The Philosophy of Russell Brand
Analysis3 Feb 2014

The Philosophy of Russell Brand

In a recent Newsnight interview, the comedian Russell Brand predicted a revolution. His comments entertained many and became the most-watched political interview of 2013. But between the lines, Brand was also giving voice to the populist resurgence of a serious but controversial idea: anarchism.

The new "anarcho-populism" is the 21st century activist's politics of choice. In evidence in recent student protests, the Occupy movement, in political encampments in parks and squares around the world, it combines age-old anarchist thought with a modern knack for inclusive, consumerist politics.

Brand's interview was just one especially prominent example. The thinkers behind the movement say it points the way forward. Jeremy Cliffe, The Economist's Britain politics correspondent, asks if they are right?

Producer: Lucy Proctor.

Episoder(389)

The Rise and Fall of the Bond Market Traders

The Rise and Fall of the Bond Market Traders

In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher famously said that 'You can’t buck the markets' and Governments back then feared that, if they borrowed too much, they'd pay a terrible price in the markets in terms of...

19 Okt 202028min

Trouble on the backbenches? Tory Leaders and their MPs

Trouble on the backbenches? Tory Leaders and their MPs

Despite winning a large majority at the last election, Prime Minister Johnson’s relationship with his party is an uneasy one. Just a few months after achieving its long term aim of leaving the EU, th...

12 Okt 202028min

Planning for the Worst

Planning for the Worst

How ready are we for the next pandemic, cyber attack, volcanic eruption, or solar storm?Our world, ever more interconnected and dependent on technology, is vulnerable to a head-spinning array of disas...

5 Okt 202028min

Is the Internet Broken?

Is the Internet Broken?

The internet is a cornerstone of our society. It is vital to our economy, to our global communications, and to many of our personal and professional lives. But have the processes that govern how the i...

28 Sep 202028min

Behavioural Science and the Pandemic

Behavioural Science and the Pandemic

There were two narratives that emerged in the week before we locked down on 23rd March that could go some way to explaining why the UK was relatively slow to lockdown. One was the idea of “herd immuni...

20 Jul 202029min

Humans vs the Planet

Humans vs the Planet

As Covid-19 forced humans into lockdown, memes emerged showing the earth was healing thanks to our absence. These were false claims – but their popularity revealed how seductive the dangerous idea tha...

13 Jul 202028min

Thinking for the Long Term

Thinking for the Long Term

"The origin of civil government," wrote the Scottish philosopher David Hume in 1739, is that "men are not able radically to cure, either in themselves or others, that narrowness of soul, which makes t...

6 Jul 202028min

The Post-Pandemic State

The Post-Pandemic State

Government intervention on an unprecedented scale has propped up the British economy - and society at large - during the pandemic. But what should be the state's role from now on? Can Conservatives su...

29 Jun 202028min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

aftenpodden
giver-og-gjengen-vg
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
i-retten
stopp-verden
popradet
det-store-bildet
rss-gukild-johaug
nokon-ma-ga
fotballpodden-2
rss-ness
dine-penger-pengeradet
hanna-de-heldige
e24-podden
aftenbla-bla
rss-dannet-uten-piano
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk