abolished. We also say that the political institutions of capi- it is their victory. They should feel strong and confident, capable of taking on a big- talism, which are hierarchical and authoritarian must go too. These institutions serve ger opponent the next time. the employer class and will have to be replaced with ones based on mass participa- Without that sort of confidence we will never break down the division between tory democracy and freedom. rulers and ruled, and while we may be able to change the faces of those who boss us around, we won't be able to stop there being bosses. Most of us will only take WWOORRKKEERRSS CCOOUUNNCCIILLSS risks, stand up and fight if we believe there is a good chance of succeeding. This sort of self-confidence doesn't grow on trees - it grows out of winning. Not out of In the new economic order, the workers of the world will own and share all the watching someone winning for us, but out of knowing we played our part in getting wealth they produce. Decisions will be made through workplace and community that victory. councils that will be federated at all levels and centrally co-ordinated. Thus political power will not be organised in a hierarchical manner, where a central government tells everyone else what to do. Those socialists who follow the ideas of Lenin hold that such a society can only be built by using the State structures, albeit a "workers state", under the leadership of their Party. Anarchists reject this since both the State and Party are hierarchical and authoritarian. They are diametrically opposed to the aims and organisation of the new society. SSTTAATTEE CCAAPPIITTAALLIISSMM Rather than building a real socialist society where both economic and political power would be everyone's possession and nobody's property, these people end up building societies that are no more than State Capitalism like Russia was and China still is. In these countries, ordinary people do not have any say in how things are run or in the decisions that affect them. They are ordered about and exploited just as TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 4422 TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 33 (cid:1)(cid:1) GGeettttiinngg oorrggaanniisseedd happens in the "free world". Anarchists predicted this long before it was confirmed by the betrayal of the llooccaallllyy Russian revolution, when the Bolshevik State suppressed the workers' soviets and factory committees. After all, the means you use and what you end up with are con- nected. Thus, if the structures used to build socialism are hierarchical and undemo- We live in a world where we are encouraged to be passive. We can either accept cratic you should not be surprised if the society you end up with is hierarchical and things as they are or, at best, we can ask someone else to do things for us. That undemocratic. This scientific law seemingly escapes some self-proclaimed follow- someone can be a politician, a 'community leader', or even a full-time union official. ers of "scientific socialism". The 'experts' will look after the important stuff and we can stay at home feeling dependent and powerless. Just as there are bosses and workers, there are also FFRREEEEDDOOMM leaders and led; and we are supposed to accept it as somehow natural. The question of freedom is not just a subject for some philosophical debate. It is That's the theory. But sometimes there comes a point where many of us decide at the very heart of revolutionary change and socialism. Asuccessful revolution is we are tired of sitting on the sidelines. We would like a say in the things that affect not just a shift in economic power from the employers to the workers. us. Afairly recent example was the campaign that forced the government to abolish It is a time of real freedom. It is a time when the chains of the old oppressive water charges in Ireland. order are thrown off and the workers movement explodes into creativity as it copes At the beginning most people believed the politicians when they said "vote for us with organising every facet of society so that the needs of all are met. Everyone can and we'll abolish them". But after the politicians and their parties all did the exact get involved, through his or her assemblies and delegate councils, in decision-mak- opposite as soon as they got our votes, a lot of people began to see the need to start ing and planning that used to be the sole concern of central government. Freedom taking matters into their own hands. of ideas, criticism and input will not only be a practical reality but a necessity. This was a big step. There was no super leader or ready made big organisation Capitalist society is organised in a top-down way. Orders come from the top and to sort things out. It started with a handful of anarchists and socialises writing a those at the bottom obey them. The institutions, by which the bosses rule the leaflet and putting it in the doors on their estates and calling local meetings. In some Government and the State, are built so that the rule of a minority over the majority is areas up to eighty turned up for the first meeting, in others nobody at all showed up. possible. Control of political freedom, ideas and information is fundamental to their But from tiny acorns do mighty oak trees grow, and from a handful of people with a working. Participation is strictly limited so that most people never have any say. good idea grew a non-payment movement involving tens of thousands. So, we have no doubt that local organising in a militant fashion is not only desir- WWOORRKKEERRSS SSTTAATTEESS able but is also very possible. In a less dramatic way, it happens year in and year That is why we wish to abolish these strictures. They can never be used to cre- out all over the world. We don't always hear about it, it's not exactly the sort of