Russel Brand - Paxman Interview

[EnderbyFox]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGxFJ5nL9gg

 

Not seen this anywhere so thought i'd post as people have been discussing it all day!

 

EDIT : Russell* 

[bovril]

Perfect poster boy for the right-on facebook generation. Makes very valid points in a way that is difficult to argue against but, when asked to provide a genuine solution, talks vaguely about wealth distribution and revolution and makes poor jokes to disguise the lack of substance in his argument. More likely to be re-blogged by teenage girls on tumblr than bring down global capitalism and inequality.

[Guest MattP]

He wants more wealth re-distribution, taxpayers money to stop being wasted and for society to stop attacking the vulnerable?

Well it's a good job he's not got a few million in the bank, had his shows funded by the BBC and spent a few years presenting a programme connected to Big Brother.

 

Fair play to him getting people involved in politics, it's much needed, but I'm getting really sick of famous multi-millionaires telling me how out of touch people are. If you are going to go onto television and talk about revolutions at least make sure you have an idea of a solution and an alternative at the end.

 

Sounds good but he's just saying what we have heard a hundred times from any cigarette rolling, Che wearing Marxist you'll find on any University campus with a few more eloquent words thrown in to make it sound a bit more intelligent.

 

If the left are going to lead a revolution give me a Sir Alf Bentley or a leicsmac type from here who at least genuinely believe and practice what they preach.

[MooseBreath]

I feintly suspect he might be playing a character. It's about time a comedian did some serious real life trolling and somehow exploited the absurdity of political popularity and got himself into a legitimate government position, only to admit he is trolling and in doing so blow the whole system apart.

And I think that's the kind of thing Russel Brand would be into, and could possibly pull off.

But he won't do it talking crap like that. Even the most ridiculous lefty couldn't agree with half of what he's banging on about there.

[I am Rod Hull]

I cant play that video, his voice makes me want to punch things...

[Webbo]

What a f~~king moron.

[Harry - LCFC]

Largely didn't know what he was talking about, tried to make up for it by misusing a few good words to sound intelligent. A few vaguely interesting points but none that haven't been mentioned before.

[Haydos]

He's more intelligent than 95% of the posters on here, regardless of how well you think his argument stacks up. I don't agree with some of what he says and he is vague at times but isn't it also hypocritical of people to again wade in and criticise for not providing realistic solutions to problems when they themselves are just calling names.

 

Paxman (whether it be 'interview technique' or not) seems to be misunderstanding a lot of the things he's saying within the first few minutes. I suppose this is aimed at making him look 'foolish' or whatever the BBC intended with this but he seems to explain himself quite well.

[Guest MattP]

He's more intelligent than 95% of the posters on here

 

He isn't. Anyone could spout the stuff he does and throw in 3/4 word to make them sound intelligent.

 

He's like the extra on Question Time who sits and shouts we need more houses, nurses, policeman, fireman, roads, potholes, higher wages, less tax, more freedom and gets a huge round of applause without actually explaining how they are going to pay for it.

 

Revolution?

 

We live in a country where you still get free healthcare, a house if you can't afford it, can travel, freedom of movement throughout Europe, clean water, even if you dont go to work you'll get a JSA payment that puts you into the top 10% of the richest people in the World on income..

God knows what Africans must think of us lot demanding change.

Revolution? look at the Arab spring and the state of most of that area now, If you want a revolution the fine, but be careful what you wish for. Just google the word and have a read of the aftermath the vast majority of the time.

 

We need political change I agree about that, but the rantings of a drug fuelled communist without an idea of what comes after a revolution isn't the one to vote for, do it by voting for either the Greens or  UKIP etc...or an Independant candidate who you agree with most in 2015, not by turning your back on civilisation.

[Mike Oxlong]

What a tool.

If you're trying to get a point across to the masses don't talk like you've swallowed a fvckin dictionary .... unless of course he didn't really have anything of substance to say or the real story was " Russell Brand In "I'm A Twat" Shocker"

[The God Emperor]

In the future there probably will be a revolution. But more likely it will be after the real economic collapse caused by irresponsible government spending that Russel Brand advocates.

you cant create a utopia when you remove any incentive to go out and produce something.

If Russel Brand is now a prominent figure for the left then all that's going to be left for them is teenage girls and the socialist worker mob. 

[Haydos]

He isn't. Anyone could spout the stuff he does and throw in 3/4 word to make them sound intelligent.

 

He's like the extra on Question Time who sits and shouts we need more houses, nurses, policeman, fireman, roads, potholes, higher wages, less tax, more freedom and gets a huge round of applause without actually explaining how they are going to pay for it.

