Politics is the conspiracy of the unproductive but organized

Hear the piercing words of Joseph Sobran, essayist and critic of power, who declared: “Politics is the conspiracy of the unproductive but organized against the productive but unorganized.” These words fall like a hammer upon stone, revealing a truth that many feel but few dare to name: that those who labor, who build, who create, are often too busy in their toil to defend themselves, while those who produce little learn instead the craft of scheming, gathering, and seizing power. Thus the industrious are ruled by the idle, not because the idle are stronger, but because they are organized.

The origin of this truth lies in the oldest struggles of civilization. In every age, the farmer, the craftsman, the merchant, the thinker—those who filled the world with bread, tools, and ideas—have often found themselves taxed, regulated, and burdened by rulers who themselves produced nothing. Kings, priests, and bureaucrats built vast systems to draw from the wealth of others, not through their own labor, but through the force of law and decree. Sobran saw in this the great imbalance of society: the productive, though mighty in skill, are weak without unity, while the unproductive, though lacking skill, triumph by conspiracy and coordination.

Consider the fall of Rome. The citizens who once labored for the greatness of the Republic—soldiers, farmers, artisans—became weighed down by endless taxes and corruption, while the political class grew fat with privilege. The senators and courtiers, unproductive but well-organized, consumed the fruits of the people’s labor. Rome’s decline was not only from external enemies but from within, as the conspiracy of the idle drained the strength of the industrious until the empire collapsed under its own rot. Sobran’s words echo across centuries: power is seized not by those who create, but by those who organize.

Look also to the Industrial Age. In the factories of Europe and America, workers labored long hours, their hands shaping the engines of modern life. Yet at first they were unorganized, scattered, and powerless, while those who managed them—often removed from the hardship of labor—wielded enormous influence. It was only when workers began to unite, forming unions and movements, that the balance began to shift. Here we see the antidote to Sobran’s warning: the productive can defeat the unproductive if they too find discipline, solidarity, and organization.

Yet Sobran’s words are more than history—they are caution for the present. Even now, in governments and institutions, many who produce little rise to great power by mastering the arts of persuasion, manipulation, and control. They rally under banners, form committees, and pass decrees, while the true builders—scientists, teachers, farmers, workers—often remain fragmented, their voices drowned in the noise of politics. The conspiracy of the idle thrives not because it is noble, but because it is united.

O seeker, the lesson is this: do not despise the craft of organization, for it is the shield of the productive against the schemes of the idle. To labor in silence is noble, but it leaves one vulnerable. If the makers of the world remain unorganized, they shall always be ruled by those who produce nothing. The path to justice is not only in creating, but in standing together, forming alliances that protect the fruit of labor from the hands of opportunists.

And what actions must we take? Unite with others who share your burdens. Do not let yourself be scattered, for isolation is weakness. Build associations, communities, and councils where the productive can speak as one. Resist the smooth words of those who promise fairness while plotting only to feed upon your effort. Remember always that organization is power, and power without virtue will be used against you.

Thus remember Sobran’s words: “Politics is the conspiracy of the unproductive but organized against the productive but unorganized.” Let them not be prophecy, but warning. For when the productive learn to organize with wisdom, justice, and courage, then the schemes of the idle will crumble, and power will return to those whose labor sustains the world. In this lies both hope and command: create, but also unite, so that the fruits of your labor may never again be stolen by the hands of the idle.