[the truth]

Originally Posted by Zee

Political non-participation doesn't achieve anything other than the ability to fester in knowing just how terrible this broken system is for another term, though. The logic that "you've never voted so you've signed away your right to have a say" is annoying, but it's still true. If you didn't vote, you let the country get into this mess by doing nothing. First past the post is a deeply flawed system but it's not going to get any better by doing nothing about it.

Firstly, the country needs a proportional representation system. We'd get more coalition governments but at least people would feel more inclined to vote, knowing that their votes actually count for something rather than being wasted. If you really want to vote for the Greens but you feel there's no point in doing so because they don't stand a chance - they'll never stand a chance. Voter participation in the UK is shockingly low. The Tories want to keep it that way, it's the only way they'll manage to hold on to power, if everyone feels too apathetic to get down to a polling station and vote. That's why Paxman was bringing it up so much - who is Russell Brand to criticise the system if he's never engaged with it? Not because Russell Brand is a comedian, not because Russell Brand is an actor, but because Russell Brand is a British citizen who has never voted for any government and really just wants to see it all collapse to make way for something new, without ever actually specifying what that something new should be.

Communism has never worked because the figurehead of any communist state thus far has been too greedy to relinquish their grip on leadership. What's that old adage about democracy being a terrible system but it's better than all the rest? We get what we vote for, and many people don't vote at all; so when they complain about the government they have, it's a bit of a slap in the face to those of us who do vote, those of us who tried to vote for what we wanted.

The government supports big businesses because big businesses support the country's interests. How does he propose to break that cycle without plunging the country into some kind of Great Depression? I don't know, there are so many tangents you could go off into when discussing political overhaul, I don't want to open any cans of worms, but I basically just think that he said a whole lot of nothing and people are heaping praise onto him because he's a celebrity who's taken an interest in politics and has an unusual way of speaking. That's a good thing, generally, that people are pleased that a celebrity is interested in politics, but he needs to be better at expressing himself more concisely.

(Which, if you couldn't already tell, isn't a skill I have )

if he wrote a manifesto he would be mocked and ridiculued and hung out to dry

Obviously it is easier to stand outside politics and talk.
But if it is informed intelligent cutting edge based opinion, it is relevant
I agree at this moment he cant be taken particularly seriously as its mostly theory. But if millions listen to his words, that alone can enter the british consciousness. itll be fascinating to see if he gets more serious and active