It’s the start of July, the halfway point in the year. Now is as good a time as any to take a few steps back to review where we are and work out how we can go forward in what are becoming ever weirder and more bizarre times. Reviewing where we are involves amongst other things, looking at the political and social context we’re obliged to operate in. Let’s just say that we live in interesting times! The discussion of this context forms the first part of this piece. All of this is very loosely based on a strategy review we undertook after a couple of pretty harsh reality checks obliged us to overhaul and also, to slim down how we operate. How we intend to operate going forward is discussed in the second part of this piece. When we work out what impact we can still possibly make as activists, it has to be done in the context of our other commitments, our age and the amount of energy we can realistically apply, and last but by no means least, the fact that we want a life outside of activism.
The context we’re trying to operate in
When it comes to the news agenda, it feels like it’s one thing after another. The mainstream news is obviously little more than propaganda for the ‘powers that be’. The ‘powers that be’ is a reference to the shadowy bastards in the background pulling the strings. Identified by one Paul Cudenec ofWinter Oak as the Zionist Imperialist Mafia (ZIM). The feeling of one thing after another also applies to the so called ‘alternative media’ where I’ve learned the hard way that as much questioning needs to be applied to them as it does to the mainstream media. A situation not helped by some massive, predominantly male egos who love the sound of their own voices.
What are we having to face? Firstly, there’s the sporadic social disorder arising from tensions around asylum seekers in particular and migrants in general – something that’s been flaring up every summer since 2024. Tensions where it’s obvious that things are being intentionally stirred up. As I’ve written more times than I care to remember, it’s the problem / reaction / ‘solution’ scenario. Despite faux condemnation of the disorder that’s happened so far this year here in the UK and also in the North of Ireland, there are deep state elements that have an interest in seeing this disorder spread to the point where the public are begging for a ‘solution’ that will end it. The kind of ‘solution’ that will strip us of many of our freedoms and put us into what to all intents and purposes will be a digital prison. The implementation of which is already underway with the announcement of a ban on social media use for under 16s, the enforcement of which will require the rest of us to access social media via a number of forms of digital verification. In other words it’s digital ID by the back door.
As for the disorder, I expect it to continue along with the manipulation from behind the curtains aimed at pushing things to a crisis point. There appears to be a glut of useful idiots who can’t see that this is a problem / reaction / ‘solution’ scenario, and are happy to play their unwitting role on the streets in a Pavlovian response to the dog whistling from the usual suspects such as Tommy Robinson et al. I’ve written a number of posts about this situation, this is the most recent one I’ve published – The consequences to come... 11.6.26:
As I’ve written more times than I care to remember, it’s the playing out of the problem / reaction / solution scenario. Problems that have intentionally been allowed to develop in order to generate a reaction from an increasingly pissed off population. Ever since 2024 and particularly this summer, it’s only too clear that we’re now at the reaction stage of this scenario. ‘Reactions’ that once you start looking, it becomes all too clear are being manipulated and even orchestrated. Aided and abetted by an over-supply of useful idiots.
I have written and posted about the impact of the combined US / Israeli assault on Iran and the consequences of that, one being the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Iranians. According to some commentators when this crisis first broke, come this point in the summer, we were supposed to be getting close to a cliff edge. While the blockade is pushing prices up across the board, as yet there haven’t been any critical shortages. Whether these will eventually materialise depends on which source of information and analysis you choose to trust. As yet, I haven’t found one I can fully trust.
Moving on, the Court of Appeal has ruled that the ban on Palestine Action is lawful. When it came to sentencing, the judge in the case of the Filton Four decided that despite not being convicted under terrorism laws, they should be sentenced as terrorists. Here are two instances where the influence of Israel on legal affairs here in the UK is so blatantly obvious, it’s almost risible. Well, it would be if the consequences weren’t so serious.
The seriousness being that mounting any criticism of the actions of Israel in their attack on Gaza, Lebanon and Iran is becoming an increasingly risky business. One that could result in arrest. Which is why I generally tend to keep my views about Israel and the ZIM to myself because I do not want a knock on the door from the cops at some unearthly hour in the morning. Obviously I’m not doing that in this piece before anyone points it out! As for those ‘patriots’ cheering this on, what they need to bear in mind is that once their role as the useful idiots in the rolling out of the problem / reaction / solution scenario comes to an end, they could well face the same level of proscription and harassment.
