I HAVE always found it strange that some Anarchists wish to do away with all forms of power. Resisting authoritarianism is one thing, of course, and it must never be left unchecked, but I believe that power should be used constructively. Not from the top down, as it is as present, but from the grass roots up. Power is not inherently bad, not at all, especially when it is utilised by those who will use it wisely and constructively.

When you consider that power, at least in principle, is a self-generating and inexhaustible resource, one begins to understand the enormous potential that it can possess in the right hands. Whilst some Anarchists believe that power should be eradicated, something I find extremely self-destructive, to my mind the dangers of an unrestrained power that can potentially affect the freedom of others is tempered by the fact that particular expressions of power do not determine power itself.

In other words, although one might use such power to establish an Anarchist project – such as an alternative community or economic initiative – the sheer spontaneity of applied power will always ensure that it both derives from and is inferior to the greater source from whence it came. The expression of Anarchist power, in one form or another, makes no attempt to determine the wider principle of power itself. It is similar, perhaps, to applying a spiritual or ethical tenet without ever seeking to become Prometheus and steal the fire from Heaven. When you plug a radio into the electricity supply, for example, you are only using a tiny amount. Imagine being able to draw upon similar forms of power, but without any centralised authority exercising control over the lives of you or anyone else.

Anarchists must not switch off this power, perish the thought, but ensure that we have enough for our own needs. A million transmitters, each independent of the central authority but nonetheless respectful for the valuable opportunity to exploit the wellspring of self-empowerment in a wholesome and judicious fashion.