ARE LEADERS GOOD AND NECESSARY ?

This is not a double question, since if leaders are necessary, they are perforce good. Let us then examine the leader, and see if he is necessary. A leader implies at the outset some men who are being led ; and the term is used to describe a man who, in a representative capacity, has acquired combined administrative and legislative power.
As such, he sees no need for any high level of intelligence in the rank and file, except to applaud his actions. Indeed such intelligence from his point of view, by breeding criticism and opposition, is an obstacle and causes confusion. His motto is, "Men, be loyal to your leaders." His logical basis: plenary powers. His social and economic prestige, is dependent upon his being respected by "the public" and the employers. These are the three principles which form the platform upon which the leader stands. He presents, in common with other institutions, a good and a bad aspect.

THE GOOD SIDE OF LEADERSHIP.

l. -Leadership tends to efficiency.
One decided man, who knows his own mind is stronger than a hesitating crowd. It takes time for a number of people to agree upon a given policy. One man soon makes up his mind.

2. - He takes all responsibility.

As a responsible leader, he knows that his advice is almost equivalent to a command, and this ensures that his advice will have been carefully and gravely considered before being tendered.

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 will cause the men's interest
to suffer.

4. -He affords a standard of goodness and ability.

In the sphere of public usefulness there is a great field of emulation. The good wishes of the masses can only be obtained by new aspirants for office showing a higher status of ability than
the then existing leaders. This tends to his continued efficiency or elimination.

5.- His faithfulness and honesty arc guarded.

Hero worship has great attractions for the hero, and a leader has great inducements on this side, apart from pecuniary considerations to remain faithful and honest.

THE BAD SIDE OF LEADERSHIP.

1.-Leadership implies power.

Leadership implies power held by the Leader. Without power the leader is inept. The possession of power inevitably leads to corruption. All leaders become corrupt, in spite of their own good intentions. No man was ever good enough, brave enough, or strong enough, to have such power at his disposal as real leadership implies.

2.- Consider what it means.

This power of initiative, this sense of responsibility, the self respect which comes from expressed manhood, is taken from the men, and consolidated in the leader. The sum of their initiative, their
responsIbility, their self respect becomes his.

3.- The order and system.

The order and system he maintains, is based upon the suppression of the men, from being independent thinkers into being "the men" or "the mob." Every argument which could be advanced to justify leadership on this score, would apply equally well to the Czar of all the Russias
and his policy of repression. In order to be effective, the leader must keep the men in order, or he forfeits the respect of the employers and "the public," and thus becomes ineffective as a leader.

4.- He corrupts the aspirants to public usefulness.

He is compelled in order to maintain his power, to see to it that only those, who are willing to act as his drill sergeants or coercive agents shall enjoy his patronage. In a word, he is compelled to
become an autocrat and a foe to democracy.

5.- He prevents solidarity.

Sheep cannot be said to have solidarity. In obedience to a shepherd, they will go up or down, backwards or forwards as they are driven by him and his dogs. But they have no solidarity, for that means unity and loyalty. Unity and loyalty, not to an individual, or the policy of an individual, but to an interest and a policy which is understood and worked for by all.

Finally he prevents the legislative power of the workers. An industrial vote will affect the lives and happiness of workmen far 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 pursued by his union, will affect, far more important issues to the workman's life than the political vote can. ever touch. Hence it should be more sought after, and its privileges jealously guarded. Think of the tremendous power going to waste because of leadership, of the inevitable stop-block he becomes on progress, because quite naturally, leaders examine every new proposal, and ask first how it will affect their position and power. It prevents large and comprehensive policies being initiated and carried out which depend upon the understanding and watchfulness of the great majority . National strikes and policies can only be carried Out when the bulk of the people see their necessity, and themselves prepare and arrange them.

From "The Miners' Next Step" by the Unofficial Reform Committee..

The whole pamphlet should be available on a stall at the Anarchst Bookfair in London perhaps hid away on a CD.

Leaders and followers

by Luke W., Unknown News

Oct. 4, 2005

It seems like a long time ago, but in my past I worked in a packing plant. I worked in a lot of different departments there, and did some of the hardest labor that line of work has to offer, including a stint in the stockyards for about a year one time. It wasn't too hard, but it kept you busy enough so an eight-hour shift went by at a decent clip. The dust was hard to take, but all in all it was good work.

When you're new in any department you are a target for some good-natured pranks and assorted grab-ass kind of shit, so the other guys can find out if you're an OK guy. Goes with the territory of being the new guy, and as I was never signed into any one department I was used to being a new guy. So in the stockyards it goes like this.

The foreman says, "Luke go to sheep pen 28 and drive the sheep down to holding pen 10." Holding pen 10 being the pen the sheep last see before they are butchered.

