The Tide Is Turning: Why I Stand with Young People for a New System of Power
Rising Together: A Global Fight for Justice and a New Future
Young people are done with a world that shuts them out, and many of us in older generations stand with them, sharing their pain and fury at a power system that prioritises profit over people. From New York City’s historic Democratic primary to the streets of Sydney, Melbourne, and Budapest, and the stages of Glastonbury, a generation is rising against a system that marginalises their future while corrupt governments and the military-industrial complex profits from war and the misery of innocent people. They’re fighting for housing affordability, economic fairness, justice for marginalised communities like the LGBTQI+, and an end to global atrocities, including the crisis in Gaza. In New York, Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 Democratic mayoral primary victory embodies this demand for change, galvanising young voters with a vision of equity and inclusion.
I, and many others across generations, stand with the young people of the world because their fight, our fight, is for a fairer, more just, and sustainable world where power serves all, not just the privileged few. These injustices are now exposed for all to see, and we must create the changes necessary to give our young people a future worthy of living.
New York’s Democratic Primary: A Blueprint for Change
On 24 June 2025, New York City’s Democratic primary sent a clear message: young people, backed by allies across generations, demand a new system. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and state assemblyman, defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo, an establishment favourite backed by billionaires and figures like Bill Clinton. Securing 56% of the vote after ranked-choice tabulations, Mamdani’s upset was driven by young voters rallying for his platform of affordability: rent freezes, free public transport, city-owned grocery stores and justice for marginalised groups, including the LGBTQI+ community.
Endorsed by progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, Mamdani connected with a generation priced out of housing and fed up with a system that caters to the powerful. New York’s ranked-choice voting system, where voters rank up to five candidates and votes are redistributed until a majority emerges, amplified young voices. Mamdani’s 43.5% first-choice lead over Cuomo’s 36.3%, combined with 1.1 million voters, over a third of registered Democrats, marked a generational shift. His pledges to “stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbours” and boost anti-hate crime funding resonate with our collective vision for inclusive governance. Mamdani’s win is a blueprint for dismantling systems that exclude the young and building ones that uplift everyone.
The Military-Industrial Complex: Profiting from Misery
The military-industrial complex, a global network of arms manufacturers, defence contractors, and political enablers, thrives on war and the suffering of innocent people. In Gaza, where 52,243–80,000 Palestinians have been killed and 105,454–135,000 injured since October 2023, per sources including the Gaza Health Ministry and The Lancet, companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon profit billions from weapons sales. The Lancet estimates up to 186,000 total deaths when including indirect causes like famine, disease, and health service disruptions, representing 7.9% of Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.375 million, with 17,400–18,000 children among the dead and thousands of child amputees. Globally, the arms industry raked in $2.2 trillion in 2024, with U.S. defence spending alone hitting $877 billion, fuelling conflicts from Ukraine to Yemen.
Young people, and many of us older allies, feel this pain deeply. We see the injustice of a system that enriches war profiteers while Gaza’s civilians: children, families, communities, bear the cost. This is a moral betrayal, exposed for all to see. We stand with youth demanding an end to this cycle of destruction, calling for a new system that prioritises peace, sustainability, and human dignity over corporate greed.
The Global Symbol of a Broken System: Jeff Bezos’s Wedding
In June 2025, Jeff Bezos, worth over $233 billion, turned Venice into his personal stage for a $20-50 million wedding to Lauren Sánchez. Over 90 private jets ferried 200 elite guests like Mick Jagger, Ivanka Trump, and Oprah, while superyachts clogged the Grand Canal. Young Venetians, backed by Greenpeace Italia and Extinction Rebellion, protested with banners declaring, “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.” A mannequin of Bezos, clutching fake dollars, floated as a symbol of a system that lets billionaires dodge taxes while exploiting labour. The Independent reported Bezos paid just 1.09% tax on $120 billion in wealth gains over a decade, while ordinary workers face crushing burdens.
This spectacle exposes a power system that young people, and their allies, reject. In Australia, the top 200 hold wealth equal to 23.7% of GDP, up from 8.4% in 2004, while median Sydney home prices hit $1.5 million in 2025. For a generation locked out of housing, Bezos’s wedding is proof of a system rigged to favour the elite. We demand new tax structures and policies that prioritise public good over private privilege.
Trump’s Policies: Entrenching an Unjust System
The Independent’s May 2025 article, “Top 10 wealthiest US men collectively earned an extra $1 billion each day last year, report says, as Trump pushes for tax cuts,” reveals how political power entrenches inequality. Trump’s 2025 inauguration saw billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg gain $365 billion collectively in 2024, fuelled by policies like the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which slashed corporate taxes from 35% to 21%. U.S. billionaires’ wealth doubled to over $5 trillion since 2017, while Amazon saved $31 billion in taxes from 2018 to 2023.
