lessons from the long year
Happy New Year, from all the team at shado!
But let’s be honest with ourselves, 2025 was a bit of a flop year. Though not without its beacons of hope, it saw the rise of an increasingly entrenched far-right across the globe, skyrocketing living costs for most of us and the continued Gaza genocide, carried out by Israel with crucial support from the West, as well as other bloody conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine.
The last twelve months have not been for the faint-hearted, but are they ever? The phrase ‘may you live in interesting times’ is especially applicable for life in the 21st Century.
Far from focusing on doomerism and gloomerism, what has struck me is not the misery of our situation but the resilience of the people faced with the worst conditions.
cracks in the plaster
2025 has felt like an acceleration of sorts. But towards what? The renegade atoms of political instability, the ecological crisis, AI and Big Tech have been vibrating like an old washing machine. But it is also useful that the cracks in the systems which govern our lives are on full display like never before.
This is embodied at the heart of modern empire through President Trump’s shameless harnessing of state power to enrich his own family, seize vessels in neighbouring seas and all but declare war on Venezuela, slash government agencies and aid funding, reverse climate change legislation and use federal thugs to deport people en masse.
Meeker nations have fallen in line with the whims of the bloated superpower, especially in foreign affairs. 2025 saw the continued centrist and liberal European support for Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians, leading to a collapse of the “rules-based” international order.
The result? The norms have been un-normalised. People are seeing how the world works. It sucks, but there’s something grimly liberating in that realisation because it exposes the hypocrisy of the status quo, leading to the possibility that something else is possible, and desirable. This exposure makes it hard to go back to business as usual.
As Mariyum Nadeem writes in Modern Diplomacy: “The principles that once underpinned global governance…have been brazenly cast aside by states seeking to pursue their strategic goals under the guise of self-defense. From the Indo-Pakistan war to the Iran-Israel conflict, the continued devastation in Gaza, and the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, every episode has driven a deeper wedge into the body of international law, slitting it clean in half and exposing the hollow core beneath its once-celebrated framework.”
the kids will be alright
Of course, it is not only the left who are fighting for the terrain that remains from the ashes of the liberal order. The far-right are surging and organised, so moving against them, and the entrenched power structure which protects them, has never been so crucial.
And it is happening! I’ve been heartened to see people mobilising for community protection, coming together to stop fascists marching through city centres like Newcastle and in neighbourhoods such as Whitechapel.
Movements to topple unpopular governments or demand change have been widespread, especially in the Global South. The Gen Z-led protests of Bangladesh, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nepal, Paraguay and Philippines have tackled issues of corruption at the heart of the state, and speak to a common ill of late-stage capitalism: lack of opportunities for the youth.
Although there are questions about where the people power goes after such protests hit a peak, their existence at least shows an appetite for fighting injustice, in a generation too many had already written off.
With more millennials and zoomers moving into positions of power and influence, we will see more movements spearheaded by the young. Although youth media has undoubtedly suffered this year, and the dominance of social media still sparks issues of addiction and poor concentration, its benefits as a source for organising and rallying around a cause mean it cannot be outright dismissed.
Everything has been thrown at the youngest in our society, who do not benefit from the security or perks many older generations had, but still they rise. We need to support youth movements and education, not think or act without them in mind as others have done before us.
we can make it better
A sprinkle of electoral and political successes has meant not all hope is lost: left-wing candidates like Zohran Mamdani in NYC and Catherine Connolly in Ireland won their respective elections over establishment rivals, the French party La France Insoumise (LFI) has become the biggest radical-left force in Europe, and Germany’s Die Linke are surging. Even the Green Party of England and Wales, led by Zack Polanski, has been tacking left and gaining popularity while the incumbent party of ‘sensibles’ falters.
The utter devastation of Gaza has also created conditions which have united disparate voices on the left and beyond based on the urgency of the issue. This is coupled with the rising prominence and impact of the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
So I leave you with a plea: let’s move beyond only taking stock of the evils of the world, and dream the impossible.
It would be the most pitiful form of self-defeatism, which the right thrives on, to simply bemoan the tragedy of our times and believe things will only get worse. If Palestinian journalists can somehow carry on until their last breath, remaining committed in their darkest hours, then we owe it to our brothers and sisters to oppose the devaluation of human life and dignity, and bend our reality towards justice.
The problems of 2025 seem insurmountable but taking stock of the victories, historical and present, can create a roadmap out of the darkness.
As the late, great Ursula Le Guin put it: “We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable — but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.”
Here’s to the new year! Instead of my usual recs, in no particular order are my own quickfire lessons of 2025:
Fuck AI and its normalisation, especially in the creative arts
Don’t listen to AI-generated music: it’s soulless, uncreative, and is being pushed on us by executives and streaming giants for reasons of profit alone, taking away the artistry and contributions of real musicians.
Bin Spotify for platforming and promoting fake creators, as well as for investing in military tech, running recruitment ads for Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE), and drastically underpaying artists.
Support real artists, independent media and creators instead by buying physical copies of their music and merch, paying to see them live and switching to more ethical streaming alternatives.
The UK state has gone full draconian: Free the Filton 24!
The stakes have never been higher for those who demonstrate against genocide, including the 24 activists who were arrested under the UK’s alarming anti-terrorism powers for taking direct action against Elbit Systems, the main supplier of weapons to Israel.
Six of those prisoners currently on remand have been on hunger strike for months, demanding immediate bail, the right to a fair trial, ending the censorship of their communications, “de-proscribing” Palestine Action, which is classified as a terrorist group, and shutting down Elbit Systems. They deserve compassion and solidarity.
Read about hunger strikes as a tactic for liberation, from the Irish to the Palestinian struggle.
It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it. And maybe that’s a good thing.
As more files and photos related to notorious paedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein come out, be horrified at the sordid connections of the rich and powerful, from Donald Trump to Bill Clinton to Lord Mandelson to Etc Etc.
But also take solace in the fact that this isn’t the life you want, and this is not how the majority of the world acts. These people are demented and miserable, it is not desirable to be like them. Let’s stop valuing wealth, privilege and connections as a society, but treat it as the plague it is.
Exposing the rot is great to prevent more victims falling prey to the cycle of abuse.
Take the wins
Mass civil disobedience in favour of Palestinian justice has been organised en masse in the UK. Resistance isn’t stopping.
Tokenistic protests such as yoga sessions outside of ICE facilities are being rightly ridiculed and replaced by direct action, including strategic and material resistance to the American deportation regime.
The Gaza aid flotilla travelled as far as they could to try and break Israel’s genocidal blockade of Gaza, before being illegally intercepted in international waters by Israeli soldiers, who detained and then deported them. The flotilla’s mission of peace and solidarity was an inspiration and successfully raised the political stakes for Israel’s ongoing siege over Gaza.
The general public’s favourability towards Israel has reached a new low in key Western countries, including the U.S.
And one for fun: two of the worst people you’ve ever heard of got themselves bloodied in boxing matches in the same weekend.
So don’t forget to take the wins. The struggle is real but it is not a solo mission. Collective is always better. So let’s celebrate, and keep going!
What will 2026 hold? We decide.
~ Tommy
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