The pluralists, in fact, have not attempted to make these groups independent of the State.The State, Gierke says. "is distinguished from other social bodies by its position above them: for the State alone there is no limit through a higher collective existence; its will is the sovereign general will, the State is the highest Machtverband. Paul Bancour regards the State as the sole representative of general interests and national solidarity. He would assign to the State the duty of preventing any group from acting aggressively towards other groups and its own members. Lindsay recognises the State as the "organisation of organisations." Miss Follett criticises the pluralists' conception of the state as "competing" for the citizen's loyalty. Even Laski did not propose to get rid of the State altogether. He recognised the distinction between the State and an association and defined the State as "the association to protect the interests of men as citizens.''He agreed that "to satisfy the common needs, it must control other associations to the degree that secures for them the service such needs require. "He also accepted the need of the "ultimate reserve power of the State. "Laski finally conceded: "And however much we may reduce the direct administrative capacity of the political State, the fact remains that once it is charged with the provision of services which men stand in common need, it has their interests in trust to a degree with which no other body can, at least in a temporal sense, compete. Even if we abstract from the modern State the final control of international affairs, the civic area of internal matters that is left seems, at any casual glance, overwhelming.