Until Wednesday I couldn’t decide whether Russell Brand was a fatuous buffoon or a misunderstood genius. But then nor, I think, could he. I’m still unsure, although I suspect that he is a lot smarter than some of those who were going into raptures on Wednesday evening because Newsnight featured a guest who was spouting a few banalities about revolution.
If this seems like sour grapes on my part then so be it; but considering Brand apparently wants to be taken seriously then I think it’s only fair that his ideas are scrutinised on their merits, rather than on the fact that they came out of the mouth of a celebrity comic named Russell Brand.
Indeed, Brand’s words seem to have struck a chord with many for no other reason than the fact that they were Russell Brand’s words. Celebrity often allows half-baked hot air to pass as profundity (look at Bono); and in Brand’s case a comedian who won
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