thing ate socialism but instead will actively sabotage the workers' cause. The "workers that media bosses want to put on page 1 of their newspaper. states" advocated by the Leninists for the transition to socialism have proven to be What campaigns like these show is that most people want a direct say in deci- its greatest enemy. Only workers' councils can form the basis of the new society. sions that are going to effect them, and, when the 'proper channels' fail them, are We stand uncompromisingly for a New World. One that will be owned and man- willing to get together with others and fight for their interests. aged by all those who work. It will be organised from the bottom up and production Nobody in their right mind wants to spend the rest of their life fighting a succes- will be to meet peoples' needs, not for the private profit of a few. Anarchist society sion of single-issue struggles, and will make real the old call "from each according to ability, to each according to need". that is where revolutionary organisa- Every individual will enjoy complete control of their life with no limit on their freedom tions come in. The problems we face as long as they do not encroach on the freedom of anyone else. Now, isn't that are down to a system that puts the something worth struggling for? interests of the rich and their profits Don’t let them eat you - Organise to way ahead of the interests of ordi- nary people and divides us into Resist rulers and ruled. Capitalism is a big, worldwide system. We need to organise on a big scale too. Clearly the more of us TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 44 TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 4411 (cid:1)(cid:1) CCllaassss society is organised right now. Religion generally sees society as god given and inevitable. Almost all world religions claim that the poor will be rewarded in the after- life for passively accepting their position in this one. WHYIS THE concept of class so important to anarchists? Why are we constantly Religion is by its nature authoritarian, whether to a greater of lesser extent. It is talking about classes and class struggle? Some of our opponents accuse us of liv- based on 'faith' and obedience. The reality we face is of churches that are involved ing in the past; they claim the working class is dying out. After all you don't see too in the repression of women, of gay people and all of those who seek to change the many workers wandering around in donkey face of the traditional (nuclear) family. It is no coincidence that fundamentalists of all jackets, cloth caps and heavy boots. So that religions seek to push back the progress made by women in the workplace and the settles the question, doesn't it? No, it doesn't, sexual revolution. so let us get away from silly caricatures and get down to basics. CCHHUURRCCHH PPOOWWEERR The modern world, like the societies that came As anarchists we oppose this authoritarianism. We are fighting to break the before it, does not consist of a single group of power of the church. This power is immense. people who have more in common than they However it is not enough just to oppose the churches' power. As Anarchists we have dividing them. Sadly there is no single must offer a real practical alternative analysis of society. The stronghold that the 'Humanity' not yet. In every country there is still church has is not simply a result of historical circumstances; it offers something that a division of people into classes that have con- people want. It offers an explanation of all sorts of natural and personal disasters, flicting interests. by saying that they are "the will of god". It offers hope in a world where misery, Classes are defined by their relationship to the poverty, ignorance, frustration and alienation are endemic. means of production; their relationship to the To break this stranglehold, we need a strategy that unites our vision of a better factories, machinery, natural resources, etc. world in the here and now with struggles that bring people into conflict with clerical with which the wealth of society is created. power and show up religion as a prop for the status quo, that stands in the way of Although there are groups such as the self- their needs and desires. employed and the small farmers, the main “So long, partner!” classes are the workers and the bosses. It is CCHHUURRCCHH AANNDD SSTTAATTEE the labour of the working class that creates the The question that often arises is "surely as Anarchists you are against the state wealth. The bosses, through their ownership and control of the means of production, as well?" The simple answer is that we are but we are also fighting for improvements have legal ownership of this wealth and decide how it is to be distributed. to people's lives in the here and now. Breaking the stranglehold of the church would ease the way for divorce, reproductive rights including abortion, along with stopping SSTTOOLLEENN WWAAGGEESS church control of schools. Only a part of this wealth is returned. Some is paid as wages, some as the For us religion is a private matter. It should enjoy no special privileges, tax relief's "social wage" (hospitals, schools, public services, and so on). The rest is creamed etc. We expect members to be involved in the struggle against the power and con- off as profit. But labour creates all wealth. An apple on a tree is worth nothing until trol exercised by the churches. Nonetheless members can hold religious beliefs pro- someone picks it; coal in the ground has no use until someone mines it. What is vided they fully accept this aspect. known as surplus value or profit is stolen wages. The working class is the majority In short we fight religion by fighting its root causes. We are fighting for an anar- in the world today. All who work for a wage, salary or commission are