Now there were three types of livestock at this stockyard, and five different divisions of animals -- bulls, calves, cattle, pigs, and sheep. Only the fleetest of foot and the fearless drive bulls. Pretty much everyone drives the rest of the animals.

You use a canvas slapper to drive the animals at a stockyard, they make a lot of noise if properly used but do little damage to the animals. Every animal drives different.

I never drove bulls, it is fun to watch but you don't really drive bulls, most of the time it is the other way around, the bulls are chasing the drivers.

Calves are annoying because they are always trying to suckle you so they are always pushing their mouths into your groin. Which surprises you the first time around, and then quickly becomes annoying. You keep them moving and they don't cause a whole lot of problems.

Cattle drive all right except for a occasional stubborn one, and you just have to lay into it with the slapper and cut off its exit paths, and if it is too much trouble you leave him behind until you get the others to the pen and then you lock them up and go get a couple of helpers to drive the stubborn one.

Pigs are a pain in the ass, in that they drive pretty easy, but you always get one or two who are going to want to buck the system and go the other way. You can't let one get past you or they will all go back. So if one gets past you, then just accept the inevitable and turn around and walk all the way back and start again.

Now, like I said before, I had been in the stockyards for about a week when the foreman tells me to drive sheep. I had never driven sheep but I figured they couldn't be too much trouble because if you make even the slightest fast movement near a sheep pen, the flock bolts to the opposite corner in a panic. Should be no problem.

So I walk all the way down to holding pen 10 and open the gate, and walk all the way back to sheep pen 28, which is about a five minute walk. By the time I get back to sheep pen 28 there are a lot of guys hanging around and talking, and I figured it was slow and they were just killing time.

So I grab a slapper and open the gate and slap the bare cement with the slapper, which makes a loud crack, and the sheep are in the corner climbing up the backs of one another trying to get away from me in a panic. Kind of sad really.

I go into that corner where the sheep are, and they run to the other corner. The gate is wide open and it is a square pen, but they won't go out the gate. They just keep going from one corner to the other.

The foreman is in on the gag and yells, "Luke get the lead out and drive them sheep!" Well, I really started slapping sheep and making noise, but I wasn't making any progress. The sheep just kept running from one corner to the other. Then I noticed the guys were laughing and hooting and hollering and really enjoying the whole show, so I throw up my hands and say, "OK, I get the joke. How do you drive sheep?"

A couple of the guys hop down to show me. The thing is, you don't drive sheep. You've got to lead them, but you can't lead them. They will only follow one of their own.

I bet at this point Helen is scratching her head.

Nah, I'm following you, Luke. Like sheep to the slaughter ...
=Helen=

So you need about three guys to drive sheep. One controls the gate and the other two controls the sheep. The guy at the gate only opens the gate wide enough for one sheep to pass through. One of the other guys is outside the gate and the other guy is in the pen. The guy in the pen goes and picks up a sheep and pushes it through the gate, and at that point the guy outside the gate and the gatekeeper makes sure that one sheep doesn't get back to the flock, which is where it most desperately want to go.

Then the guy inside picks up another sheep and pushes it through the gate. Usually it takes three or four sheep being pushed out the gate, and then all of a sudden the rest of the flock literally bolts out the gate to follow their leaders ... and you simply drive them down to the holding pen.

Years ago, they said, they'd had a goat on a leash that led the sheep. The sheep mistook it for one of their own. They called the goat a Judas goat.

Sheep are often used as a metaphor for people, like in the parables. Driving sheep in the stockyards is a good metaphor for people and politics and leaders.

Leaders are just people that are thrust out in front of the population to lead them in a desired direction, which is determined by the drivers.

Leaders are always made to look like just one of the good hard-working men and women of this country, you know, one of the people, and up to a certain point they are, I'm sure. But the leaders groomed for national politics are shoved in front of the people to lead the party and the people in a desired direction.

These leaders take off their suit coats and roll up their sleeves before elections, and make every effort to appear as one of the people. But they're no longer a part of the people.

Sometimes these national leaders forget that they are not of the people any more and try to really represent the people, and a sharp tug on the leash is required. Howard Dean comes to mind. Pretty much the whole national Democratic and Republican leadership comes to mind, as not being a part of the people any more, as being on a leash.

At some point any metaphor breaks down, but before I leave this I would like to point out one thing: It doesn't really make a difference if a leader is one of the sheep, or a Judas goat on a leash. The leader doesn't matter at all. The flock is going to go where the drivers want the flock to go.

Understanding this is the key to understanding our problems, and understanding the leaders we are tricked to follow.

Go f**k yourself.

You wouldn't know a good leader if he marched up and hit you on the head.