Voteless election

A struggle between such an [unclear: anisation] for popular obedience; [unclear: is], far more than the Stalinist [unclear: ges] to which the term was [unclear: originally] applied a totalitarian [unclear: eral] election—with the all-[unclear: important] difference that what is [unclear: decided] is not which group [unclear: exercise] authority within a [unclear: and] its rules, but what form [unclear: system] and its rules shall take. [unclear: onsequently] the contest for [unclear: ular] support is subject to no [unclear: at] all; it is a war; carried on [unclear: recently]; and since it is possible [unclear: acqutre] popular support through [unclear: cion] as well as through [unclear: con] it would clearly be a mistake [unclear: expect] such a contest to [unclear: be] to either of these methods. [unclear: This] is the point at which [unclear: ob] constantly get misled. The [unclear: ggle] for popular support is [unclear: on] by all means, by bene[unclear: ent] activity such as building [unclear: ools] and clinics and so forth, [unclear: by] violent and terroristic [unclear: activity], such as shooting [unclear: recalcitits] and violently repressing [unclear: ular] activities if these are [unclear: ged] to benefit the enemy [unclear: em].

We tend to think that these two [unclear: of] method are incompatible so we tend to deny that they found together; if we can see the benevolence we deny the terrorism, if we can see the terrorism we deny the benevolence, and our sympathies tend to determine which we see first.

But in reality there is nothing to stop both methods being practised simultaneously. This applies to both sides, because the contest for popular support is a war, which has no rules and is fought by all methods.

In addition, the revolutionary is an idealist, who genuinely desires to do people good but is fanatically certain that he knows what is good fur people and even knows what they want.

It comes very naturally to him to coerce people who don't want what he wants to give them, on the grounds that these people are enemies of 'the people, who do want it by definition.

He can very easily be found, as it were, building a school for the children and then shooting the parents for not sending their children to it. If his opponent is less of an idealist, he may waver between outbursts of excessive brutality and periods of loss of faith in his own benevolence; but the revolutionary is always sure he's right.

Since we are not revolutionaries we always tend to be more denunciatory of what is done in our name than of what is done by the revolutionaries. That, paradoxically, is a good reason for being on our side and against the revolutionaries.