in its ranks. chist society where people will come to realise that they have no need for religion or It consists of all who have to sell their ability to work to those in control. It makes no other mystical ideas. We challenge religion in a practical way by showing where it difference if you work in a factory, office, school, hospital or shop. It makes no dif- obstructs social progress and by leading the challenge to it at every opportunity. ference if you work with your hands or your brain, whether you wear overalls or a suit, whether you earn 'good' or bad wages. WWHHAATT AABBOOUUTT TTHHEE UUNNEEMMPPLLOOYYEEDD?? The unemployed also form part of the working class. Unemployment Insurance TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 4400 TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 55 drove tens of thousands with no formal claim to land into the cities. Conditions in the (UIF) is paid for a short time to those who have worked. Needless to say, the part- city at this time were horrific with the death rate exceeding the birth rate. ners and children of workers are also part of the same class, as are the retired. Today a similar phenomenon is witnessed in many 'third world' countries where The interests of the working class (wages, working conditions, jobs, useful pub- huge areas of land are allowed to lie fallow while landless peasants are forced to lic spending, etc.) are in constant and inevitable conflict with those of the boss class. move to the city slums and eke out a living in next to impossible circumstances. In They seek to maximise their profits and gain an advantage over their competitors at short we should not forget that capitalism has teeth and both in the historic past and, the expense of the workers. outside of the 1st world it is not at all shy at using them if it needs to force people into work. NNOONNSSEENNSSEE More fundamentally though many workers will not wish to choose the life style Anyone who talks about 'social partnership', about labour and capital working associated with dropping out. We enjoy the consumerist comforts of capitalism. I'm together for the benefit of all is talking nonsense. What rights we have, and gains a great fan of the Sony Playstation for instance and such items can only be produced we have made, have been the results of long and often bitter struggles. The boss- in advanced industrial societies. I'm willing to fight for a society where as a class we es only give such rights and concessions as they are forced to. In times of reces- decide what to produce and whether the benefits of production outweigh the envi- sion, such as now, they try to make workers pay through job losses, cuts in real ronmental damage caused by production. I'm even willing to recognise that for a wages, cuts in public spending, productivity deals, etc. for the crisis that is a period- time at least we may decide that producing charcoal burning stoves is more impor- ic and inevitable product of capitalism. tant then producing Playstations. I'm willing to fight for a society where people can Although capitalism oppresses people on many different levels, race and sex, to choose their own lifestyles. name but two, it is the exploitation of our labour that is fundamental to the system. But I'm not going to fight for a society that limits itself to small communes and low- It is on this front that the fight for a new society will be won or lost. If we can reclaim tech industry. that aspect of our lives, the system can be overturned and replaced with something At the end of the day this is the core plank of an anarchist analysis of the envi- much better. ronment. In a society where we democratically control production we will decide not to pollute, or to limit pollution to a level that can be absorbed. We also recognise the TTAAKKIINNGG OOVVEERR need to fight against harmful activity in the 'here and now' and to link up such fights The working class are brought together in large towns and cities. At work we co- with other issues in a fight to change society. operate with others. Each person has to do their bit so that the person at the next We defend peoples rights to be different in the here and now, to choose their own stage of production can do theirs. In the services it is the same, in hospitals, schools lifestyle, sexuality, musical preferences, whatever. This position automatically and offices. This means that the working class can be a force capable, not only of makes us allies of the radical end of the green movement and anarchism provides a rebelling against injustice but of taking over and recreating society in its' own inter- way of moving from the politics of permanent protest to the politics of permanent ests. change. As a class we have to think and act collectively. In a strike you need the support of your co-workers and of the workers in supplier firms. Individual action won't get (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhiissttss aanndd RReelliiggiioonn you very far. We have to work together! The same applies to the mammoth task of creating a new society. We cannot divide up an office or factory between all the workers there. We act as a group or not at all. This collective nature that is part and parcel of our class provides the basis for the solidarity and mutual aid we will need THE POPULAR STEREOTYPE of anarchists' relation- to get rid of the old society and build a truly free and equal one on its remains. ship to religion is that we are all priest-killers and church- burners. This is, as is usually the case with main- PPOOTTEENNTTIIAALL FFOORR CCHHAANNGGEE stream representations of anarchism, almost completely false. It is useful in the wake of the However, just because someone is a worker, it does not always follow that he or clerical paedophile scandals and the general she will think of themselves