Paxman vs Russell Brand - full interview - BBC Newsnight

Russell Brand who are you to edit a political magazine well suppose like a person who's being politely asked by an attractive woman I don't know what the typical criteria is I don't know many people that edit political magazines Boris used to do one didn't he so I'm a kind of a person with crazy hair quite good sense of humor don't know much about politics I'm ideal but is it true you don't even vote yeah no I don't vote well how do you have any authority to talk about politics then well I don't get my authority from this pre-existing paradigm which is quite narrow and only serves a few people I look elsewhere for alternatives that might be of service to humanity alternate means alternate political systems they being in last week about a lock me plate but I say but here's the thing that shouldn't do shouldn't destroy the planet shouldn't create massive economic disparity shouldn't ignore the needs of the people the burden of proof is on the people with the power not people like doing a magazine how do you imagine the people get power well I imagine the race of hierarchical systems that have been preserved for generations being voted in its narrow quite a narrow prescriptive parameter that changes within the the the democracy that's how it works well I don't think it's working very well Jeremy given that the planet is being destroyed given that there is economic disparity of a huge degree what you saying there's no alternative there's no I'm saying if you can't be asked to vote why should we be asked to listen to your political point of view you don't have to listen to my political point of view but it's not that I'm not voting out of apathy I'm not voting out of absolute indifference and weariness and exhaustion from the lies treachery deceit of the political class that has been going on for generations now and which has now reached fever pitch where we have a disenfranchised disillusioned despondent underclass that are not being represented by that political system so voting free is tacit complicity with that system and that's not something I'm offering up why don't you change it then I'll try new well why don't you start by folks it works people have voted already and that's what's created the current paradigm did you last vote never you've never ever vote no do you think that's really bad so you struck an attitude what before the age of 18 well I was busy being a drug addicts at that point because I come from the kind of social conditions that are exacerbated by an indifferent system that really just administrates for large corporations and ignores the population living the so you're blaming the political class of the fact you had a drug problem no no no I'm saying I was part of a social and economic class that is underserved by the current political system and drug addictions one of the problems it creates when you have huge underserved impoverished populations people get drug problems and also don't feel like they want to engage with the current political system because they see that it doesn't work for them they see that it makes no difference they see that they're not served I say my darling I'm not saying that the apathy doesn't come from us the people the apathy comes from the politicians they are apathetic to our knees they're only interested in servicing the needs of corporations look at what I in the Tory's going to court and to take in the EU to court because they're trying to curtail bank bonuses is that what's happening at the moment in our country isn't it tune in for that you don't believe in democracy you want a revolution don't you the planet is being destroyed we are creating an underclass we are exploiting poor people all over the world and the genuine legitimate problems of the people are not being addressed by our political all of those things may be true they are true but you took I wouldn't argue with you about many of them well how come I feel so cross with you it can't just be because of that beard it's gorgeous it's possibly the Daily Mail don't want it I do up against them grow it longer you are angle into your armpit hair you are a very trivial man what do you think I am trivial yes I mean a guy you're having a guy because I want a revolution now have you because you want a revolution many people want a revolution but I must see what it will be like well I think what it won't be like is a huge disparity between rich and poor where 300 Americans have the same amount of wealth as the 85 million poorest Americans where there is an exploited and underserved underclass that are being continually ignored where well very slashed while Cameron and Osborne go to court to defend the rights of bankers to continue receiving their bonuses that's all I'm asking what's the scheme you talk vaguely about revolution what is it I think a socialist egalitarian system based on the massive redistribution of wealth heavy taxation of corporations and massive responsibility for energy companies and any companies in sport exploiting the environment I think they should be tack I think the very concept of profit she'll be hugely reduced David Cameron says profit isn't a dirty word I say profit is a filthy word because wherever there is profit there is also deficit and there this system currently doesn't address these ideas and so why would anyone vote for it why would anyone be interested who would levy these taxes I think we do need to like there needs to be centralized administrative system but bill government I think yes I used to be a gun well might be called something else call him like the admin BOTS right now they don't get chosen Jeremy don't ask me to sit here in an interview with you in a bloody hotel room and devise a global utopian system I'm merely pointing out the but you are calling for revolution absolutely I'm calling for change I'm calling for genuine alternative but there are many people who would agree