If voting changed anything...
it would be illegal
The 'Payments to Politicians' Tribunal is just the latest in a
long line of examples (the Beef Tribunal, the tax amnesties...) that
show just how deep in the pockets of the bosses our government really
is. It's not just Ireland. All over the world politicians are found
to be corrupt, while others tell you that, of course, they receive
large sums of money from business, but, naturally, this doesn't
effect their judgement in the slightest. What did we do to deserve
this.
Over the centuries, thousands of people have fought and died for
the right to vote in free elections. From wars of independence, to
the women's suffrage movement, to the struggle against apartheid, the
right to vote has been seen as a necessary part of freedom and
equality. Before we won universal suffrage, our lawmakers were chosen
by the upper class, the rich and the church, or were appointed by the
rulers of other states. So why, after winning such an important
right, do anarchists say we should not vote in elections?
The vast majority of people, in every country around the world,
are working class. We have to sell our ability to work in order to
earn a living; we can't survive on income from rent, or stocks and
shares, like the rich minority. When the right to vote began to be
extended, around the middle of the last century, the rich feared that
the poor (i.e. everyone else) would use their much greater numbers to
vote for a change in the distribution of wealth and move towards a
fairer society.
Cobett, one of the leaders of the Chartist movement (who
campaigned for universal suffrage), said that he wanted the working
class to vote "that it might do some good, that it might better our
situation ... and not for the gratification of any abstract ...
whim". This was why people fought for the right to vote. They wanted
an equal say in the government of the land, so they would get a fair
share of the goods of the land.
As it turned out, the rich needn't have worried. Every time a
so-called 'socialist' or 'Labour' party has come to power, they have
been almost indistinguishable from their more right-wing opponents.
Despite their promises to act for the working class, once in
government they seem to be more concerned with being 'respectable'
and 'reasonable' - in others words, not doing anything that would
offend the rich, the real rulers. Now we have 'progressed' to the
stage where parties don't even pretend to campaign on the basis of
representing the working class, but say they are more "trustworthy",
or are a "safe pair of hands" to control the economy. "Redistribution
of wealth" is an embarrassment from the past.
It's not just a question of having weak-willed leaders, or the
scum rising to the top (though there's plenty of that about). There
is a real limit to what governments can do - its called capitalism.
Now, more than ever, if the actions of a government are unpopular
with business, those businesses will just leave. It's the logic of
the marketplace - if you can turn a bigger profit by moving your
company to a country that allows child labour, you will - ask Nike
why their production is based in Indonesia.
If you're a director of a big company, you'll want a guarantee
that there won't be any trouble from those pesky unions - Partnership
2000, anybody? Try being a union organiser in Korea, it's really a
barrel of laughs - otherwise it's a case of "Thanks for those IDA
grants, but now I really must be going." Nowadays, politicians act as
buffers, serving the interests of big business, and doling out a few
crumbs to keep us quiet.
The important issue, though, is not just that we are left only
with a choice between shades of grey, between Tweedledum and
Tweedledumber. Even if we were faced with radically different
candidates in the election, they would all have one thing in common,
and that one thing should be enough to stop us from voting for them.
Whether they are conservative or liberal, left-wing or right, they
all want to make laws to decide how we live. They may promise to rule
well, but they mean to be our masters.
Of course, this is the way it has always been, and we are told
this is the way it always must be, which is why we accept it. But
isn't it a crazy idea? That there are some people who can understand
the millions of different lives we lead, and can tell what's best for
every one of us? That there are only 166 people in the 26 counties
with the brains to organise anything, and the rest of us have to be
told what to do and how to do it, that we're too stupid to decide
anything for ourselves? Why, if we can't be trusted to govern
ourselves, can we be trusted to choose our governors?
Time for Real Change
There is an alternative. Society that is really ruled by all, and
not just a few who claim to 'represent' the rest of us. That means
deciding the issues ourselves, instead of letting others decide for
us. Politicians are generally well-off, we are the ones who need the
support of the rest of the community from time to time. When it comes
down to it, we are the ones who will be using public hospitals and
schools - would we have decided to give the rich a tax amnesty, when
services like these are so underfunded?
Democracy doesn't stop there. Unless we actually run the places we
work in, our safety, our work conditions, and our job security will
always depend on how much profit our boss thinks he can make. And
until we have control over our work, and over the economy as a whole,
we will still be ruled. How can we make any real progress under a
system which only exists to make the rich richer? Real democracy
needs real socialism - anarchism is based on having freedom and
equality, because you can't have one without the other.
So, when anarchists advise against voting in the general election,
we're not just saying that politicians are a shower of liars and
cheats (though most are), and that you should wait until some good
and honest politicians come along (don't hold your breath) so you can
vote for them. When you vote, you are choosing between rulers. Why
not choose instead to rule yourself, to organise with others - in
your workplace, in your community, everywhere - as equals, and make
some changes yourself, instead of waiting for others to do it for
you. Spoil your vote - and then go out and start making a real
difference.
Ray Cunningham