Then there’s the imaginary threat from Russia. The UK to use a technical term is f**ked and has nothing to offer Russia, nothing at all. Yet the establishment in the country, aided and abetted by a supine, compliant media are portraying Russia as an existential threat to ‘our way of life’. Everything from the current wave of social disorder on the streets through to the arson attack on a property formerly owned by Kier Starmer carried out by two Ukranian rent boys has been laid at Russia’s door. To cap it all off, there was the theatrics of the interception of a so called Russian shadow tanker in the English Channel last month. One that was meticulously filmed by a ‘brave’ camera operator who looked like they were the first down the steps to record the marines descending them. An event that was the cause of much hilarity on social media. From what I can gather, fewer and fewer people are buying this. Hence the certain air of desperation creeping into the anti-Russian propaganda.
Then recently there’s been the weather. In particular, the week long heatwave we had at the end of June. One that I found pretty debilitating if I’m being totally honest. It made enough of an impact upon me to prompt the writing of this piece: It’s been a weird few days... 25.6.26:
I’m sitting here writing this piece, dripping with sweat. We’re (hopefully) coming towards the end of a few days of what to me feels like a period of unprecedented heat here in the UK. It’s not just the temperature, it’s the humidity which feels like it’s off the scale. This has been sapping my energy levels in a way I’ve never experienced before. I’m normally pretty active but over the last few days, I’ve not felt like doing anything. All I can focus on is getting through the day, staying hydrated and resting as best I can.
While that heatwave was all too real, what I can’t help but notice is some of the very panic stricken commentary that is following on from it. The kind of commentary that is demanding drastic changes to how we live. Now don’t get me wrong, the way many of us are obliged to live is unhealthy for us as humans and not at all good for the planet that supports us. Change is necessary but, it has to come on our terms. Certainly not in the ‘daddy, govern us harder’ way that some commentators are demanding and which ends up serving the twisted agenda of the psychopaths behind the curtains trying to force the great reset upon us.
Then last but by no means least, there’s the resignation of Kier Starmer and what appears to all intents and purposes to be the uncontested coronation of Andy Burnham as the next Prime Minister of the UK. Something that I briefly touched upon in the piece linked to above:
Then in the middle of all of this weather related weirdness Kier Starmer resigns as the Prime Minister of the UK. Stepping forward in a bid to assume that role is one Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and as of Thursday 18th June, the elected MP for the constituency of Makerfield after a by-election was called following the ‘departure’ of the previous incumbent. At the time of writing, no other candidate has thrown their hat into the ring so it looks like a straightforward coronation for Burnham as leader of the Labour Party and the Prime Minister of the UK. Starmer was obviously deemed a liability by the shadowy bastards in the background pulling the strings, hence the rushed coronation of Burnham, someone they think will be a more effective World Economic Forum stooge.
This is nothing more than a change of manager, from one with piss poor communication skills through to one seen by a fair few political commentators as being vastly better in that department. Sure, there may be what will appear to be ‘radical’ changes but that’s little more than window dressing. If Burnham was going to prove to be any threat to the shadowy bastards pulling the strings in the background, then his coronation would not be going ahead.
It’s been noted by a number of commentators and posters across and beyond the political spectrum that the powers that be know that a growing number of people are waking up to what they’re doing to us. It’s been said that they know that we know and that as a result, they’re starting to panic, lash out and to a certain extent, are getting sloppy. Then again, it could be argued that they know that we know and that they simply don’t give a sh*t, arrogantly carrying on as they were while thinking they’re rubbing our faces in it. Which of these schools of thought is correct is something I’m still trying to work out. Regardless of this, we can expect an increasing clampdown, albeit much of it will be implemented in the name of ‘safety’ and ‘protection’ and worryingly, there will be enough gullible people who will support this. However, we have to be prepared for an increasing element of heavy handedness to start creeping in.
As stated at the start of this section, it really does feel like it’s one thing after at the moment. Which means that reflective pieces such as this end up becoming nothing more than snapshots in time as events, real, hyped and manufactured swiftly overtake and overwhelm us.
Where can we go from here?
