Active Clubs Are Not Political Solutions

I've mentioned this before: the "active club"/"fight club" thing has not gone anywhere significant. That trend was started around 2016 and it's now 2026 and not one of these groups has any political power anywhere, none of them even run candidates like a normal party, and they all continue to do the same types of performative activism that doesn't affect real political change.

Protesting and activism is fine to raise awareness to an issue, but it is not going to translate into political power. Only direct engagement with the political system can do so. Entering government and changing it from within is the only solution. Therefore, "active clubs" are not a path to power: they are hobby clubs for like-minded folks to bond over shared beliefs, nothing more.

Another march, another protest, another conference.... this won't change government policy. It can change the minds of some voters, but not the policy direction of the other parties.

A few years ago in Spain, nearly a million Spaniards protested against Sanchez in the streets of Madrid. They protested there nearly every day for a year. Sanchez did not step down and he's still in power now. What has been effective in Spain has not been protests, marches, etc., but right-wing journalists breaking corruption scandals against the government. Numerous officials close to Sanchez have been indicted in corruption scandals, some were sentenced to prison, and now Sanchez's wife is facing a corruption trial.

Zapatero, former chief of PSOE, is also facing trial for corruption and influence peddling. Independent right-wing journos like Alvise Perez and Vito Quiles have done more to damage the ruling regime than a million people shouting in the streets. Lawfare and journalism can bring down these governments, not active clubs, protests or conferences. Those can be done as adjacent activities, but they won't win power anywhere so people need to stop pretending like that alone is the answer.