 

Revolution?

 

We live in a country where you still get free healthcare, a house if you can't afford it, can travel, freedom of movement throughout Europe, clean water, even if you dont go to work you'll get a JSA payment that puts you into the top 10% of the richest people in the World on income..

God knows what Africans must think of us lot demanding change.

Revolution? look at the Arab spring and the state of most of that area now, If you want a revolution the fine, but be careful what you wish for. Just google the word and have a read of the aftermath the vast majority of the time.

 

We need political change I agree about that, but the rantings of a drug fuelled communist without an idea of what comes after a revolution isn't the one to vote for, do it by voting for either the Greens or  UKIP etc...or an Independant candidate who you agree with most in 2015, not by turning your back on civilisation.

 

He is though, he's just eccentric and has a platform on which to spout his beliefs, a lot of which are fair enough, even if he does get a bit carried away. Just because a lot of people are better off than third world countries it doesn't mean we should settle for that. He's got passion for it which is good and I'm not arguing that this is enlightening, far from it, just commenting on a video which everyone seems to be getting their panties in a twist about.

[Alf Bentley]

I think that Brand sees his role being to provoke debate about important issues that are inadequately discussed in mainstream politics - and to challenge conventional thinking. Seems like a useful contribution to me - and politics IS about more than voting.

 

He doesn't offer a coherent political programme explaining how he'd achieve the sorts of changes that he advocates - but he admits that himself.

 

What he does do is raise important issues that need to be addressed and are not properly addressed by mainstream political debate: the future of the planet; voter alienation; corporate lobbying; the existence of an underclass; growing inequality; drugs....

 

People will have different views about the causes of those issues and the solutions to them, but they are all issues that deserve to be discussed more than they are. It's a shame if the discussion ends up being about Brand himself, rather than the issues that he raises with his provocative and entertaining rhetoric.

 

He does occasional articles in the Saturday Guardian, including an interesting one a few weeks back: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/sep/13/russell-brand-gq-awards-hugo-boss

[Haydos]

I think that Brand sees his role being to provoke debate about important issues that are inadequately discussed in mainstream politics - and to challenge conventional thinking. Seems like a useful contribution to me - and politics IS about more than voting.

 

He doesn't offer a coherent political programme explaining how he'd achieve the sorts of changes that he advocates - but he admits that himself.

 

What he does do is raise important issues that need to be addressed and are not properly addressed by mainstream political debate: the future of the planet; voter alienation; corporate lobbying; the existence of an underclass; growing inequality; drugs....

 

People will have different views about the causes of those issues and the solutions to them, but they are all issues that deserve to be discussed more than they are. It's a shame if the discussion ends up being about Brand himself, rather than the issues that he raises with his provocative and entertaining rhetoric.

 

He does occasional articles in the Saturday Guardian, including an interesting one a few weeks back: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/sep/13/russell-brand-gq-awards-hugo-boss

 

Exactly, it seems like a lot of people are getting irate about this but at no point does he claim to be any sort of saviour, he's just chatting about it on a public forum.

[David Guiza]

He's always been more than just a Big Brother presenter, or some of the other mindless dribble that he has rocked up on. He is very intelligent and articulated; and as people have said he is not fronting himself as a Chez Guevara figure, he is merely attempting to provoke debate, provoke thought. And yes it may provoke the teenage girls of Tumblr to reblog etc, but if that by some obscure reason gets them thinking, provoking thoughts and ultimately an interest in politics, is that not a good thing? It certainly beats the 'they're all s**t' generation that I seem to have grown up with.

[MooseBreath]

What he does do is raise important issues that need to be addressed and are not properly addressed by mainstream political debate: the future of the planet; voter alienation; corporate lobbying; the existence of an underclass; growing inequality; drugs....

Maybe serious people don't care for talking about these kind of problems because they're not serious problems? Or at the very least not problems which vague political discussion is ever going to solve.

Plus all of the issues he raises are simply current left wing greatest hits. You say they don't get sufficient attention but in reality issues like inequality and global warming are all over the media pratically every day. The whole rich vs poor things has been pushed so hard that it genuinely threatens to undermine the fabric of a hard working society. Brand talks like someone who has read half a dozen radical left wing blogs and has taken the whole thing as gospel without a second thought.

You disregard his inability to offer anything close to a suggestion of a solution but what is the point in bringing up something like global warming when you haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about? Do you not realise that many of the world's greatest scientists are devoted to the study of global warming? What extra benefit do you expect to be generated by having laymen like Brand offering nothing whatsoever to the ongoing international dialogue?