as a worker, or realise the potential for change that the stranglehold that the church exerts on society to working class collectively possesses. We all know of workers who sometimes iden- give a truer explanation of our position. tify with their boss, or unemployed people who become demoralised and totally iso- Anarchists are materialists. We understand that lated from any sense of belonging to the working class. And there are plenty of igno- there is a real and concrete basis for the way rant academics running around talking rubbish about a new 'sub-class' and a 'natu- TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 66 TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 3399 ral conflict' between those with jobs and those without. interests are the private ruling classes of Western Europe or the state bureaucrats Class-consciousness, an awareness of our common interests and the potential who previously ruled Eastern Europe and still control large sections of the economy we have for real change, needs to be encouraged and strengthened. This is one of on the global level. the tasks of an anarchist organisation. To summarise, as anarchists we are aware we are dependant on the environ- The struggle between the classes will only come to an end when the boss class ment in order to exist, we are aware that 'the Power', be it industry or state based, is and the state that protects their privileged position are overthrown. Nationalisation willing to locally destroy large parts of the environment in pursuit of power and prof- or state control of the means of production would not mean an end to class society. it. Finally we are aware that the only way to stop 'the Power' is by direct action It would simply mean the replacement of individual capitalists by a bureaucratic state against its projects in the short term and a revolutionary change of society in the long capitalism. Like their predecessors they would be in control and would have the final term. say about what happens to the wealth we create. Whether they like it or not this However there is another common element to the radical or progressive wing of would be the logical outcome of the statist politics of any Workers Party, Trotskyist the environmental movement. For many involved, the tactics used also represent a Party or the SACP. way to escape some of the day-to-day misery of life under capitalism. This attitude, which is often referred to in anarchist circles as lifestylism, is something we also TTHHEE WWAAYY TTOO FFRREEEEDDOOMM need to consider. The protest camps of the anti-road movements in Britain and Ireland represented more then a way of stopping unnecessary road projects and Only the direct control and self-management of production by the working class questioning transport priorities. To many they also represented an alternative model ourselves can end the class division. Aclassless society is not possible without this! of how we could live - one without hierarchy and more in commune with nature. Everyone affected by a decision should have a say in making that decision. An Articles originating from within these camps often portrayed them as islands of elected workers' council in each workplace would manage production in an anarchist escape from capitalism and alongside thus sought to develop a theory of how peo- society. Planning on a higher level would be subject to the agreement of delegates ple could live self-sufficiently in and between them, in some instances even trying to from the councils, delegates who would be subject to a mandate from their members escape dependency on state welfare (the dole etc). The creating of colonies to and instantly recallable if they don't do the job they were elected to do. In such a 'escape capitalism' is not a new phenomena, it too has historical parallels associat- society the wealth would be created and managed for the benefit of all. There would ed with anarchism. In the 1920s for instance this was expressed by the growth of be no elite of bosses or rulers. communes in the USA. I'm going to be critical of this tendency but let me start off by moderating this crit- This is the vital precondition for real freedom. icism by saying as anarchists we should defend peoples right to choose whatever life style they desire under today's society. And in a future anarchist society we should (cid:1)(cid:1) AAnnaarrcchhiissmm aanndd LLeeaaddeerrss be clear that people will choose to live in a wide variety of ways. I like cities and the cultural diversity that comes with them, so I certainly believe cities will exist in the future but we should also be clear that some people will choose to live in much small- er communes, in ways they consider to be more in contact with nature. Providing ACYNICALEYE is directed at anarchists whenever we speak of organisation. Is people are free to choose in what manner they live we not only should have no prob- not anarchism the opposite of organisation? The simple answer is NO. Is it then the lem with this but look forward to such a society. One in which people could move opposite of large or complicated organisation? The answer is equally simple, NO. between different ways of living and different communities as it suited them, without So where do such mistaken ideas come from? the attendant economic disadvantages and political repression that accompany such We Anarchists want an end to the present system and its replacement by a choices in today's society. socialism that is inseparable from freedom. Being just as realistic and practical as What I do want to criticise however is the idea that this sort of choice can change anyone else, we know that the bosses are well organised and have the forces of the society or more fundamentally that if everyone conformed to such a lifestyle change a revolution would come about