The two of us behind The Avon Stirrer have been around the block more times than we care to remember. A journey that has seen us assume a number of political identities over the decades. In part, this is down to how our politics have evolved in light of experience. However, there was also the desire to find ‘our tribe’. We’ve found that finding a ‘tribe’ inevitably comes at the cost of having to sacrifice principles and bend our way of thinking to ensure that we fitted in. Those days are now over. This doesn’t just apply to the Left and subsequently the anarchist movement, both of which we’ve been active participants in before realising that the relationship was just not going to work out. It also applies to a number of ‘truthers’ as well.
A recent encounter with some of these ‘truthers’ left us asking just where the heck do we stand politically. I don’t particularly want to share the details of what was discussed apart from making it clear that their views contained a mixture of the strange and worryingly in a few instances, the pretty abhorrent. They certainly weren’t people we could identify with, let alone work alongside. Wherever it is that we stand, it certainly isn’t with them and their distorted view of reality.
They were the kind of ‘truthers’ my former anarchist and anti-fascist comrades were warning me about in 2020 and 2021. After this encounter, I have to concede that maybe my former comrades actually did have a valid point! This encounter prompted me to briefly consider a pivot back towards the anarchist movement but, given the falling out we’ve had with them over gender ideology and subsequently, the Covid ‘crisis’ lockdowns, it’s pretty clear that we would not be welcomed back with open arms. To be honest, I couldn’t really blame them. Also. I really don’t like the taste of humble pie! That idea has been put to rest. So, as well as describing ourselves as ‘apostate anarchists’, it does look like we could also add ‘apostate truthers’ to that now.
One major change has been made and that was binning the At the Grassroots blog. The aim for At the Grassroots was for it to be a collaborative project. Apart from some occasional help with distributing the At the Grassroots papers, the collaboration never happened. We’ve had two attempts since moving from Essex at building a project that links grassroots groups together and they’ve both been abysmal failures. It’s clear that activists in the Avon region don’t feel that there’s a need for a project bringing them together and creating something greater than the sum of its parts. We only had to look at what happened with Alternative Bristol to see that!
Since the At the Grassroots blog and papers were binned, I’ve started to feel a massive weight lifting from my shoulders. We no longer have the burden of trying to find content for the blog when the aim was for people to send in reports of what they were doing. We no longer have to slog it round the streets of Bristol and Bath trying to find venues willing to take bundles of the paper for their patrons. We no longer have to attend events and protests we’d rather not be at to hand out papers. To put it bluntly, we’re free for the first time in ages to operate in a more flexible and agile way. We’re also free to simply rest up and not feel guilty about it:)
It’s been agreed that we would only ever produce another paper if we had contacts willing to get on board with it and pull their weight, particularly when it comes to the distribution. As those kind of contacts are proving to be somewhat elusive, the odds on us ever producing another paper range between slim and non-existent. The only time I would ever consent to getting involved with a paper project would be if I was approached by people with a well thought out plan for what they want from a paper and how to distribute it effectively. If they were credible people, I would be interested. However, given that while we still like to think we adhere to anarchist principles, we’re effectively politically homeless so, the odds on anyone approaching us to get involved with a paper project are again, ranging between slim and non-existent.
Regarding blogs, all we have left is this The Avon Stirrer one here on Substack. I’ve enable the payment option on The Avon Stirrer but, I’m prepared to sit there watching the tumbleweed blow around as no one offers to cough up any money. As for social media, there is Notes here on Substack which is now my prime platform to use. Then there are the stickers and if we want to, laminated posters to stick up on bus stops. The stickering is a valid option because if some thought is put into their placement, they’ll be seen by more eyeballs than anything I’ve ever put up on social media. To conclude, when it comes to propaganda, we’re traveling light for the first time in years.
A very brief conclusion… Inevitably, these step back and reflect pieces always end up as snapshots in time as events at the macro and micro level overtake us and we’re obliged to adapt accordingly. As the powers that be accelerate their agenda before more of us wake up to what they’re doing, things are going to get more unpredictable, weirder and quite possibly, dangerous. We are definitely living in ‘interesting’ times, that’s for sure! The thing is that now our propaganda operation has been streamlined down to a level that’s manageable, we now have greater flexibility to adapt to whatever may get thrown at us over the coming months.