"All socialism involves slavery." (Herbert Spencer)

[Who Herbert Spencer? Ed.] Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was an English polymath active as a philosopher, psychologist, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist. He originated the expression "survival of the fittest", which he coined in Principles of Biology after reading Charles Darwin's 1859 book On the Origin of Species.

In Left Luggage (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1967), C. Northcote Parkinson (author of The Law), says: "In his approach to sociology and policisa, Herbert Spencer had one tremendous advantage over rival theorists.... He knew what he was talking about." 

At page 35, he (Parkinson) writes: "In The Man Versus the State (1884), Spencer distinguished clearly between 'the regime of status' and the 'regime of contract'.... To give people greater freedom should enable them to benefit themselves. To benefit them directly, by contrast, one must insist, first of all, on obedience."

There follows a lengthy quote from Mr Spencer's book, from the section headed "The Coming Slavery", at page 314.

There is that increasing need for administrative compulsion and restraints which results from the unforeseen evils and shortcomings or preceding compulsions and restraints. Moreover, every additional State-interference strengthens the tacit assumption that it is the duty of State to deal with all evils and secure all benefits. 

Increasing power of a growing organisation is accompanied by decreasing power of the rest of the society to resist its further growth and control. The multiplication of careers opened by a developing bureaucracy tempts members of the classes regulated by it to favour its extensions.... 

The people at large, led to look on benefits received through public agencies as gratis benefits, have their hopes continually excited by the prospects of more. A spreading education, furthering the diffusion of pleasing errors rather than of stern truths, renders such hopes both stronger and more general. 

Worse still, such hopes are ministered to by candidates for public choice, to augment their chances of success; and leading statesmen, in pursuit of party ends, bid for popular favour by countenancing them. 

Getting repeated justifications from new laws harmonizing with their doctrines, political enthusiasts and unwise philanthropists push their agitations with growing confidence and success. 

Journalism, ever responsive to popular opinion, daily strengths it by giving it voice; while counter-opinion, more and more discouraged, finds little utterance.

Thus influence of various kinds conspires to increase corporate action and decrease individual action. And the change is being on all sides aided by schemers, each of whom thinks only of his pet plan and not at all of the general re-organisation which his plan, joined with others such, are working out. 

It is said that the French Revolution devoured its own children. Here [in Great Britain], an analogous catastrophe seems not unlikely. The numerous socialistic changes made by Act of Parliament, joined with the numerous others presently to be made, will by-and-by be all merged in State-socialism -- swallowed in the vast wave which they have little by little raised.

"But why is this change described as 'the coming slavery'?" is a question which many will still ask. The reply is simple. All socialism involves slavery.

Elsewhere in Left Luggage, Mr Parkinson gives his own explanation of the motivation and actions of today's leftists.

They came to realize...that the lower classes cannot be resued from the slum unless they will do as they are told. This, they came to see, is a basic principle of existence.

You cannot help an old woman to cross a busy street unless she will accept your guidance. The very act of going to the rescue makes you superior to the person rescued. And just as folk in danger must obey the orders of the lifeboatman or fireman, the victims of the industrial slum must follow the social reformer's advice.

That they are incapable of saving themselves is the most obvious result of their ill-treatment. Kindly but firmly they must be shows the way to escape. A better environment can be theirs but only if they will obey orders. It is this kindly coercion that has come to be known as Socialism.

The emphases are mine. WW