Paxman vs Brand

VimFuego

The rural parts of Essex are quintessential English countryside, really beautiful, and really nice architecture as well. However, I have family in places like Dagenam, Canvey Island, Harlow etc. and they are... different.

Myranda

So...

Russel Brand is asked to be a guest editor for the New Statesman... in an interview about that, Paxman wants Brand to define and explain an entire political system on the spot.

Is Paxman secretly a moron who because he's good at bullying people has convinced people he's a smart and savvy interviewer? If the NS had asked RB to be a permanent chief editor, and if RB was also leading a march on whitehall armed to the teeth shouting coup de tat at the top of his voice then perhaps his line of questioning might make sense... 

Perhaps someone should ask what gives JP the right to question politicians as he's clearly incapable of the sort of diplomacy needed in those who he berates 

carlos

Essex home counties, what?

Jalapeno

georgenadaintl said:

Essex home counties, what?

Indeed. Grays-Thurrock where Russell Brand comes from is not a leafy Home counties suburb .........

Myranda

Evilmags said:

He's a bit naive tbh. Name one revolution that did not result in more misery than it aimed to stamp out? After about 3000 years of written history anybody suggesting revolution in a western democracy needs a sharp kick in the nuts. The mass murder seen over the course of the last century was down to two ideas (solicalism and national socialism) both of which were polylogistic and both of which attracted plenty of idealistic young idiots without the logical ability to analyse what their consequences would be. Hatred of profit and attempts to enforce equality led to 50 million deaths in the great leap forward. Mao, Pol Pot, Stalin, various Kims, all justified their horrors as "for the workers" and Hitler, Mussolini, Pinochet ect justified theirs as "for the state/motherland". Between the lot of them they murdered over 100 million people. Polylogism, which states the superior validity of The proletariat/The Germans/The Whites/The poor (Check your privilege is a. Good example of polylogistical thinking) is both dangerous and dumb. If people want to see more wealth spread around then a completely free and unhindered marketbis the best way to do it.

The French Revolution?

The English Civil War?

The American War of Independence?

The Iceni Uprising under Boudica?

The Mexican Revolution of 1910?

The 1990 Albanian revolution?

Oh, sorry... just one I'll stop now. 

There are hundreds of historical revolutions and many have improved the lot of the people at least to some extent.

As for whether there will or wont be a Revolution in the UK - 50/50 if you ask me. As a nation we're increasingly apathetic, but the political and financial elite are taking the piss more and more each year... certainly the political system as is will not improve the lot of the millions of people who it allegedly serves. Real political change is as likely as me being the first woman in space. So perhaps a revolution is required - however. Under current law, if you attempted a revolution in order to help the people, you'd no doubt be labelled a terrorist and jailed - even though terror would be the last thing on your mind. And why not? The Political Elite have rank and privilege (not in a check your privelege way... bleh) and stacks of money and power - who wouldn't fight to keep that?

I'd happily lead a revolution against the current system - but I'm not so sure peeps would want to follow me, as I'd be all dictatorial and stuff... although my policies of public mangling of Justin Beiber would probably carry me a long way before. I was found out to be the evil dictator in a palace made of the bones of former politicians

stickyfiddle

Iceland did it very well a few years back when all this current shitstorm kicked off. They threw out their entire government and started again. All very calm but after a couple of years of belt tightening they're doing extremely well now. But does the UK media report it? No? I wonder why..?

I fucking love Iceland. 

Drew_TNBD

Jalapeno;65576" said:

georgenadaintl said:

Essex home counties, what?





Indeed. Grays-Thurrock where Russell Brand comes from is not a leafy Home counties suburb .........

I don't think you know what the term 'Home Counties' actually means. It's a geographical term to do with the proximity to London, nothing more than that. The whole of Essex is in the Home Counties.

Compare any of the places you guys have mentioned to Nuneaton, Hull, Coventry, Birmingham, or Grimsby, and I think you'll see that any claim to the working class on part of Brand is complete piffle.

IanSavage

stickyfiddle said:

 

I fucking love Iceland. 

Their strawberry gateux is rather good.

