Russell Brand: an adolescent extremist whose hatred of politics is matched by his ignorance

So, I recommend a trip to Sri Lanka. Wonderful place. Go now before everyone else does. Being (almost entirely) offline for a couple of weeks is a blessing too. But even good things come to an end.

Which brings me to Russell Brand. Fair play to the New Statesman. Their decision to ask Brand to “edit” an issue has brought them all the publicity they could have hoped for. It would be churlish to begrudge the Staggers that.

Celebrity sells. Or, at least, wins attention. Which is fine. Plenty of people seem quite enthused by Brand. Even if they disagree with his diagnosis of contemporary ills they enjoy the sight of a “professional commentariat” that is supposedly discombobulated by Brand’s invasion of their turf. He is sticking it to the man and that’s more important than the detail of his complaint. Never mind the content, appreciate the pose. Which, again, is fine. But it does not take one very far or towards anywhere or anything that is actually useful.

Tim Stanley and Nick Cohen have already dealt with some of Brand’s more egregious foolishness but, given Brand’s propensity for high-faluting gibberish, there’s ample room for further reflection.