with you good the current system is not engaging with all sorts of problems yes and they feel apathetic really a pathetic but if they were to take you seriously and not to vote yea they shouldn't vote they should that's one thing they should do don't bother voting because then when it reaches there's a point see these little valves they sort of like little cozy little valves of recycling and Prius and like you know turn up somewhere it stops us reaching the pit point where if an ice is enough now stop voting stop pretending wake up be in reality now time to be in reality now why vote we know is gonna make any difference we know that already at West Ham United cheering them on and they lost the city unless it's airily 30 okay well now you're being facetious well what facetiousness has as much value as seriousness I think you're making a mistake of amis taking seriousness not gonna solve world problems by facetiousness that we're not gonna solve them with the current system at least for seizures this is funny sometimes yes sometimes Jeremy so listen so this approach this optimistically you've spent your old career berating in haranguing politicians and then when for sublime me a comedian goes yeah and they're all worthless what's the point engage of any of them you said have a go at me because I'm not poor anymore I'm not having a go at you about that I'm just asking you why we should take you seriously when you're so unspecific you don't what to take well firstly I don't mind if you take me seriously I'm here just to draw attention to a few ideas I just wanna have a little bit of a laugh I'm saying there are people with alternative ideas that are far better qualified than I am and far better qualified more importantly than the people that are currently doing that job because they're not attempting to solve these problems they're not they're attempting to placate the population their measures that have currently been taken around climate change are indifferent it's possible as human beings they're simply overwhelmed by the scale of the problem not really more possibly it might be there I mean but that's what just semantics really whether they're overwhelmed by it or tacitly maintaining it because of habitual like I mean like mate I was is what I noticed when I was in the houses of parliament its decorated exactly the same as Eton its decorated exactly same as Oxford so a certain type of people goes in there fix all this makes me nervous and another type of people going there god this is how it should be and I think that's got to change now we can no longer have erroneous duplicitous systems held in place unless it's for the Serb only systems that serve the planet and serve the population of the planet can be allowed to survive not ones that serve elites be they a political or corporate elite and this is what's currently I mean we went to saying private and primary school with forest I didn't you did but he then went to a comprehensive school in Northland that's all well and good and but what I'm saying is that within the existing paradigm the change is not dramatic enough not radical enough so you can well understand public disturbances and public dissatisfaction when there are not genuine changes and genuine alternatives being offered I say when there is a genuine alternative a genuine option until then don't bother why pretend why be complicit in this ridiculous illusion because by the time somebody comes along you might think it worth voting for it may be too late I don't think so because the time is now these movements are already occurring it's happening everywhere we're in atomic communication is instantaneous and there are communities all over the world the Occupy movement made a difference in even only in that introduced to the popular public lexicon the idea of the 1% versus a 99% people for the first time in a generation are aware of massive corporate and economic exploitation these things are not nonsense and these subjects are not being addressed there no one's doing anything about tax havens no one's doing anything about their political affiliations and financial affiliations of the conservative pie so until people start addressing things that are actually real why wouldn't I be facetious why would I take it seriously why would I encourage a consistent constituency of young people that are absolutely indifferent to vote why would we aren't you bored aren't you more bored than anyone and you've been talking on year after year listening to their lies their nonsense then if this one gets in then it's that one getting but this problem continues why are we going to continue to contribute for this posad I'm surprised you can be facetious when you're that angry about it yeah I'm angry I am angry because for me it's real because for me it's not just some peripheral thing I turn up once in a while to a church paid for for me this is what I come from this is what I care about do you see any hurt remember that yeah totally there's gonna be a revolution it's totally going to happen I think not yeah I ain't got a flicker of doubt this is the end this is time to wake up I remember I see you in that program where you look at your ancestors and you saw that while your grandmother were at two brass herself for I've got over by the aristocrats who ran a gaff you cried because you knew that it was unfair and unjust and that was what was that a century ago that's happening to people now I just come from a woman who's being treated like that I've just been talking to a woman today who's being treated like that so even if we can engage that feeling instead of some moment of lachrymose sentimentality trotted out on the TV for people to pour over emotional porn if we can engage that feeling and change things why wouldn't we why is that naive why is that not my right because I'm an actor I mean I've taken the right I don't need the right from you I don't need the right from anybody I'm taking it

