Last nights Newsnight interview between Jeremy Paxman and Russell Brand on the  failure of the UK Political System is a worthwhile watch if you can spare 8 minutes, I have included it below in case you do have the chance to do so. If this interview doesn’t disturb those who currently control our Political Parties, we are in a worse position than some of us already believe. This was important, not because of the content of his words, but because his passion for change and call for others to engage in change could impact the very people who are untouched by any of these parties, apart from at the margins.

Russell Brand is not alone in never having voted, some 35-40% of our nation consistently stay away at general elections and it gets worse in local and European elections. He makes it clear that he does not have a solution to the failure of the UK Political System, but he does identify that one is needed and three areas of policy that he sees as vital:

Protect the Planet; Reduce economic disparity; Respond to the needs of all people.

The problem with this sort of motherhood and apple pie policy is that it is directly at odds with the direction that our current Government is taking all of us. The only bright spot in the rather dispiriting debate at PMQs yesterday with David Cameron tearing up his own Green credentials that he claimed three years ago, was that at least he was being candid. It is widely understood that many people in the nation are hurting as a result of measures taken by the Government, the worry is that until John Major opened his mouth, there was no evidence that the leadership of his party wanted to listen to the distress. The middle strand of the Brand manifesto is the most disturbing in the context of austerity reduction. There is no reason why the rich should be getting richer whilst everyone else is getting poorer, and the nation is dealing with so much economic pain caused by many of those who appear to be benefiting even during this period. Perhaps Brand could lead some of his very wealthy colleagues to speak in unison to increase the prospect of the message getting through.

Russell Brand is no Beppe Grillo and it seems inconceivable that a UK version of a Five Star Movement could emerge in the UK, but change is needed and Russell’s call for change felt a great deal more inspiring than the rather depressing anti-European rhetoric of UKIP. However as both the pugilists from last night made clear, this was no attempt to offer a ready made and workable formula. What I found encouraging was that the programme had finally given some space to contemplating if there could be another way than what we have. Having sat through hours of interviews with the major parties in the UK, the occasional 15 minutes of airtime for Nigel Farage and UKIP and Caroline Lucas and the Greens, the other option which is increasingly being provided to voters, that of Independent candidates are almost completely ignored. Perhaps the producers could assemble some of the Independent Councillors from around the country, along with some of the Independent PCCs and people like Martin Bell and Siobhan Benita for us to hear a debate that asks if any of them have an idea. It is not going to come from Russell, but his clarion call is no less vital.