Russell Brand vs. Jeremy Paxman

[rfgqqabc]

Did you really listen? I went in fairly against Mr.Brand, I always thought he was a bit of an arse, didn't see the humour. He had an article published somewhere in the last few months which was similar to this, but even more obscure in terms of language. He has several valid points about our political system, the health of the planet. It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling to see someone talk about the wealth disparity in the world today. Unfortunately, our democratic system is extremely flawed. 4 years is simply nothing. Elections and pleasing people take up far too much time in comparison to other important issues. Whilst I do vote, I can see the flaws, the nature of party politics creates a point scoring system that favours sound bites and headlines  when it should encourage strong debate about important topics. Democracy and capitalism are unfair and create inequality in an economic sense (while possibly increasing social and humanitarian rights). In the UK the top 20th percentile have over 60% of "wealth". This is more than 100x the amount the bottom 20% has. This doesn't seem like a fair situation to me, and we can pretend everything is fair, and the world is ok, but until we  get angry about the situation, nothing will be done.

stats from: http://www.positivemoney.org/2013/10/wealth-inequality-in-the-uk-video/

[rfgqqabc]

I mean something like this should have attracted much more public anger but the public is apathetic and uncaring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plebgate

[Woodsey]

I mean something like this should have attracted much more public anger but the public is apathetic and uncaring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plebgate

lol

[rfgqqabc]

I mean something like this should have attracted much more public anger but the public is apathetic and uncaring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plebgate

lol

"The affair was revisited again in October 2013, after a report from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded three officers had given a false account of a meeting they had with Mitchell at his constituency office in October 2012, and that the findings of a subsequent investigation had been changed at the eleventh hour to recommend no disciplinary action be taken against them. The report prompted both Home Secretary Theresa May and Prime Minister David Cameron to criticise the conduct of the officers involved, with Cameron calling for Mitchell to receive an apology over the incident. The officers subsequently issued a statement in which they apologised for misleading the public."
"In mid-December 2012, CCTV footage of the incident was released, which Mitchell insisted backed up his version of events. The footage shows a brief interaction between Mitchell and the police and there is no crowd of tourists outside the gates.[3]
On 18 December 2012, journalist Michael Crick and former Cook Report producer Philip Braund identified the author of the 20 September email as a police officer and challenged his account. The officer admitted that he was not present and that the email was false.[20] Police logs and the supporting email had both claimed that "several members of the public" were present, that they had heard the exchange and were "visibly shocked". The email alleged that "Other people/tourists standing with us were also shocked and some were even, inadvertently, filming the incident". However, the CCTV footage shows only a single member of the public stopping to look on from an otherwise empty section of street immediately outside the gates.[21]
It further transpired that Police Federation officers from around the West Midlands who met with Mitchell had claimed he refused to give his side of events; a claim thrown into question by a recording of that meeting.[22] Mitchell—the MP for Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands—had met with three representatives from the West Midlands, Warwickshire and West Mercia forces at his constituency office on 12 October to discuss the incident, after which the officers gave interviews about what had been discussed at the meeting. They claimed Mitchell had not given a full account of the disagreement, but a transcript of the recording he made indicated he had spoken at length about the incident."

I don't really see what is to laugh about. We're supposed to be democratic. Does it not worry you the police can essentially make up there own version of the events, causing a media storm which forces a politician to resign? You pretty much prove my point about people being apathetic by reacting like this.

Democracy, a system that involves people who know nothing choosing who should lead them.

[scotty77]

Going on about the health of the planet when his carbon footprint from flights per year is probably equal to most peoples for 20.

Claiming that political system will be overthrown yet when asked about taxation all he could say was something like an 'administrative body'.

Then he was clutching at straws saying that Eton and the Houses of Parliament were basically the same buildings designed to make posh people feel at home.  Without recognising that the reason they are the same is simply because they are OLD buildings and if the Houses fell down tomorrow and were to be replaced we would probably have something like the GLA.

The fact is that the average person in this country has an INCREDIBLE life.  Stuff like running water, free healthcare, sewage, roads, infrastructure etc.  I mean how amazing is it that something like the internet exists and probably HUNDREDS of companies supply equipment or services to make sure that it runs pretty much trouble free 24/7.

These things are only possible because of our political system and companies working together.  You just need to look at countries in Africa as to how complex getting everything in place so that this all works seamlessly.

Is the UK perfect?  No.  

Can it get better?  Yes.

Are there people out there who are let down by the govt/NHS/schools?  Sadly every single day.

Would I want the alternative that Mr Brand is suggesting?  Never in a million years.

[Doobs]

I really have no idea why you are getting angry about the plebgate incident.  It is just an isolated incident, to find bad people in the police is no more shocking than finding them anywhere else.   People do bad things, innocent people suffer, it is just reality.

Mr Brand is just another ranting fool, who doesn't really get real world economics.