VimFuego

stickyfiddle said:

Iceland did it very well a few years back when all this current shitstorm kicked off. They threw out their entire government and started again. All very calm but after a couple of years of belt tightening they're doing extremely well now. But does the UK media report it? No? I wonder why..?

I fucking love Iceland. 

as I understand it, our govt (plus others, the US and EU I believe) are not too happy with the Iceland solution. Terms like financial terrorists have been bandied about by the likes of Cameron. Don't do you good to go up against the banksters.

frankus

Drew_fx said:

Compare any of the places you guys have mentioned to Nuneaton, Hull, Coventry, Birmingham, or Grimsby, and I think you'll see that any claim to the working class on part of Brand is complete piffle.

It's true - our bin-men wear 3 piece suits and we don't make cars there either

or have docks

in fact ... it looks a lot like Teletubby land... even Grays.

ddlooping

Drew_fx said:

... psychopathy ...

Bullseye!!

Drew_TNBD

frankus said:

Drew_fx said:

Compare any of the places you guys have mentioned to Nuneaton, Hull, Coventry, Birmingham, or Grimsby, and I think you'll see that any claim to the working class on part of Brand is complete piffle.

It's true - our bin-men wear 3 piece suits and we don't make cars there either

or have docks

in fact ... it looks a lot like Teletubby land... even Grays.

)

ddlooping

VimFuego said:

as I know you like youtube videos. this is an interesting one...

Interesting indeed, thanks. So, what are we going to do about it all? :-S

VimFuego

I have no idea what we are going to do about it. I think I know what I am doing about it; we are moving towards self reliance, both in terms of food and water and heating, but also in regards to finance. We work for ourselves, we try to shop as much as we can within the local economy. I often engage within the gift economy, where I may do some work for someone, and occasionally people will do things for us. But it's far from perfect, I still live within the "real" economy, we have to pay council tax (our single biggest annual cost) and other similar costs. It does mean more compromise than I am happy with. I guess the bottom line is, in the words of Ghandi, be the change you want to see. No one can walk your path for you.

stickyfiddle

VimFuego said:

stickyfiddle said:

Iceland did it very well a few years back when all this current shitstorm kicked off. They threw out their entire government and started again. All very calm but after a couple of years of belt tightening they're doing extremely well now. But does the UK media report it? No? I wonder why..?

I fucking love Iceland. 

as I understand it, our govt (plus others, the US and EU I believe) are not too happy with the Iceland solution. Terms like financial terrorists have been bandied about by the likes of Cameron. Don't do you good to go up against the banksters.

Maybe, but I don't imagine the Icelanders give a shit what we think. If there was a more to do there than drinking and fighting I'd move there

VimFuego

stickyfiddle said:

VimFuego said:

stickyfiddle said:

Iceland did it very well a few years back when all this current shitstorm kicked off. They threw out their entire government and started again. All very calm but after a couple of years of belt tightening they're doing extremely well now. But does the UK media report it? No? I wonder why..?

I fucking love Iceland. 

as I understand it, our govt (plus others, the US and EU I believe) are not too happy with the Iceland solution. Terms like financial terrorists have been bandied about by the likes of Cameron. Don't do you good to go up against the banksters.

Maybe, but I don't imagine the Icelanders give a shit what we think. If there was a more to do there than drinking and fighting I'd move there

I think it has more than just what we (and it's not me, it's the vested interests) think about it. There is pressure being put on them by organisations like the word bank, IMF, WTO and so on.

maltingsaudio

Drew_TNBD

When Frank and I talk like that, we just get called pretentious arseholes

octatonic

I think Brand came across very well.

Paxman, not so much this time.

Brand is wrong though- there will be no revolution.

PolarityMan

VimFuego said:

there is a system, it's the plutocratic system, which has replaced democracy. It's a weird kind of conspiracy in that it doesn't consist of people sitting around in darkened rooms with one trouser leg rolled up, it's more where those kind of people who are likely to be successful in the system are the ones who make the rules to benefit them that keep the system perpetuated. I've heard it called business as usual (though things like the federal reserve were conspiracies). 

Really, how do you think the current rules benefit the average MP. The on,y people who benefit from the current system are those not contributing in taxes. To everyone else the system is a cost.