What's next in this struggle for liberation?

In part one of this piece, we looked at the big picture; now it's time to drill into the nuts and bolts.

Let me begin right out of the gate by reiterating that the next No Kings Day will be OCTOBER 18. I apologise; I said yesterday that the date was August 18, which was clearly incorrect. Otherwise, we would have needed to jump into a time machine to attend. It was a genuine mistake that slipped through the net, and I have no idea where that came from. I, of course, corrected the error as soon as it was highlighted.

Secondly, I received an email from a reader who was justifiably upset at my assertion that protests are not only about these mass events, but also about local activism that happens every day, which groups like Indivisible organise. For that, I really do apologise. Let me be unambiguous in saying the work that groups like Indivisible do is phenomenal, and I am a big fan. They work year-round across the country, as do many other groups, to support Democratic candidates and to raise funding and critical awareness at the local, state and federal levels. They deserve our wholehearted support because it’s organisations like these that Trump is about to go after, and everyone needs to stand shoulder to shoulder with them, as do I. If you can afford to contribute, you can click here to donate.

The misunderstanding arose, I think, from the clumsy language I used to express my point, which is merely my opinion, of course. We, as activists, are being forced to face a unique non-traditional protest environment. I have always been a strong supporter of direct action under normal circumstances; indeed, I am no stranger to participating in such actions myself. I was a supporter of No Kings Day on June 14th. I even made a video in support of it, which I will do again for the event on OCTOBER 18th.

So, let me try again to explain myself, hopefully a little better. Protests are valuable for a multitude of reasons, not least of which is that they provide an opportunity for like-minded individuals to gather together face-to-face, allowing them to see that they are not alone in their cause. There’s something very real about peacefully marching with fellow social justice warriors to make a point and have your voice heard. In normal times, it is a proven winning formula that has consistently reaped rewards. However, indications that this was changing were evident in the Black Lives Matter protests when Trump asked, ‘Can’t we just shoot them in the legs?’

This was long before he had the power that he has today. The assassination of Charlie Kirk changed the whole protest landscape, and I now have grave concerns about the safety of protesters at large-scale events, as took place on June 14. Trump has now created a permissive environment for violence against his enemies, and rest assured, that includes ANYONE who disagrees with him. We’ve seen the tactics before in authoritarian states around the world, as well as in 1930s Germany, the right sends in agitators to create and stir up violence, and that’s the trigger for a brutal military state response. Trump has already said the quiet part out loud when it comes to deploying the military to what he is calling ‘war-ravaged’ Portland, claiming detention facilities are, “under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists”.

While there is no reason for people to believe a word he says normally, you should absolutely believe him when it comes to his intent to cause harm to his enemies. The military is now his de facto private army prepared to dish out vengeance on command. I believe that’s precisely why the top military brass from around the world is being recalled for a speech from Pete Hegseth on the ‘warrior culture’. This is going to be a loyalty test, and if I were to hazard a guess, he will be announcing a new military doctrine.

It will be a bizarre moment for the top brass as they are lectured by someone who, to them, based on his service, is the military equivalent of the tea boy.

It has all the hallmarks of a meeting called by Saddam Hussein, who, shortly after assuming the Presidency of Iraq in July 1979, convened a gathering of his Ba’ath Party leaders and publicly had 68 of them removed for alleged treason.

Twenty-two of them were subsequently sentenced to death by firing squad. I’m not saying anyone will face a literal firing squad, but there is certainly a real chance that some may be fired.

The truth is, I am very concerned that the event on the 18th of October presents a real threat to those protesting because, just as at the Black Lives Matter protests, white supremacist groups will embed themselves into the event with the specific intent to spark violence and property damage. The situation will be exacerbated by criminal opportunists seeking opportunities to exploit the chance to loot. Usually, these are simple byproducts of protests that are typically factored into law enforcement and government decisions when determining the course of action to take.

This time, however, the rules of engagement will be very different. Regardless of how much you try to convince yourself that peaceful non-violent protest will solve the problems America is facing, I hate to tell you that Trump WILL look to use it as an opportunity for brutal suppression of dissent to place a marker in the sand to deter further protests. Do not underestimate his resolve to crush dissent. My question to those participating is, are you prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for your beliefs? In my opinion, the risks are too significant.

I may, of course, be completely wrong. Trump might welcome the expression of free speech; he may view it as he did on January 6, during the Capitol insurrection. He may view it as a ‘love-in’ as he did then. It’s for you to decide. My question is, is your life worth a social media post that will likely be suppressed? I have to tell you that if I intended to participate, as assessed, the risk was worth it, I would want to be wearing a bulletproof vest.

Then we come back to what we can do. As far as organisations like Indivisible is concerned keep doing what you are doing, organising is always the key to ground game success and I genuinely believe that you will find that a number of those sympathetic to Trump are now waking up to the reality that he doesn’t care about them, so in that respect canvassing and meeting voters where they are has never been so important.

You should never misinterpret my criticism of Democratic leadership as a criticism of grassroots Democratic activists. You are my guys, you are the ones that candidates can’t get elected without. You are the ones who walk the streets, come rain, come shine, to help deliver change. I am angry not with you, but with those who should be doing a much better job of supporting you. I’ve worked directly with candidates, and I know that without you, they wouldn’t be able to get elected.

I also understand messaging, which I know many organisations work hard on. Democrats have some fantastic writers. My problem has always been that they often each do their own thing, and there is no centralised pipeline for efficient message distribution, which needs to be dramatically improved by 2026. The messaging objective is reasonably consistent.

You will see that the Ad I created below could have been produced yesterday, despite it being three years old. I think I get frustrated because my thoughts disappear into a vacuum.

