Russell Brand: Don't Vote; Don't Pay Taxes

Lucy Kellaway  of FT recently interviewed Russell Brand. Fom a libertarian perspective it was a mixed performance, and judging by Kellaway 's account it was a performance.

Among the high notes, Brand did say this:

"The reason I don’t vote is the same reason I don’t eat glitter; there’s no fucking point."

but he did also say this:

"I would suggest total disobedience, total non-compliance and also total organisation! Don’t just stop paying your taxes and mortgage on your own, find a group of people to not pay mortgages with you!" 

 The tax view is fine from a libertarian perspective, but the mortgage thing is not. Though, I was glad to see he is one of those that believes the state should not be directly confronted in a way you can't possibly win:

"The only thing I tell the people who look after my money is, ‘Make sure my fucking taxes are 100 per cent legitimately paid,’ and then I do my own shit.”

But isn’t he against taxes? “Only as part of a mass movement, not as tax evasion,” he says.

The mortgage thing seems to be a case of him confusing, as many do, crony capitalism versus capitalism. Pure capitalism is only about free exchange:

Does he read the FT, I ask, sitting down opposite him at last.

“No,” he replies, leaning forward so his face is very close to mine. 

I say he ought to. He has just written a book in which he argues that capitalism is over, and at the very least he ought to know his enemy.

"I find it hard to understand. It obfuscates truth and I think an economic ideology is oppositional to the spiritual ideologies that are what we need to adopt if we’re to save our planet and humankind. Capitalism, the economic arm of the individualism and materialism ideologies that keep us framed in a narrow bandwidth of consciousness, prevents us from seeing that we’re all connected.”

What the hell is he talking about? Capitalism can be as spiritual as you want it to be. Capitalism, ex-crony capitalism, is about free exchange. You can exchange good wishes and blessings all day, if that is what you want to do. There is no force within pure capitalist ideology that requires a focus on material things.

And why are the supposed anti-materialist so focused on those who want material things, anyway?

As for Brand's attack on individualism, what is that all about? Does he want all of us to vote on what jokes he tells, before he delivers them.

Bottom line: Brand has an occasional radical insight that is in line with those who seek freedom, but that is mixed with positions that call for incredible coercion that I'm sure if he thought out the positions he would reject instantly, the way he now does taxes and voting.

-RW