Vanessa Austin Locke: #standbrand

This week all I can think about is how marvellous Russell Brand was with Paxman and how mean Janet Street-Porter is for slagging him off in The Daily Fail… I mean Mail (they do pay a lot and would not say no if they ever asked me to write for them. Principles, principles, how much? Etc.)

You see, when Daily Fail (Mail-damn-it-Mail) commentators underneath JSP’s article are even agreeing with Brand then isn’t it possible that he might have struck a chord? Who can unite a Daily Mail reader and a Guardian reader?
The Brandy Man can, apparently.

As JSP points out, there are steps being taken towards reaching out to the youth. Love John Bercow’s idea of building a political theme park for kids. But Janet, as much as you and I enjoy tripping round the Science Museum et al, since when were the cultural highlights of our country ever genuinely accessible to a significant population of the under class Brand speaks of? I’m afraid that on that point you show yourself to be as out of touch as our politicians.

MP Michael Fabricant called Brand a t***. If I were an MP from any party, or indeed PM, I’d have had Brand in Downing Street the next morning brainstorming on how to reach the disenfranchised voters he’s championing. Why on earth aren’t think tanks being opened across the country, inviting the non-apathetic yet utterly wearied politically excluded to come to the table? Why aren’t those in power trying to understand Brand’s perspective, which, as the reaction to his Newsnight appearance proves in the form of 7,481,979 YouTube hits at time of writing, and wide commentary in his favour, shows it to be a much wider perspective?

I’ve voted once, for Clegg in the last election, based on his performance in the debates. Fat lot of use that vote was. So it’s all very well saying get involved, but Brand’s quite right – there’s nothing worth getting involved in and I absolutely refuse to vote for the best of a bad lot. I do go and spoil my ballot, but in this country spoiled ballots aren’t counted, so we don’t know who’s not voting out of apathy and who’s not voting out of protest, (although it is fun drawing willies all over them. So Janet is right about one thing. Don’t just not vote – get involved.)

I have a recurring fight with a friend who thinks I’m appalling for not voting. The conversation goes like this:
Me: “They’re all uninspiring, boring and weak. I’m not going to vote.”
Him: “You’re a terrible person.”
Me: “You’re a terrible person.”
Him: “You should vote.”
Me: “Show me someone worth voting for. None of them represent me.”
Him: “That’s democracy. If there’s nobody you want to vote for you should stand.”
Me: “Um… I’m a bit busy that day.”

“Who can unite a Daily Mail reader and a Guardian reader? The Brandy Man can, apparently”

But hang on a minute… Brand’s audition for the part of Enjolras in Les Misérables (he even says “the time is now!” at 8.36), might be just what we’ve been looking for. And while I’d rather not have a revolution (love Queen and Country) or indeed live in a socialist state (terrible for the complexion), I do want significant change, and Brand is real, funny, emotionally engaged, angry and clever. Plus he doesn’t have a receding hairline.

In telling us not to vote Brand’s not telling us not to vote. He’s telling us to demand a system worth voting for. That’s someone I’d vote for. #STANDBRAND.

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