Comedian Brand u-turns and urges people to vote

There’ll be satisfaction in the Labour leader’s office today as Russell Brand has done a reverse-ferret and urged his voters to vote and vote Labour. Or, to be more precise, to vote Labour in England—with the exception of Brighton where he wants them to vote Green. He seems to be implicitly urging a vote for the SNP in Scotland.

To win Brand over, Miliband channelled his former US grassroots adviser Arnie Graf and talked about community politics and how the idea of a living wage came not from a policy seminar but activists in the US talking to low-paid workers.

But Brand’s endorsement is of limited value given that it comes long after the deadline for registering to vote. Those who follow Brand’s advice on politics religiously, won’t be registered to vote. There is also a danger that some voters will see the whole decision to court Brand, going to his home for an interview and all that, as undignified.