because capitalism could no longer function. Fundamentally this under-estimates the willingness of capitalism to force people to work. Capitalism, when faced with shortages of workers, has little hesitation in driving people off the land and facing them with the choice of working in the factory or starving. Historically this was, at least to some extent, what the Enclosure acts in l7th century Britain were all about. The division of the land into clearly marked units TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 3388 TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 77 implied in the slogan 'neither left nor right but green'. state at their disposal. To bring about such a fundamental change will require a very high degree of organisation. So where do the accusations that anarchists are inca- Asimplified understanding of the range of green ideas can be gained if we imagine pable of organisation come from? two opposites of environmentalist theory and practise: It is not just that our opponents will tell lies about us. Of course that happens, a) Organisation tactics: direct actionist to leader/parliamentary one only needs to read the papers of Leninist groupings that take great delight in b) Motivation: misanthropic mysticism to humanist materialism using the word 'anarchy' to describe chaos. These groupings do not have the excuse of ignorance; their misrepresentation is a case of petty and childish slander. The intersection between leader/parliamentary tactics and misanthropic mysti- But this hardly explains the confusion, as their readership is not exactly massive. cism is currently and historically useless at best and all too often dangerous in giv- However similar misrepresentations in the mainstream papers, on radio and TV ing cover to deeply reactionary political trends. In Germany in the 1920's for do have such an effect that the anarchism = chaos idea is widely accepted by those instance, a mass organisation called Blood and Soil existed which represented just who have not yet met an anarchist. such a combination. Their 1923 recruitment material include "In every German a for- est quivers with its caverns and ravines... it is the source of German inwardness, of AARREE RRUULLEERRSS NNEECCEESSSSAARRYY?? the German soul...". By 1939 60% of the membership of the main 'nature protection' This is not to claim that there is a conspiracy by broadcasters and newspaper organisations had joined the Nazi party (as compared with 10% of the entire male editors to tell lies about anarchists. That would be quite an absurd proposition to put population. forward today. Our numbers do not yet inspire so much fear in the ruling class that Even as late as 1942 Himmler could use 'environmentalism' as a justification for they would go to such lengths. The reason is that anarchists reject the view that the annexation of Poland writing "The peasant of our racial stock has always care- there must always be a division of people into rulers and ruled. The rich and pow- fully endeavoured to increase the natural powers of the soil... and to preserve the erful (and those who would like to be rich and powerful) cannot accept this. In their balance of the whole of nature. ... If, therefore, the new Lebensraum are to become eyes, because of their own sense of superiority and self-importance, to live without a homeland for our settlers, the planned arrangement of the landscape being close rulers could only lead to chaos. The working class, they believe, are too stupid to to nature is a decisive prerequisite". This is not of course to suggest environmen- run their own lives, let alone the whole of society. They are absolutely convinced that talists are fascists, far from it, but it cannot be safely assumed that all are automati- the absence of a small ruling group can only lead to disorder. cally progressive. So then, what type of organisation should we seek to build? Two forms are pos- Sections of today's Green Movement in Germany have resurrected some of the sible. The first is the one we are all used to whether it be Parliament, in our trade 'Blood and Soil' theory, more details on this can be found in the AK Press pamphlet union or even in a campaigning group. This is a structure where the decisions are "Ecofascism: Lessons from the German Experience". This is not to claim that all made at the top and most of the electorate/members have no effective say in the environmentalists are or will become fascists, far from it but it should be clear that decision-making process. We are expected to simply obey. Though the handful of one cannot assume that the label of "environmentalist" is any sort of guarantee of people at the top may have been elected we have no real control over them. In no progressive politics in other areas. way are they really accountable to the rest of us. The wing of environmentalism that is most open to anarchism is the opposite intersection, that of Direct action and humanist materialism. It is based around an PPAACCKK OOFF LLIIAARRSS understanding that the environment is important because it is where we live. In the beginning the ANC made a tot of promises that it has not kept. As soon So we cannot escape the consequences o(cid:31) environmental degradation. This as they got their arses onto cabinet seats they proceeded to savage all our gains, understanding is coupled with action to protect the environment based on mobilising breaking all their election promises. And when trade unionists and concerned indi- numbers in direct action against pollution etc. rather than relying on 'green taxes' or viduals take to the streets in protest we are told that our behaviour is "selfish", that other new laws to make the earth safe. we should listen to our "comrades in Government". Many of these environmentalists are already using the label anarchist to distance Anarchists