What I was trying to say yesterday in my piece, which, if you haven’t yet read it, is linked below, was that there is a much better way to make this government sit up and take notice.

The central problem faced by Democrats is that this situation has now moved beyond politics. It’s no longer about Democrats vs Republicans. For MAGA, it’s now about the extermination of the left. For the rest, it’s about the haves and the subjugated. There’s as much anger out there from independents, swing voters and even, dare I say, moderate Republicans who believe that Trump is out of control and no longer represents their values. You can see proof of this in special elections, where Democrats are significantly outperforming.

You can see it from the rallies held by Bernie Sanders and AOC. There is undoubtedly an appetite for change. Unfortunately, polls show that voters don’t believe Democrats can deliver that change, and they have lost the trust of voters, which is hardly surprising given their lamentable response to what Trump has done. So why the big swings to Democrats in these special elections? It’s simple, they have become the protest vote against Trump. What is truly depressing to me is that it appears Democratic leadership is happy to be merely the default beneficiaries of the Trump discontent.

I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face. That does NOT represent progress for Democrats; it represents a disrespect for voters for whom they are delivering no vision and no hope. Whatever happened to ‘Yes we can?’ It seems to have morphed into ‘No, we daren’t, but give us your money anyway.’ The one obvious thing is that action can’t wait until 2026, let alone 2028. To every Democratic activist, you deserve better, and you should be demanding better. Unfortunately, the American people can’t wait for Democrats to get their act together; this has to be an apolitical response.

America is the largest consumer economy on the planet, making it extremely vulnerable to the spending habits of its consumers. I would highly recommend reading this paper by Ivaylo D. Petev and Luigi Pistaferri, published by the Russell Sage Foundation and the Stanford Centre on Poverty and Inequality. If we return to 2008 and the housing crash, you can see that while this recession was not initiated by lower consumption, but rather the result of the housing bubble bursting, as you would expect, but consumption did subsequently fall and it caused the recession to linger as the report notes:

once the consumption decline was in full swing, it acted to prolong the recession and the continuing downturn. The effects of this consumption decline continue to this day, making a recovery less certain.

The point here is that consumption is the emergency brake button. Once it’s hit, the forward motion halts, and then it’s down to the amount of braking pressure applied, and this is where the American people step up. Lower consumption slows GDP, and the organs of government begin to fail. In short, it’s your consumption that is driving the bus, this means that you hold all the cards.

As we saw with Disney, tens of thousands of people slowed the consumption of Disney's output, and the results were almost instantaneous: starve a company of revenue, and it starts to hurt really quickly. I hear calls for a general strike. These tend to be more symbolic and achieve little, as they are short and blunt instruments. Additionally, it’s high-risk, as employers looking to downsize their workforce will seize the opportunity to lay off employees. How does losing your job help anyone?

The key is targeted economic disengagement. Approximately 70% of the US GDP is driven by consumer spending. A drop of just 0.2% in January 2025 caused concern, and a 0.3% drop in May 2025 resulted in the slowest pace in years, significantly impacting growth forecasts. If consumption fell by, say, 3%, this would almost certainly lead to recession, and the government’s economic agenda would come to a grinding halt, as the economy shrank. This administration is obsessed with economic growth, and it is, in my opinion, hanging on by a thread, propped up with tech companies, while the top 10% now account for 49% of all US consumer spending.

The only viable option open to Americans in this moment that does not involve risk to their personal safety is to STOP SPENDING. However, to make this work, you need to be really strategic in your approach. To put a line in the sand as a flex and to fire a shot across the bow, the first target should be streaming services. As seen with Disney, large-scale cancellations are big news that gets covered by the corporate media.

Recent data indicate that ChatGPT has 67 million users in the US. There are estimated to be 7.5 million daily users in the US, and around 30% of those are business users. As they hold a 65% share of the US market, cancelling or not using ChatGPT will undoubtedly be noticed. I appreciate that some will need to use it for work; the aim is initially to make a noticeable impact, and that can be achieved by simply using it only when necessary. Lower daily visits will have an effect, and if you can cancel a paid plan, again, that’s all to the benefit.

The key to any initial phase of economic disengagement is to focus on high-value items, as these tend to generate significant margins. Don’t buy any planned new cars; wait. Same with electrical goods. It’s all about deferring purchases during the period of action. You can still buy online, but stick to low-value items; this will keep delivery drivers in work. Focus on supporting local businesses, which is always a good thing to do in any event; there's no need to stop eating out - use judgment to decide where to go. When it comes to ordering in fast food, do it; this again supports low-income workers. I know it lets Uber Eat etc off the hook, but some sacrifices are justified.

Concerning grocery shopping, it should once again be a matter of only buying the necessities. For clothing and other expenses, again, defer spending if possible. Nobody is saying stop buying; the object is merely to postpone purchasing until after the action is over. The same goes for booking vacations, etc. You get the idea?

Some low-wage earners will inevitably get caught up in such action, but there are limits to targeting. It would simply require the distribution of a bullet-point participation guide, which would be very easy to distribute, and I’m sure organisations like Indivisible could help with that. I’d be more than happy to produce videos for the campaign along with artwork. It would simply need a snappy strapline.

There are people far more qualified than I to develop a strategy, and it would need coordination, but if consumer spending could be reduced by, say, 2-3% people would definitely sit up and listen. The simple alternative of course, would be for everyone participating to stop spending beyond the essentials across the board.

The big question is, are people prepared to tolerate the inconvenience such action brings? I don’t have the answer to that question, I’m afraid

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts and observations. I hope you feel it was worth the investment of your time. I deliver a post to my community most days. If you appreciate my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help offset some of the associated costs. It really does make a big difference.