AS you might expect, I’m in a number of forums devoted to anarchism and it’s simply incredible how many times people on the Left misunderstand our politics. Not simply by telling other people how to live their lives, which isn’t very anarchistic at all, but by insisting that all forms of power must be abolished. Instead of ridding ourselves of power, we should be using it more effectively and ensuring that as many people as possible have access to their own share. Even our cat understands that, for goodness sake.
Several minutes ago, for example, I was making a cup of coffee and he started complaining about the fact that his dinner plate is empty. I asked him to wait until I had finished what I was doing, but he suddenly lost interest and nonchalantly strolled off with his tail in the air. He wasn’t hungry at all, he just felt like getting a human to perform a totally meaningless task on his behalf. He’s exactly the same when we go to bed and enjoys nothing more than to wake us up for the sheer hell of it. So although he tends to abuse his power completely, he at least has the good sense to realise that it is there to be used. Even if his idea of power is to waste our time and leave us powerless to resist.