always oppose organisation based on a small leadership telling themselves from the respectable reformism of the Green Parties. But others have everyone else what to do. We have no desire to be ruled, ordered around or dictat- come to anarchism because there is a distinct and powerful logic drawing them ed to. But is this not an unrealistic position that takes no account of the real world? towards us. Back in 1912 miners in South Wales began a discussion* about structures in their Anarchism brings to environmentalism an understanding of why the environment union. They looked at both sides of the leadership issue. Although that was a long is degraded. That it is the pursuit of profit by powerful interests over which we exer- cise little control in current society. It matters little to an anarchist if these powerful * The Miners Next Step, Unofficial Reform Committee. Tonypandy, Wales. 1912. TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 88 TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 3377 time ago, what they found still provides food for thought today and it is worth quot- mainstream media, in chat shows and newspaper articles. However, any of our new ing from. (The language of their document reflects both the sexist ideas of those freedoms are very much dependant on the economic conditions of the day. times and the lack of women in the mining industry). So, while in the booming sixties, American women won limited access to abor- tion, now in recession those rights are being pushed back inch-by-inch. When the THE GOOD SIDE OF LEADERSHIP reality is weighed up equal education & job opportunities and equal pay are limited without free 24-hour nurseries and free contraception & abortion on demand. While 1. Leadership tends to efficiency a small minority of women can buy control of their own fertility, for the majority fam- One decided man, who knows his own mind, is stronger than a hesitating crowd. ily and childcare is still - as it has always been - the largest problem faced by women It takes time for a number of people to agree upon a given policy. One man soon workers. In this argument capitalism won't concede, it must be defeated. makes up his mind. (cid:1)(cid:1) 2. He takes all responsibility AAnnaarrcchhiissmm aanndd tthhee As a responsible leader, he knows that his advice is almost equivalent to a com- mand, and this ensures that his advice will have been carefully and gravely consid- EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall oorr GGrreeeenn ered before being tendered. MMoovveemmeenntt 3. He stands for Order and System All too frequently, 'What is everybody's business is nobody's business', and if no one stands in a position to ensure order and system, many things are omitted which THE MAJOR PROBLEM with any discussion of will cause the men's interest to suffer. the 'Green Movement' is that it does not exist as a single body of ideas. Instead, both individuals and 4. He affords a standard of goodness and ability organisations hold a range of positions from anar- In the sphere of public usefulness there is a great field of emulation. The good chism right across the political spectrum to ideas wishes of the masses can only be obtained by new aspirants for office showing a influenced by fascism. Any of the terms, environ- higher status of ability than the then existing leaders. Thus tends to his continued mentalist, ecologist etc. are very vague definitions efficiency or elimination. of wide bodies of ideas and practice, probably even wider and vaguer than socialism. 5. His faithfulness and honesty are guarded Therefore we should not create a false choice Hero worship has great attractions for the hero, and a leader has great induce- between anarchism and environmentalism but rather ments on this side, apart from pecuniary considerations to remain faithful and hon- ask what sort of environmental theory and action est. should anarchists favour on the one hand and on the other explain why any environmentalist should also be a class strug- THE BAD SIDE OF LEADERSHIP gle anarchist. There is a good argument that some of the early anarchists, in particular 1. Leadership implies power Kropotkin, were the originators of some of the core ideas common to today's radical Leadership implies power held by the leader. Without power the leader is inept. environmental theory. Similarly some anarchists today like Murray Bookchin have a The possession of power inevitably leads to corruption. All leaders become corrupt, widespread influence in modern environmental theory. This historical and current in spite of their own good intentions. No man was ever good enough, or strong connection is probably why many radical environmentalists already describe them- enough, to have such power at his disposal, as real leadership implies. selves as anarchists. On the other hand there are people who call themselves environmentalists with 2. Consider what it means whom we have nothing in common and whom we should dislike just as much as This power of initiative, this sense of responsibility, the self-respect that comes other reactionary politicians and movements. Amajor problem with the green move- from expressed manhood, is taken from the men, and consolidated in the leader. ment is that the progressive elements often fail to seriously distance themselves from The sum of their initiative, their responsibility, their self-respect becomes his. the reactionary elements. This can be contrasted with the deliberate distancing TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 3366 TThhiinnkkiinngg aabboouutt AAnnaarrcchhiissmm ---- PPaaggee 99 alter domestic arrangements greatly. Without these changes, it is conceivable that 3. The order and system many useful forms of work flexibility that might be offered to women - such as job The order and system he