Russell Brand

petallus, I also think that the UK 'First past the post' system does not help at all. If you happen to live in an area where the majority does not share your views, you might as well not bother to vote. Where I lived, I always voted on principle, knowing full well my vote would end up in the bin. It really is not a good motivator at all.

I think many people don't bother to vote because they think there is no point. Corrupt politicians with little difference between the parties these days.

Yes I know but I'm not sure that alone would make him an anarchist. In the last election some people said they intended to deliberately spoil their papers but they were not anarchists.

He has told people not to vote.

Has he described himself as an anarchist?

I don't think telling the media to go away works all that well. Often pics of celebrities are taken as they come out of night clubs, go through an airport etc. Quite intrusive.

RB could always tell the media to bugger off and choose not to keep appearing on the telly.

No, I don't think Tony Benn was a hypocrite. He wasn't an anarchist either.

It's the RB anarchist bit that I dislike.

Russell Brand, like many other celebrities, is probably just trying to get on with his life. It's the media who hound such people and ensure they are always in the public eye.

Incidentally do you consider that Tony Benn was a hypocrite?

I did say scratch out normal.

One can live an eccentric life without being so public about it. Many people do, even when they aren't mega-rich and anarchistic.

I wish someone would be more explicit.

Wonder who she'll come back as next time

outed more like Who said that?

I think she's been frightened off...

I didn't.

Although I think nancy has left a bit off her profile.

You could but RB does not seem to have the kind of personality which would be happy with a pleasant and 'normal' existence. He would probably be extreme if he wasn't wealthy.

Anyway what is normal? I suppose Gemima Khan thinks her life is normal.

Prince Charles summed it up. When asked what it was like being a Prince he said he didn't know because he had never been anything else.

Well, how odd, just tried to PM Nancy whatever, and got a message saying "this member is currently unable to receive pm's"

what are you supposed to do if you come from a humble, even disadvantaged background, gravitate towards left wing politics/anarchism and then suddenly make it and become rich?

Well, you could just go somewhere pleasant and live a normal, pleasant, comfortable, not very public life. Actually, scratch out 'normal' and insert anarchistic.

Phoenix You might just be right! A feeling of Deja vu.

PS. I think I/you know who you are!

No doubt this post will be deleted, but I think that someone posting on this thread is a re-incarnation of a previous poster/member several times over!

On the plus side, his career took off again. Because his name was back in the public eye, he received several offers of work. He admitted later that it had been very good in that way.

I think to RB everything it out and open, nothing is private. He gets right to the nitty-gritty and because he has no inhibitions, didn't always think that others do. Hopefully he is a little less thoughtless now that he is older. He is highly intelligent and a very quick thinker. I suspect he wouldn't suffer fools gladly.

I should imagine the situation was extremely awkward for both of them, and for the rest of the family - thank goodness it's not an experience any of us will have to go through (fingers firmly crossed!).

Ana I agree. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable about my comments re Sachs when I really have very little idea of what went on. I did read a long interview with the granddaughter though where she indicated it took a long time for her to become reconciled with her grandfather.

Yes of course, although we don't really know exactly what happened between Sachs and his granddaughter after the incident.

It's hard for me to say as I don't have granddaughters but I hope I would have been supportive.

I think I did hear bits of the tape but can't remember details now. I got the impression the granddaughter is/was a free spirit. Did something more than straightforward sex go on then?

There's no excusing what happened. It is disgraceful when a man boasts about sex in this way, naming the woman involved. Bad enough in a social circle, worse to broadcast it, even more embarrassing when a grandparent is involved.

I just wonder if some grandfathers might have dealt with it in some other way than stopping speaking to their granddaughter.