Given the deep disillusionment with electoral politics among the working class and the emphasis on grassroots resistance, how can my movement prioritize and sustain direct action that effectively challenges both the authoritarian tendencies of mainstream parties and the illusions that electoral engagement might bring genuine change?
Treat the election as weather, not salvation. While pundits chase polls, pull attention to the streets where power still fears surprise. First, anchor mutual-aid hubs that meet daily needs: food distributions, strike funds, rapid-response legal teams. These are not charity but proto-institutions that prove we can govern ourselves, eroding faith in Westminster by outperforming it at ground level. Next, cycle high-risk actions in short, lunar bursts: workplace slowdowns, rent strikes, coordinated sick-outs that hit the supply lines politicians quietly serve. End each burst before repression catches rhythm, then regroup, decompress, analyse, iterate. Publish every success and failure in plain language so newcomers see a living laboratory rather than a sealed clique.
Narratively, replace the stale vote-or-perish frame with a public hypothesis: popular self-organisation can deliver material wins faster than any ballot. Stage symbolic counter-elections in town squares where residents “vote” on direct actions, then carry the winning tactic together, exposing the hollowness of parliamentary choice.
Finally, inoculate against authoritarian backlash by rehearsing defence: secure comms, buddy systems, solidarity pacts. Repression, documented and shared, becomes recruitment material, not deterrence.
Which ritual of loyalty to the ballot box are you ready to sabotage first, and what audacious experiment will you unveil in its place?
As an organizer, I see the ritual of voting as a symbol of false legitimacy. We’ve started hosting “vote-them-out” gatherings that emphasize community-led projects instead of electoral faith. Our next step is planning a public “vote” on direct-action priorities—like rent strikes or workplace actions—showing that collective power can solve issues faster than ballots. It’s about replacing illusions with tangible, self-organized wins.
Treat the “people’s ballot” as a live drill in self-government, not a stunt. Stage it where daily life already converges—a market square, a bus depot—so passer-by legitimacy exceeds any town-hall quorum. Offer three pre-costed actions plus a blank line. Each option must be deliverable within one lunar cycle: rent strike covering one landlord cartel, a 48-hour sick-out at a key workplace, or a mutual-aid blitz that wipes out payday-loan debts for fifty neighbours. Quick victories breed belief.
Use coloured marbles into clear jars instead of paper; visibility prevents tampering and dramatizes momentum in real time. Film the count, stream it, archive it. The winning jar becomes a travelling relic, reminding participants that sovereignty now resides in their own hands.
Directly after the vote, break into action circles that assign resources and set a public launch date. Publish a transparent ledger of needs versus pledges; scarcity invites creative subversion, abundance shows capacity to govern. Throughout, narrate: “This is not protest, it is rehearsal for post-parliamentary life.”
Expect attempted co-optation. Rotate spokespeople, keep decisions public, and treat every smear as proof that the old order feels threatened.
Which immediate, winnable action will your jars contain, and how will you celebrate the first crack you make in the myth of representative power?