OK. We know. Democracy is in crisis. You probably don’t care enough to vote. Rusty rockets doesn’t care to vote. Whether you should care about any of the above is open to argument. But what’s not open to debate is that Russell Brand is sticking his head above the parapet these days. He’s getting noticed. He is sticking his oar in to the opaque and tedious flow of power and democracy. He makes good copy.
Thing is, Russell Brand’s loquacious intellectualism carries the faint whiff of patchouli along with the more comforting, fried oniony aroma of the Boleyn Ground. In other words, it’s vaguely at odds with our cultural expectations and doesn’t ingratiate itself to the rest of the nation. If you’re from the estuarine regions of the Thames and you use words of three syllables or more, you see, no one really likes you. You can’t get away with being a professional cockney in the same way as you can get away with being a professional northerner. That doesn’t help Brand’s mission.
But what is that mission anyway?
News that Ed Milliband has met with the be-locked soothsayer of Basildon for an interview could, and probably should, be met with a resonant yawn of indifference from the people to whom both these cats seek to reach out.
That’s YOU kids.
The reality is that whatever role Brand is casting himself in lately, the fact that the leader of the opposition is engaging with him across the social media tells a tale of how fragmented the discourse of politics and election campaigning is these days. At the height of the general election campaign and with only a week to go before the nation is supposed to decide its political fate the man likely to be intensely involved in the rise to incumbency is locking horns with a stand up comedian who denies the relevance of the very structure of international politics.
In the runup to the 1979 election, the equivalence would have been Tommy Cooper having a yarn with Margaret Thatcher on prime time ITV.
We would have paid good money to watch THAT spectacle, but no matter. Here in the good ole’ 21st century, Milliband probably believes that in hanging out with Rusty he’s reaching out to the kids and showing that he takes on board a spectrum of opinion. Brand, meanwhile, probably seeks to draw Red Ed out of his compromise and expose roots that are buried deep in the earth of the English establishment.
Let the games begin.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
![Autism cannot be cured — stop trying](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/shutterstock_2322534063.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Autism cannot be cured — stop trying
A questionable study into the ‘reversal’ of autism does nothing but reinforce damaging stereotypes and harm, argues autistic author Jodie Hare.
Written by: Jodie Hare
![Bristol Photo Festival returns for second edition](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/Hashem-Shakeri-from-the-series-_Staring-into-the-Abyss_.-%C2%A9-Hashem-Shakeri.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Bristol Photo Festival returns for second edition
After the success of it’s inaugural run, the festival returns this autumn with exhibitions, education and community programmes exploring a world in constant motion through still image.
Written by: Ben Smoke
![Documenting the life of a New York gang leader paralysed by gun violence](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/web-Eyanna-has-always-been-Maliks-primary-caregiver.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Documenting the life of a New York gang leader paralysed by gun violence
New photobook ‘Say Less’ is a complex yet humanising look into a life wrecked by gun violence and organised crime.
Written by: Isaac Muk
![The woman who defined 80s Hip Hop photography](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/7_ULTRAMAGNETIC-MCS_NYC-1990.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
The woman who defined 80s Hip Hop photography
A new exhibition brings together Janette Beckman’s visionary and boundary pushing images of an era of cultural change and moral panic.
Written by: Miss Rosen
![In photos: the dogs of Dogtown](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/saguy_dogtown_02_RGB.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
In photos: the dogs of Dogtown
A new photobook documents Venice Beach’s four legged friends and their colourful cast of owners.
Written by: Isaac Muk
![Inside the battle to stop coal](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/DSC00173.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Inside the battle to stop coal
As the legal challenge against Britain’s first deep coal mine in 30 years reaches the High court, we talk to activists at the centre of the fight to stop it.
Written by: Ben Smoke