maintains is based upon the suppression of the men, sharing, career breaks, special sick leave or term-time working - might reinforce from being independent thinkers into being 'the men' or 'the mob'. Every argument rather than lessen the formidable level of occupational divisions based on gender, to that could be advanced to justify leadership on this score would apply equally well to women's longer-term disadvantage. the Tsar of all the Russia's and his policy of repression. In order to be effective, the The authors of the survey note that as long as responsibility for childcare rests leader must keep the men in order, or he forfeits the respect of the employers and with the women they will remain trapped in the family. They also point out that ben- 'the public', and thus becomes ineffective as a leader. efits to women in the world of work often result in women being pigeon-holed into less well paid jobs. This already happens in regard to part-time workers who are 4. He corrupts the aspirants to public usefulness paid a lower hourly wage than full-time workers do. They point out that men have to He is compelled, in order to maintain his power, to see to it that only those who square up to their responsibility as fathers. The key they emphasise is a change in are willing to act as his drill sergeants or coercive agents shall enjoy his patronage. men's attitudes. However what was not mentioned is that no matter how attitudes In a word, he is compelled to become an autocrat and a foe to democracy. change, men are as powerless as individuals in regard to their working conditions as women are. With all the good will in the world they cannot change their employ- 5. He prevents solidarity er/employee relationship, they cannot adjust their working hours to suit childcare just Sheep cannot be said to have solidarity. In obedience to a shepherd they will go as women cannot. A more fundamental conclusion would be that society at the up or down, backwards or forwards as he and his dogs drive them. But they have moment, capitalism, does not want to accommodate any of the problems of child- no solidarity, for that means unity and loyalty. Unity and loyalty, not to an individual, care, preferring to leave it up to the individual to make their own arrangements as or the policy of an individual, but to an interest and a policy that is understood and best as they can. worked for by all. Finally he prevents the legislative power of the workers. An industrial vote will CCOONNTTRROOLL OOFF OOUURR BBOODDIIEESS affect the lives and happiness of workmen more than a political vote. The power to vote whether there shall or shall not be a strike, or upon an industrial policy to be pur- It is for this reason that the issue of women's' ability to control their own fertility sued by his union will affect far more important issues to the workman's life than the is a key in obtaining women's liberation. That is the fight for abortion rights, for freely political vote can ever touch. Hence it should be more sought after, and its privileges available contraceptives, for 24-hour quality childcare. jealously guarded. Think of the tremendous power going to waste because of lead- Women will remain as second-class citizens as long as they are relegated to an ership, of the inevitable stop-block he becomes on progress, because quite natural- inferior position in the work force. They are now in that position because, to the ly, leaders examine every new proposal and ask first how it will affect their position bosses, they are an unstable workforce, likely to want pregnancy leave, likely to and power. It prevents large and comprehensive policies being initiated and carried come in late if a child is sick, likely to require a crèche or want to work part time. It out which depend on the understanding and watchfulness of the great majority. is because men in society are seen as the breadwinners that they have slightly more National strikes and policies can only be carried out when the bulk of the people see secure, slightly more dependable jobs. It's a vicious circle, because men are in real- their necessity, and themselves prepare and arrange them. ity better paid, it makes more sense within the family to assign the role of main earn- er to the male and the role of carer to the female. The only way to permanently get LLEEAADDEERRSS OORR IIDDEEAASS?? out of this circle is to change the system. In a society organised to make profits for a few, women loose out. Clearly the bad side of 'leadership' outweighs the good. The strong leadership In a society organised to satisfy needs, women's' fertility would no longer be a or rule of individuals stifles self-activity and creates passive dependence. This is not limiting factor. to deny all forms of leadership. Anarchists do seek to become a leadership, a lead- ership of ideas rather than one of 'prominent personalities' or unaccountable repre- IINNTTOO TTHHEE MMAAIINNSSTTRREEAAMM sentatives. We seek to make anarchist ideas the most widely accepted and sup- ported within the working class. Women can of course win gains at the moment. In South Africa women are no Arejection of the 'leadership' idea does not mean that there is no co-ordination, longer forced to stop working upon marriage (though lack of childcare can make it efficiency or organisation. Neither does it deny that some people will know more impossible to continue). Attitudes have changed considerably in the last thirty years. about particular issues, be better speakers or have more forceful personalities. Most importantly, the position of women is now an issue. Whereas before it was only Anarchists work for 'bottom-up' forms of organisation, which is with the rank and file addressed by the few anarchist, socialist or women's' groups; now it's taken up in the membership involved in taking decisions.