[Woodsey]

I mean something like this should have attracted much more public anger but the public is apathetic and uncaring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plebgate

lol

"The affair was revisited again in October 2013, after a report from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded three officers had given a false account of a meeting they had with Mitchell at his constituency office in October 2012, and that the findings of a subsequent investigation had been changed at the eleventh hour to recommend no disciplinary action be taken against them. The report prompted both Home Secretary Theresa May and Prime Minister David Cameron to criticise the conduct of the officers involved, with Cameron calling for Mitchell to receive an apology over the incident. The officers subsequently issued a statement in which they apologised for misleading the public."
"In mid-December 2012, CCTV footage of the incident was released, which Mitchell insisted backed up his version of events. The footage shows a brief interaction between Mitchell and the police and there is no crowd of tourists outside the gates.[3]
On 18 December 2012, journalist Michael Crick and former Cook Report producer Philip Braund identified the author of the 20 September email as a police officer and challenged his account. The officer admitted that he was not present and that the email was false.[20] Police logs and the supporting email had both claimed that "several members of the public" were present, that they had heard the exchange and were "visibly shocked". The email alleged that "Other people/tourists standing with us were also shocked and some were even, inadvertently, filming the incident". However, the CCTV footage shows only a single member of the public stopping to look on from an otherwise empty section of street immediately outside the gates.[21]
It further transpired that Police Federation officers from around the West Midlands who met with Mitchell had claimed he refused to give his side of events; a claim thrown into question by a recording of that meeting.[22] Mitchell—the MP for Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands—had met with three representatives from the West Midlands, Warwickshire and West Mercia forces at his constituency office on 12 October to discuss the incident, after which the officers gave interviews about what had been discussed at the meeting. They claimed Mitchell had not given a full account of the disagreement, but a transcript of the recording he made indicated he had spoken at length about the incident."

I don't really see what is to laugh about. We're supposed to be democratic. Does it not worry you the police can essentially make up there own version of the events, causing a media storm which forces a politician to resign? You pretty much prove my point about people being apathetic by reacting like this.

Democracy, a system that involves people who know nothing choosing who should lead them.

I think there is a million more important things to worry about that's why I'm lol'ing.

[Jon MW]

...
Mr Brand is just another ranting fool, who doesn't really get real world economics.

This

Brand is intelligent but a lot of what he says is no more sophisticated than what you'd get from the average 6th former; it's argument based on looking at the flaws of a system and using big words to use them to denounce the system.

What it misses out are the positive aspects of the same system, any intelligently feasible alternative or way to 'fix' the current flaws - and if alternatives are suggested, the equally good/bad positive and negative aspects of such alternatives.

[The Squid]

The reason why people were so excited by Brand's interview is exactly because he suggest looking for solutions beyond the current economic and political paradigm. An entire generation has grown up believing that there is no alternative to 'real world economics' despite that the current economic system mainly serves to uphold a very small minority of the worlds population. He's not the most sophisticated theoretician but if he inspires people to consider that an alternative world is possible then i applaud him.

[nirvana]

The reason why people were so excited by Brand's interview is exactly because he suggest looking for solutions beyond the current economic and political paradigm. An entire generation has grown up believing that there is no alternative to 'real world economics' despite that the current economic system mainly serves to uphold a very small minority of the worlds population. He's not the most sophisticated theoretician but if he inspires people to consider that an alternative world is possible then i applaud him.

I've been wondering how to articulate what I felt about that interview and this does it really well. Served to jog me into re recognising how cynically complicit I am in 'upholding the small minority'.

[The Squid]

ahould read 'uphold the privilege of a very small minority of the worlds population.' Glad you got my meaning though.

[redarmi]

Going on about the health of the planet when his carbon footprint from flights per year is probably equal to most peoples for 20.

Claiming that political system will be overthrown yet when asked about taxation all he could say was something like an 'administrative body'.

Then he was clutching at straws saying that Eton and the Houses of Parliament were basically the same buildings designed to make posh people feel at home.  Without recognising that the reason they are the same is simply because they are OLD buildings and if the Houses fell down tomorrow and were to be replaced we would probably have something like the GLA.

The fact is that the average person in this country has an INCREDIBLE life.  Stuff like running water, free healthcare, sewage, roads, infrastructure etc.  I mean how amazing is it that something like the internet exists and probably HUNDREDS of companies supply equipment or services to make sure that it runs pretty much trouble free 24/7.

These things are only possible because of our political system and companies working together.  You just need to look at countries in Africa as to how complex getting everything in place so that this all works seamlessly.

Is the UK perfect?  No.  

Can it get better?  Yes.

Are there people out there who are let down by the govt/NHS/schools?  Sadly every single day.

Would I want the alternative that Mr Brand is suggesting?  Never in a million years.

Whilst most of the above is true it is doesn't make it fair or just.  The idea that we should be happy to let an economic elite plunder our resources and enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else because we have running water, free healthcare, sewage and roads is patronising at best.  The recent Post Office flotation is a perfect example.  It was a national asset (in the economic sense) so every taxpayer effectively owned it.  They decided to privatise it and sell it off but instead of doing that at a fair value they did it at a value which was below its real worth and effectively redistributed wealth to a group of people that could afford to buy the shares.  The decision of Osbourne to go to the European Court of Justice to protect bankers bonuses is the same thing.  They are using taxpayers money to go to court to protect something that an elite that also happens to contribute huge amounts of money to their party.  That isn't democracy it is corporatism.  they are acting in the interests of their paymasters rather than their constituents or the population as a whole.  Less than 25k already very rich people will benefit from their action and it isn't an isolated case.  It happens on a daily basis.

[Woodsey]

Sod it lets all go to communism and keep shit equal 

[Acidmouse]

Sod it lets all go to communism and keep shit equal 

Red Ed!!

[Woodsey]

Why do some celebrities who are effing loaded love to spout off about equality?