Young people, and older generations standing with them, see this as a warning: a system that enriches the few undermines democracy. Trump’s proposed “revenge tax” on countries taxing U.S. tech giants threatened Australia’s superannuation funds, showing how elite-friendly policies ripple worldwide. We’re furious that billionaires like Musk, who paid zero federal income tax some years, hold such sway. Global billionaire wealth gains of $6.5 trillion since 2015 could end world poverty 22 times over, yet young people struggle to afford rent. Together, we’re organising for a new economic system that values people over profits.
Australia’s Power Imbalance: Betraying the Young
In Australia, the power system stings young people daily. The Albanese government’s 2025 superannuation tax reforms, doubling the tax rate to 30% on balances over $3 million, affect just 0.5% of accounts but sparked outrage among wealthy superannuants calling it unfair. Yet, superannuation tax concessions cost billions annually, money that could fund affordable housing or healthcare.
In 2022-23, 91 Australians earning over $1 million paid no income tax, exploiting loopholes like offshore profit-shifting. Young people, facing median home prices of $1.5 million in Sydney and $1 million in Melbourne, see this as a system protecting the privileged. As one 25-year-old Melburnian posted on X, “Rich boomers complain about a tax that doesn’t touch 99% of us, while I’m working two jobs to afford rent? Spare me.” The top 1% hold 25% of super assets, while young workers, often in casual jobs with no super contributions, can’t imagine owning a home. This is a generational betrayal, and we’re fighting for a new system that prioritises fairness.
Glastonbury and Global Justice: Gaza, LGBTQI+, and Beyond
At Glastonbury Festival 2025, young people, joined by older allies, online and in person, amplified their fight for justice. Artists like Bob Vylan and Kneecap led pro-Palestinian chants, waving Palestinian flags and decrying Gaza’s devastation. Bob Vylan’s chant against the IDF sparked controversy, but they clarified it targeted “a violent military machine,” not individuals, accusing authorities of silencing dissent. Kneecap drew crowds chanting “Free Palestine,” reflecting widespread support for a ceasefire.
This activism spans causes. In Budapest, on June 28, 2025, up to 200,000 people defied a government ban on LGBTQI+ Pride events, marching in a vibrant display of resistance against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s anti-LGBTQI+ laws, which include fines and facial recognition to suppress dissent. Supported by Budapest’s mayor, Gergely Karácsony, and over 70 European Parliament members, the march became a broader stand against authoritarian power, with protesters chanting, “Assembly is a fundamental right.” Across the globe, from Poland’s marches against far-right policies to South Africa’s protests against economic exclusion, people are rising against systems that entrench inequality, echoing the demands for housing affordability and economic fairness in Mamdani’s New York campaign.
We champion LGBTQI+ rights, inspired by leaders like New York’s Erik Bottcher, who fights for mental health access, and Jabari Brisport, who helped secure marriage equality. On X, voices praise Glastonbury’s “unfiltered” stance and Budapest’s defiance, rallying under hashtags like #TaxTheRich and #FairGo, connecting local struggles to global justice. From climate and Free Palestine marches to housing protests, we’re building a new system where power serves the many. We will keep protesting, holding power to account, and standing up for what is right and just, ensuring a future where young people thrive.
Why We Stand with Young People
I, and all my friends and colleagues – online and in person, stand with young people everywhere because we see the world’s injustices clearly: a military-industrial complex profiting from war while Gaza suffers and conflicts in Ukraine and other countries keep causing untold misery; billionaires like Bezos throwing $20 million weddings while paying minimal taxes; Trump’s policies entrenching elite power; and Australia’s rich hoarding tax breaks while youth can’t afford homes.
We fight for LGBTQI+ equality, housing justice, and a sustainable future, refusing to accept a world where power is hoarded by the few. These injustices, and countless others, are exposed for all to see. We will keep protesting, holding power to account, and standing up for what is right and just.
We demand new systems: fair tax structures funding schools and hospitals, governance protecting all communities, and policies ensuring peace and sustainability.
Mamdani’s victory in New York, Glastonbury’s global cry, Budapest’s defiant Pride march, and our collective organising show what’s possible.
I call on everyone, young and old, to get organised.
Attend protests peacefully, write to politicians demanding better, electe accountable and ethical politicians, and be fiercely active in your communities to hold power to account.
Together, we can shift the tide.
When we organise, we win.
I feel the tide turning as we stand together, amplifying young people’s demand for a future worthy of living.
You know what to do.
I’m standing with you, Sue.
As a sufficiently-economically-comfortable but by no means rich boomer, I've been in this fight for most of my life, one way or another...and not intending to quit this side of the grave.