John Lydon On Russell Brand Telling Young People Not To Vote: The Most Idiotic Thing I've Ever Heard

[Turborama]

Former Sex Pistol John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, tells Polly Toynbee that comedian Russell Brand's call for people not to vote is ignorant, flippant and liable to 'make you all homeless'. Lydon also explains why he'd never vote Conservative, labels Ukip 'morons' and calls anarchy a 'mind game for the middle classes'
From: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2014/oct/15/john-lydon-russell-brand-revolution-video

I agree with with Russel Brand on most things, but have to agree with John Lydon on this.

[TerrapinFlyer]

1. Johnny has grown up

And I agree with him.

You MUST VOTE!

They should pass a law that gives you a fine if you DON'T VOTE.

And VOTING DAY should be a National Holiday where EVERYONE does not work. No excuse to not vote.

[TBF]

2. Wow- fascist much?

Although I agree voting day should be a holiday with protections to workers so they are able to vote.

But not forced.

[demwing]

4. Snort

Last edited Wed Oct 15, 2014, 05:07 PM - Edit history (1)

compulsory voting is no more fascist then compulsory taxes

[TBF]

10. Well my argument

would be that if the candidates were more compelling perhaps people would be interested in voting.

But I do see the argument that taxes are mandatory (as are things like health/car insurance) so why not voting? I really hadn't thought of it that way.

[demwing]

11. I see them all as elements of our union dues

And as an educated, engaged citizenry, we have a responsibility to form a more perfect union.

[MynameisBlarney]

6. Wow.

Hyperbole much?

[Turborama]

3. Like in Australia

Australia – Introduced in 1924. Compulsory for federal and state elections for citizens 18 years of age and above. The requirement is for the person to enroll, attend a polling station and have their name marked off the electoral roll as attending, receive a ballot paper and take it to an individual voting booth, mark it, fold the ballot paper and place it in the ballot box. The act does not explicitly state that a choice must be made, it only states that the ballot paper be 'marked'. According to the act how a person marks the paper is completely up to the individual. In some states, local council elections are also compulsory. At the 2010 Tasmanian state election, about 6,000 people were fined $26 for not voting, and about 2,000 paid the fine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting#By_countries

[betsuni]

5. Thank you for posting this!

I consider Russell Brand one of my boyfriends, but he is wrong about this and John Lydon is right.

[ChiciB1]

7. OKAY, Saw Brand On Lawrence O'Donnell Last

night and I didn't hear him say anything like that. Seems Brand was saying we SHOULD vote. O know he talked about Revolution by the underclass, but do you have a link where he says NOT to vote?

Confused!

[Turborama]

8. He didn't talk about it in the O'Donnell interview, but he did in the Paxman one...

Here:

And in this article: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/10/russell-brand-on-revolution

[arcane1]

12. And there it is, right there:

I have never voted. Like most people I am utterly disenchanted by politics. Like most people I regard politicians as frauds and liars and the current political system as nothing more than a bureaucratic means for furthering the augmentation and advantages of economic elites. Billy Connolly said: “Don’t vote, it encourages them,” and, “The desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever being one.”

I don’t vote because to me it seems like a tacit act of compliance; I know, I know my grandparents fought in two world wars (and one World Cup) so that I’d have the right to vote. Well, they were conned. As far as I’m concerned there is nothing to vote for. I feel it is a far more potent political act to completely renounce the current paradigm than to participate in even the most trivial and tokenistic manner, by obediently X-ing a little box.

So basically, this guy expected everyone else to do the work for him, without even bothering to do the absolute minimum of participation, then he complains because he doesn't like the system

How he became a hero to many DUers is a mystery to me

[ChiciB1]

13. Ok Thanks A Lot... n/t

[FSogol]

9. K & R. Thanks for telling the truth, Johnny. n/t