Channel: BBC Newsnight

Views: 12,445,736

Rating: 4.8280554 out of 5

Keywords: Jeremy Paxman (Author), Russell Brand (Author), Newsnight, Revolution, Beards, Interview, BBC, Jeremy Paxman (TV Personality), russell brand interview, russel, brand, russell brand newsnight, paxman brand, brand newsnight, British Broadcasting Corporation (Production Company), comedian, russell brand, russell, jeremy paxman, paxman, new statesman, bbcnewsnight, interview, bbc news, bbc newsnight, beards

Id: 3YR4CseY9pk

Length: 10min 48sec (648 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 23 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

Incredible. We need a greater platform for people with real ideas and the kind of passion Russell is expressing here. Glad to see one was provided in this particular case.

[u/natchiketa]

Floored. I knew he was clever, but had no idea he was that clever. So well-said!

[u/as7]

Russell has fantastic passion and the right idea about what is wrong with the world we live in - but the interviewer makes some very good points. I think Russell got a bit too defensive in this interview. I don't think the journalist was disagreeing with him. He was simply asking for some concrete ideas as to how the world should look after this "revolution" happens. Russell is great for riling up followers and he is a very intelligent man, but I would love to hear how he pictures this all playing out in reality. We can cry revolution all we want, but if there is no good system to replace the old one, it will just be chaos.

[u/Prisoner-655321]

I believe Russell Brand is scheduled to be on an upcoming episode of Joe Rogan's podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. I reccomend that people who enjoy /r/psychonaut check it out.

[u/bakelywood]

I prefer this one.

I believe Paxman said it was his favourite interview ever, it might be mine also.

[u/omega_point]

Only 3 days after I made that short video "The Ultimate Truth", Russell delivers once again...

[u/mountainjew]

Who knew Jack Sparrow was so smart.

[u/Anchises]

While I admire his enthusiasm and thoroughly agree with the spirit of his arguments, I feel the need to point out that the statement "Wherever there is a profit, there is a deficit" belies a fundamental misunderstanding of basic economics.

The huge, bloated and corporatized economic systems that so confuse us today are based on the simple principles of trade.

People are only willing to trade if they get something in return whose value is equal to or greater than the thing they gave up for it. This means that the free market is not a zero-sum game.

The confusion about this mostly stems from another misunderstanding; believing that value is objective. It is not. Value is entirely subjective, depending on each individual's preference, occupation, gender, location (both in time and space) etc.

For example, my favorite color is red and my least favorite color is blue. If I were going to buy a shirt, given the choice between a $5 blue shirt and a $10 red shirt, I would probably go for the red one. Yet they are the exact same object in terms of "objective value", meaning the cost of resources and labour put into making the shirt.

I could go on, but this subreddit is probably the furthest thing from an appropriate platform for discourse on economic theory :)

[u/matt-u]

His sentiment really hit home for me. The situation in the UK with a coalition government of Conservative and lib democrats working in harmony displays how few the degrees of separation are between parties, and how futile it is to vote. While he provides no solutions, the acknowledgement of a need to change is a fairly good start to a colossal global problem. Good on him! We need more people like him with big voices on the global stage. I reposted this for more exposure...