Brand v Paxman

danoliver1 said:
Thats a very blinkered view, I personally know people who cant afford gas and electricity and live off very basic food stuffs as a direct result of this governments taxation laws. For people below the poverty line it might as well be.
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Do you really think anyone else in government would have made things any better? Lots of blame is thrown at the current bunch in power but people seem to have very short memories these days.
 
I turned it over because I just can't take Russell Brand seriously. He's a bit of a tit, and that's being polite.

I'd have the same reaction if Joey Barton was giving a political discourse.

Like someone said above, trying to appear more intelligent by throwing in some big or unusual words is a cheap trick. A cheap trick that someone like Joey Barton or Russell Brand might use to appear more of an authority than they really are.
 
gillywibble said:
We're slowly turning into a third world nation, poverty, food banks etc. It's very sad.
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I've found in the past few years I've had to help out friends who I thought were doing OK. Fortunately they all got back on track but I'm sure there are plenty who don't without someone that has their back when it goes titsup.com.

My mum's had a hard time as well with the benefit reviews and "bedroom tax" despite being one of the genuine cases of being unfit to work by illness. Plus she is putting up two of my siblings who aren't doing too well themselves.

Yep, things are definitely more screwed up these days. A lot of people don't see what's going on with those who are living on low incomes. I have no qualms about helping my mum out but as for everyone else, well, I have my own bills to pay...
 
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The points he makes are correct though. The establishment perpetuates a system of huge inequality and our democracy is not functioning properly. We need to do something about it!
 
AGD said:
The points he makes are correct though. The establishment perpetuates a system of huge inequality and our democracy is not functioning properly. We need to do something about it!
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Google Million Mask March. Turn up. It's not a conspiracy, it's merely the masses saying 'enough'. Enough corruption, enough government spending, enough illegal war mongering, enough failure of domestic caring, enough bailing out the already wealthy bankers. It's time for change.
 
I think paxman was right to ask just what kind of revolution he had in mind. Brand's responses were pretty childlike Imo. How do you even wealth distribution without crippling inflation, or heavily tax large businesses without a mass exodus leaving the economy in ruins?
 
Russinating said:
Immigrants...
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Unfortunately the fact that there has been a lot of cheap labour around to do all the **** jobs for pittance for quite some time now means that a lot of Brits think that those very jobs are beneath them and that they'd rather be on benefits.

There's also the issue of the price of labour being driven down in recent years. Several builder mates are first hand evidence of that. You can't match a price when the quote is for 4 guys doing a job cheaper in a day that you'd normally do on your own in 2 or 3 days on day rate.
 
gillywibble said:
We're slowly turning into a third world nation, poverty, food banks etc. It's very sad.
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There's also people who have their priorities completely backwards. Can't eat properly but have an iPad and a smart TV...

Also people who start families with little or no means to support them (a trait that is certainly shared with 3rd world countries, no doubt).

The rich may well take far more than their 'fair share', but it should be possible for most in this country to live comfortably, if they live according to their means.

OTOH we really do need to reign in the whole 'greed is good' mentality, because for the essential things in life that should not be the guiding principle. Ie, house prices, gas & electric, etc. Rents should be capped; we should stop unscrupulous landlords leeching off the working underclasses, taking 50% or more of their earnings - something they can do because people need homes to live in.
 
Devrij said:
I think paxman was right to ask just what kind of revolution he had in mind. Brand's responses were pretty childlike Imo. How do you even wealth distribution without crippling inflation, or heavily tax large businesses without a mass exodus leaving the economy in ruins?
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I think he meant a global revolution, well it would need to be really otherwise it would turn into a bloody war if it wasn't something like a simultaneous peaceful global coup/revolution/event. OR a worldwide nation state agreement.

Both bloody unlikely. It's good to see Paxman thrown off guard though, I like it when people can dumfound conventionality like that. Even if it is absurd.
 
newbiejim said:
Dunno if this has been posted, Newsnight last night, very entertaining, personally I like Russell Brand. Paxman's defence very flimsy and attempted to hide behind a thin veneer of apparent wisdom.

video
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I thought it was the complete opposite actually, that it was Brand that was trying to hide behind a veneer of wisdom. Brand just seems like he learnt a load of intelligent sounding words but doesn't fully understand was he was talking about, also his reasoning was immature like some first year uni student that just discovered socialism and think it's the answer to everything. When in reality he doesn't understand how the world (or indeed humanity) works and if any or all of his wishes come true then the world would end up in a huge almighty mess that make the current situation seem like a party.
 
I thought that Brandt had a lot of merit in what he was saying and that Paxton looked silly for being so dismissive, but I also think that Brandt should be spoiling his ballot paper.
 
FoxEye said:
There's also people who have their priorities completely backwards. Can't eat properly but have an iPad and a smart TV...

Also people who start families with little or no means to support them (a trait that is certainly shared with 3rd world countries, no doubt).

The rich may well take far more than their 'fair share', but it should be possible for most in this country to live comfortably, if they live according to their means.

OTOH we really do need to reign in the whole 'greed is good' mentality, because for the essential things in life that should not be the guiding principle. Ie, house prices, gas & electric, etc. Rents should be capped; we should stop unscrupulous landlords leeching off the working underclasses, taking 50% or more of their earnings - something they can do because people need homes to live in.
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Some very good points there foxy.
Also a lot of people have suddenly gone into poverty because wages haven't increased with inflation yet food, fuel and household bills have sky rocketed lately, all the major energy giants are putting up prices soon too by around 10% so at what point do we say enough is enough when people are freezing to death or starving to death in there own homes?
If I were them I would commit a crime and get a warm bed and 3 meals a day its more than our pensioners get. :mad:
 
robgmun said:
I thought it was the complete opposite actually, that it was Brand that was trying to hide behind a veneer of wisdom. Brand just seems like he learnt a load of intelligent sounding words but doesn't fully understand was he was talking about, also his reasoning was immature like some first year uni student that just discovered socialism and think it's the answer to everything. When in reality he doesn't understand how the world (or indeed humanity) works and if any or all of his wishes come true then the world would end up in a huge almighty mess that make the current situation seem like a party.
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With the greatest of respect, I read your post in the voice of an 80 year old.
 
Loved the bit in the interview where Brand references Paxmans ancestry and the fact he was crying over how poor his greatgran was and how they lived, yet there are people living like that today and do you cry for them also?
 
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