As UKIPers we should know, more than anybody, what it is like to be criticised for having views which do not fit in with the status quo. When someone who, whether we like it or not, is an idol for thousands of young people up and down the UK, their views have as much right to be heard as yours or mine regardless of where they stand on the political spectrum and their previous personal history
Admittedly, I also find it hard to say anything complimentary about Russell Brand, although he did once call me an ‘awesome guy’ in a short but accidental meeting in Camden Square. He was exactly what you’d expect; stood in his famous ‘look at me pose,’ cracking jokes at every possibility and, probably the most relevant, after attention. This leads nicely on to the main issue of this article, hopefully my first of many for UKIP Daily.
Those who have ever watched any of Russell’s shows on TV will know that he is a natural show-boater. As an entertainer it is his job to… well, entertain. In my view he went into his interview with Jeremy Paxman to do exactly that, but, almost cleverly, to draw attention to himself and his subtle message.
Ignoring his outbursts, bad jokes and calls for an American style revolution, it is what Russell says towards the end of the six minute interview which I found myself fully empathising with. Mr Brand, like many thousands of young people we meet when campaigning in busy shopping centres, out canvassing and inside universities, revealed that he has never voted, and has no interest in starting any time soon; because, in his view, the current political system has created a “disenfranchised, disillusioned underclass”.
He continued… “It’s not that I am not voting out of apathy. I am not voting out of absolute indifference and weariness and exhaustion from the lies, treachery and deceit of the political class that has been going on for generations.”
Russell Brand might not be a man of the people, but on this one occasion, and in those few particular lines he got it exactly right. Many young people are disenfranchised, disillusioned and feel ignored and this needs to change. UKIP can be that change.
It is time to go out and start winning back the trust of young people; those who feel voting is a pointless exercise, those who just want their voices heard and those going through compulsory education and would like the security of knowing that whichever path they choose at the end, they will have the best chance of getting on in life.
Russell might not be politically minded, he might tell bad jokes, but he has got young people talking about politics and the UK economy in which they live. That is something we cannot take away from him.
Rob Comley is the Chairman of Young Independence. He tweets at @Comleyscorner.
Brandt is a total jerk who needs to take his Ritalin more regularly.
Amidst all the showboating and bluster, Brand made a couple of pertinent points.
One you’ve mentioned above: the sheer disconnect between the governed and the governors now.
The other was the call for major change in the way we’re governed (revolution, if you will). A revolution doesn’t need to be violent. I don’t support Brand’s left-wing policies but he is quite right: we do need a major change in the way we are governed.
Brand is a moron. His rant was very vague and airy-fairy, with terms such as “higher consciousness” and the like. What does this even mean?
The bits that were coherent were nothing new from the bien-pensant, middle-class Left: higher taxation and more government. This is the conclusion of the “socialist revolution” he hopes for.
And on the issue of aggressive taxation, that is quite rich (excuse the pun) coming from a man worth $15,000,000 (USD). He says he would not mind being taxed much higher, yet there is nothing preventing him from donating the majority of his wealth now — a voluntarily imposed self-taxation, so to speak. Commies never heed their own advice and lead by example.
This man is best ignored, but he will ultimately be ignored anyway. It has caused a stir and some discussion for a couple of days, but in the world of celebrity, this will be forgotten in a week.
A storm in a teacup, if ever there was one.
His
political system, his global utopia is , in fact, known as Communism
and he faces the problem that in order for a revolution to succeed it
has to either come up with a replacement which is accessible to the
masses or be a dictator. There has been a guy like this for every
generation and none of them have been any use to anyone but themselves.
He’ll be writing a book about it next….then we should worry
Paxman gave Brand room to give his incoherent rant because I suspect that he like Brand is “cheesed off” with the dissembling politicians. He has interviewed an awful lot of them. UKIP can best tap into all voters by providing arguments that are coherent, have integrity and common sense at their core. This is in contrast to Brand’s views which were pretty scary. Mr Brand would be wise to think about the effects of Revolution; it’s all there in the history books.
UKIP’s spokesmen/women must also not fall into the “weasel-words” habit which professional politicians in LibLabCON use all the time.
We must continue to ‘say it how it is’ knowing that we are not giving ourselves plenty of wriggle-room.
Russell Brand is just a Ben Elton but with some cod spirituality added on.
I don’t think he’ll be joining UKIP any time soon though, as the political views he has expressed are most definitely authoritarian and heavily redistributive – except for his 12 million quid of course.
Well that is a great result because the last thing we need in UKIP is the likes of Brand, who thinks going to rehab is some kind of achievement, not needing to go to rehab is a far better one.