My main problem with lefties is encapsulated quite well by Brand. He talks about things he knows nothing about but feels qualified to comment upon because he's read a few lines about it in the Guardian. It's basically fashion-activism which is concept so flawed that you'll often find the same activists protesting on both sides of an argument, purely because they haven't a clue what they're actually in favour of. Any old cvnt could rattle of a dozen easy on the ear left wing platitudes and drum up support from poor people by giving them the chance to believe it's not their fault. It takes a much more valuable man and a much more dignified political approach to ignore the excitement of mindlessly hyping up these issues, and instead actually getting on with finding and implementing a realistic solution, while making the requisite tough decisions along the way. So for me until Brand can actually bring something new and worthwhile to the discussion, he might as well just stfu and go back to interviewing nightclubbers while smacked out of his head because he is achieving absolutely nothing.

[Finnegan]

He is though, he's just eccentric and has a platform on which to spout his beliefs, a lot of which are fair enough, even if he does get a bit carried away. Just because a lot of people are better off than third world countries it doesn't mean we should settle for that. He's got passion for it which is good and I'm not arguing that this is enlightening, far from it, just commenting on a video which everyone seems to be getting their panties in a twist about.

I'm sorry, Haydos, but swallowing a thesaurus does not make you intelligent.

Nor does being kooky for the sakes of it make you eccentric.

[lavrentis]

Nothing will change without the blood of the corrupt bankers in the river Thames as Max Keiser near enough put it.

 

I am for revolution but not sure about Brand's politics.

[MooseBreath]

 http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/sep/13/russell-brand-gq-awards-hugo-boss

 

Christ, i felt my wrist going limp just reading that. Got to this part before giving up:

 

"After a load of photos and what-not, we descend the world's longest escalator, which are called that even as they de-escalate"

 

i mean WOW that's pure amaze i could only dream of possessing that level of insight, WOW so impressive so intelilgent wow so he must be right about giving poor people all the rich people's money too he's so clever, wow, god damn wow.

[ADK]

Is he smarter than Joey Barton?

[Webbo]

Maybe serious people don't care for talking about these kind of problems because they're not serious problems? Or at the very least not problems which vague political discussion is ever going to solve.

Plus all of the issues he raises are simply current left wing greatest hits. You say they don't get sufficient attention but in reality issues like inequality and global warming are all over the media pratically every day. The whole rich vs poor things has been pushed so hard that it genuinely threatens to undermine the fabric of a hard working society. Brand talks like someone who has read half a dozen radical left wing blogs and has taken the whole thing as gospel without a second thought.

You disregard his inability to offer anything close to a suggestion of a solution but what is the point in bringing up something like global warming when you haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about? Do you not realise that many of the world's greatest scientists are devoted to the study of global warming? What extra benefit do you expect to be generated by having laymen like Brand offering nothing whatsoever to the ongoing international dialogue?

My main problem with lefties is encapsulated quite well by Brand. He talks about things he knows nothing about but feels qualified to comment upon because he's read a few lines about it in the Guardian. It's basically fashion-activism which is concept so flawed that you'll often find the same activists protesting on both sides of an argument, purely because they haven't a clue what they're actually in favour of. Any old cvnt could rattle of a dozen easy on the ear left wing platitudes and drum up support from poor people by giving them the chance to believe it's not their fault. It takes a much more valuable man and a much more dignified political approach to ignore the excitement of mindlessly hyping up these issues, and instead actually getting on with finding and implementing a realistic solution, while making the requisite tough decisions along the way. So for me until Brand can actually bring something new and worthwhile to the discussion, he might as well just stfu and go back to interviewing nightclubbers while smacked out of his head because he is achieving absolutely nothing.

Your best post ever.

[The Year Of The Fox]

I struggle to understand why anyone would want to listen to a wird Russell Brand says anyway. Knob.

[Guest MattP]

Moosebreath at his finest.

[MC Prussian]

 

I think both of them should take the blame. Paxman for his semi-interested, half-absent approach, the way he lets the interview slip away, unable to keep track of it and navigating himself into a dead end.

All in all, very bad and lazy journalism. The stubble and his "I don't give a darn" positioning on his seat don't help, either.

 

Russell Brand on the other hand comes across as a baboon in a pawn shop, terrorizing everyone with his terribly fancy vocabulary and incoherent statements. Makes you wonder whether he popped a pill or not before the interview took place.

[Guest MattP]

I think it's clear to anyone who has done a bit that he isn't 100% clean in that interview.