NEWSNIGHT - Paxman vs Brand. Full Interview.

Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman talks to Russell Brand about voting, revolution and beards...

Russell Brand, who are you to edit a political
magazine?

Well, I suppose like a person whoís been
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 [Johnson]..he used to do one, didn't
he? So I'm a kind of, a person with crazy

hair, quite a good sense of humour, 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?

Well I've not invented it yet, Jeremy. I
had to do a magazine last week. I've had

a lot on me plate. But I say, but here's
the thing that you 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 for a novelty.

How do you imagine that people get power?

Well I imagine there are sort of hierarchical
systems that have been preserved through generations.

They get power by being voted in, that's
how they get power.

Well you say that Jeremy.

You can't even be arsed to vote?

It's quite a narrow, quite a narrow prescriptive
parameter that changes within in.

In a 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 are you saying? There's

no alternative? There's no alternative? Just
this system?

No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying if you
can't be arsed 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 you have a disenfranchised,

disillusioned, despondent underclass that
are not being represented by that political

system, so voting for it is tacit complicity
with that system and thatís not something

I'm offering up.

Well why donít you change it then?

I'm trying to.

Well why don't you start by voting?

I don't think it works. People have voted
already and that's what's created the current

paradigm.

When did you last vote?

Never.

You've never, ever voted?

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 addict 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
that it was voted in to serve.

Youíre blaming the political class for the
fact that 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 addiction
is 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 that the apathy -

Of course it doesn't work for them if they
didn't bother to vote.

Jeremy, my darling, I'm not saying - the apathy
doesn't come from us, the people. The apathy

comes from the politicians. They are apathetic
to our needs, they're only interested in

servicing the needs of corporations. Look
at..ainít the Tories going to court, taking

the EU to court, because theyíre trying to
curtail bank bonuses? Isn't that what's

happening at the moment in our country? It
is, innit?

Yeah.

So what am I gonna do, 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, weíre exploiting poor people

all over the world and the genuine, legitimate
problems of the people are not being addressed

by our political class.

All of those things may be true.

They are true.

But you took - I wouldnt 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 because -

And if the Daily Mail don't want it, I do.
Because I'm against them. Grow it longer.

Tangle it into your armpit hair.

You are a very trivial man.

What you think I am, trivial?

Yes.

A minute ago you were having a go at me because
I wanted a revolution now I'm trivial, I'm

bouncing about all over the place.

Im not having a go at you because you want
a revolution, many people want a revolution,

but I'm asking you what it would 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

welfare is slashed while Cameron and Osbourne
go to court to defend the rights of bankers

to continue receiving their bonuses. That's
all I'm saying.

What's the scheme, that's all I'm asking.
What's the scheme? You talked vaguely about

a 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 exploiting

the environment - I think the very concept
of profit should be hugely reduced. David

Cameron said profit isnít a dirty word, I
say profit is a filthy word. Because wherever

there is profit there is also deficit. And
this system currently doesn't address these

ideas. And so why would anyone vote for it?
Why would anyone be interested in it?

Who would levy these taxes?

I think there needs to be a centralised administrative
system but built on -

A government?

Yes, well, maybe call it something else. Call
them like the Admin Bods so they don't get

ahead of themselves.

And how would they be 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 that the current -

You're calling for revolution!

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I'm calling for change.
Iím calling for genuine alternatives.

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 apathetic. But if they were to take
you seriously, and not to vote -

Yeah, they shouldnít vote, that's what I'm
thinking they should do, don't bother voting.

Because when it reaches..there's a point - You
see these little valves, these sort of cosy

little valves of recycling and and you know
like turns up somewhere, it starts reaching

the point where you think, ' this is enough
now. Stop voting. Stop pretending. Wake up.

Be in reality now. Time to be in reality now'.
Why vote? We know it's not going to make

any difference? We know that already.

It does make a difference.

I have more impact at West Ham United, cheering
them on, and they lost to City, unnecessarily,

sadly.

Now you're being facetious.

Facetiousness has as much value as seriousness,
I think you're making the mistake, of mistaking

seriousness for the -

You're not going to solve world problems
by facetiousness.

Weíre not going to solve them with the current
system. At least facetiousness is funny.

Sometimes.

Yeah, sometimes, Jeremy. So listen. So let's
approach this optimistically. You've spent

your whole career berating and haranguing
politicians. And then when someone like me,

a comedian, goes 'they're all worthless,
what's the point in engaging with any of

them', you sort of 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 why we should take you seriously

when you're so unspecific -

You don't have to take - Firstly, I don't
mind if you take me seriously. I'm here just

to draw attention to a few ideas, I just want
to 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. There are measures
currently being taken around climate change

are indifferent, will not solve, will not
solve the problem.

Is it possible that, as human beings, they're
simply overwhelmed by the scale of the problem?

Not really, well possibly. It might be that,
but that's all just semantics really, whether

they're overwhelmed by it or tacitly maintaining
it because of habitual - I mean like, mate,

this is what I noticed when I was in that
Houses of Parliament. It's decorated exactly

the same as Eton, is decorated exactly the
same as Oxford. So a certain type of people

goes in there and thinks 'this makes me nervous'
and then another type of people go in there

and go '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 serve - 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
political or corporate elites and this is

what's currently happening.

You don't really believe that.

I completely believe it. Dont look at me
all weary, like you're at a fireside with

your pipe and your beard.

I mean Ed Miliband (inaudible) -

Well he went to the same primary school as
Boris, didn't he?

He did but he then went to a comprehensive
school in north London.

Well that's all well and good. But what I'm
saying is, 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,

then vote for that. But until then, pffft,
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,
this movement is already occurring, it's

happening everywhere, we're in a time where
communication is instantaneous and there are

communities all over the world. The Occupy
movement made a difference in even if, only

in that, it introduced, to the popular public
lexicon, the idea of the 1% versus the 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.

No one is doing anything about tax havens,
no one is doing anything about their political

affiliations and financial affiliations of
the Conservative Party, 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
constituency of young people that are absolutely

indifferent to vote? Why would we? Aren't
you bored? Aren't you more bored than anyone?

Ain't you been talking to them year after
year, listening to their lies, their nonsense.

Then it's this one that gets in, then it's
that one gets in but the problem continues.

Why are we going to continue to contribute
to this facade?

I'm surprised you can be facetious when you're
that angry about it.

Yeah, I am angry, I am angry. Because for
me it's real, because for me it's not just

some peripheral thing that I just turn up
to once in a while to a church fete for.

For me, this is what I come from. This is
what I care about.

Do you see any hope?

Remember that - yeah, totally, there's gonna
be a revolution. It's totally going to happen.

I ain't got a flicker of doubt, this is the
end. This is time to wake up.

I remember I seen you in that programme, where
you look at your ancestors, and you saw the

way your grandmother were out to brass herself
or got fucked over by the aristocrats who

ran her gaff. You cried because you knew that
it was unfair and unjust. And that was what?

A century ago? That's happening to people
now. I just come from a woman who's been

treated like that. I've just been talking
to a woman today who's being treated like

that. So if we can engage that feeling, instead
of some moment of lachrymose sentimentality

trotted out on the TV for people to pore 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.