Meow

Brand can be amusing but that performance was that of a sixth former who has just read the first couple of paragraphs of Marx's Communist Manifesto. Don't be fooled by some half-decent rhetoric and a few long words.

This is a good rebuttal: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/robi...b_4155341.html

jam25mack

Agreed on Scamp's 'same shit, different toilet' analogy and I think that's the problem these days. The main political parties are all punting similar policies so to a large extent it doesn't really matter who you vote for. Labour have evolved pretty much into a Tory identikit.

As for RB's 'rant', I can see what he is saying but as several posters have stated, it's all very well identifying a problem (although it was hardly ground breaking), however it's another thing to actually have a solution. I do, however, agree that a shake up is needed.

We need a modern day Maggie. I'm not saying we need someone with her views or beliefs, more that we need someone who actually has some balls and is not afraid to grab a problem by the nuts and fix it.

scrubbedexpat141

Mmm, indeed.

Had a discussion with a couple of mates on Friday night, I stayed quiet really to just listen as one was agreeing with Brand's call for change and the other was playing devils advohelmet. One point that none of us agreed on was around the vote.

'If I don't vote or do vote it won't make a difference'
'If you don't vote you can't complain because you didn't try'
'If I vote for something different it won't matter because Labour or the Tories will be in power anyway'
'If nobody else voted, your vote would be the only one that counts'
ETC

The Huff link that Meow posted addresses the vote issue brilliantly if anyone hasn't read it yet.

Yoohoo

That was indeed a great rebuffal of the buffoon. Screeching for 'revolution' without a single strategy for dealing with anything is what teenagers do. Screeching for 'revolution' because one's first and foremost priority is to 'have a f***ing laugh' plumbs bathyspheric depths of cynicism.

rowell

I don't think Paxman fried him at all, whilst there were no answers there was a lot to think about.

Beakersful

He got a good platform to put a message out and aid politicisation of the masses in this time of apathy.

But to expect him to be Jesus Christ himself is a bit of a tall order.

There's no point telling anyone that sticks their head up above the parapet to do anything, because whatever anyone does it'll never be any good, will just turn into open season on them.

The Dean

Yes, Brand can indeed be amusing.........

........... but he's no Nigel Farage.............

Beakersful

You're relying on a 'face' to pop up and deal with your issues, a leader who by the very character and personality is in the business has deep, narcissistic personal issues no doubt. This call is similar to one we've had before, a leaderless reaction to the current situation.

We already know Russels character defects anyhow, we don't have to belatedly find out he liked wearing dresses, had an illicit affair with a minister, etc, etc.

The Dean

The point about Farage, surely, is that the public see in him precisely someone who is not a mere 'face' - but someone that actually relates to how many people feel, and isn't just a machine for trotting out empty soundbites.

Not a Russell Brand, in other words.

Meow

And that is precisely the problem with current politics. Far too much focus on the style over the substance. Does it really matter whether a member of the cabinet knows the price of milk (I rather hope they are too busy to do much grocery shopping) or likes burgers, or goes on holiday to Ibiza?

A narcissist like Brand is not the answer either. It might actually help if people and the press focussed on policy and achievements, but also didn't expect problems to be fixed overnight. Sadly the shallowness of so much of UK society has resulted in the politicians they deserve.

Meow

Does much of the UK population take Farage seriously?

The Dean

Yes.

Some will vote UKIP who previously voted for other parties.

Some will vote UKIP who previously didn't vote at all.

Some will vote UKIP to keep the Tories out.

And so on.............

shiva

exactly and it will only get worse

scrubbedexpat141

Such a good point. Tweeting a picture of the PM eating a burger with flip flops on whilst holidaying in Cornwall is just of zero ****ing interest.

Why the **** did Gordon Brown apologise to a woman who he thought was bigoted? I'm not saying we need rude politicians but we've all done what he did, he just got caught because he was mic'd up. When the UK gets a senior politician who says what they think, doesn't give a **** about publicity stunts for vote winning and constantly refers to basic facts to demonstrate their effectiveness then the country might find an actual leader.

NOTE:

I am not asking everyone to go and call people bigots or similar, I just think that him bending over and taking a butt-****ing on her door step the next day was simply the worst thing imaginable. I know he 'had' to do it, but I think the majority of the British population are ****ing morons and no doubt someone will find a youtube clip of some pleb who "finks him apologisin' was the right fing to do". Eurgh.

Whilst I'm on the top step here, what's wrong with ****ing kids nowadays? I'm only 25 and I swear that every youngster I see on TV is a ****wit. I'm not going to entirely blame the parents, but why such an uproar about a smacked arse nowadays too? If your kid is a ****ing idiot and fannying about like a complete prick, how are you going to discipline them to not repeat such shit behaviour? Why are teenagers such idiots too? Why don't we teach kids sensible, useful shit so they can start make informed decisions early enough to gear their A-Levels and Degrees towards a career? I had no ****ing clue what to do at A-Level so picked shit I liked (bizarrely; Economics, English Language, Psychology (gotta have an easy one) and Law (binned that off after year one))...I didn't have a clue what to do after that, didn't want to go to uni but went and got a job. Alright, hands up in the air I worked part time at a phone shop and part time in a hairdressers (not a model, no, but basically as a glorified receptionist). Why can't so many people find jobs like this nowadays? Why is the UK apparently such a shitstorm of misery and depression that the entire country just exudes a horrawful (it's a word, ask Shaq) state of affairs?

You know what, I'm in the kind of ****ing mood today that I'm tempted to cancel my flights home at Xmas, I normally look forward to it but I'm really not this year. It's a miserable shit pit of scumbags, moaners (worse than me, believe it or not) and helmets.

****. I'm as bad as them.

I'm going to sit and stare out the window at the clear blue skies and wait for HSBC to tell me I've been paid. That'll perhaps maybe just about put a smile on my fat ****ing face.

jam25mack

Ha ha ha ha ha!

HSBC are CNUTS too..... just saying!