Not sure what to make of all the Russell Brand stuff, from afar.
Going way back to when I lived in the UK, he seemed very full of himself and sure of himself, and was obviously a very promiscuous person. I remember the Andrew Sachs stuff, with Jonathan Ross I think (who should have known better, as a more experienced broadcaster) and generally, Brand was an outspoken person who wasn’t shy about boasting of his many sexual conquests. It rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way, and it looked to me that he was doing it for the shock value and for the reaction, as well as to feed his sex addiction.
Now we have various things coming to light. On the one hand, he is adamant it was all consensual. On the other hand, people are coming out with serious allegations of abuse and sexual assault.
Hopefully the people who are investigating have the wherewithal and experience to get to the bottom of it, so that justice is done.
One unhelpful and obfuscating aspect is that Brand has built up a bit of an empire on the fringe media/social media, and his schtick has been to talk about how unreliable the media is.
One could interpret that as a way to sow doubts, as a protective measure, in anticipation that he knew this day would come.
Either way, I hope justice is done. If he is guilty of being a voracious shagger, and an edgy comedian/commentator who spouted his mouth off too much in poor taste, then that’s not illegal. But if he has committed some of the things we are starting to hear about, and perhaps more besides, then I hope the legal system is robust enough to deliver to him what it must.
Part of his problem is that he’s so unlikeable. He’s clearly a self-obsessed narcissist and the vast majority of the public think he’s a twat.
He is probably guilty, it fits what we know of his personality, but most will have already made up their minds.
Based on recent events in America, he might consider a move to France or Switzerland. Not sure if the UK has extradition with either of those. The US does not. Can continue his ranting while living near Polanski.
Before anyone gets too excited , Lachlan is an even bigger cunt than his father , and was Tucker Carlson’s biggest supporter. Expect more of the same , but even worse.
This bit was especially amusing ; " He (Rupert) also criticised other media outlets as being “in cahoots” with a “rarefied class” of elites who he accused of “peddling political narratives rather than pursuing the truth”.
You have Rupert, someone who has always hated Trump and tried several times to turn the network away from him, often giving a helping hand to right wing alternatives he hoped he’d be able to create a wave of support for.
You have Lachlan, a true believer
And then James, someone who is not liberal per se has least gone public with his condemnation of what Fox News does and stated a desire to end it. And he is the one who all the Murdoch whisperers seem to think is best place to take over the lot once Rupert dies given the way the power is distributed among the kids.
Here in France , at a school in Arras , a teacher was murdered this morning with a knife , and two others gravely injured , by some fuckwit who was shouting Allah Akhbar.
President Macron addressed the nation last night to call for calm amidst rising tensions after the recent events in Israel and in anticipation of what’s about to happen in Gaza.
This follows a meeting yesterday with the leaders of France’s various political parties, as well as the presidents of the Assemblée Nationale and the Sénat in a call for national unity.
Pro - Palestinian demonstrations had already been banned by Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin who said his ministry has recorded more than 100 anti-Semitic acts in France since Saturday, and spoke of an “jihad atmosphere,” warning: “There are Hamas political proxies in France.”
Proof , if any was needed , that what happens in Israel/Palestine can have repercussions for us all.
The match was abandoned at half time because of the incident and the crowd were kept in the ground for a while.
This is from a report in the Guardian:
In a video posted on social media, a man identifying himself as the attacker said “he was inspired by the Islamic State” extremist group, the spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office, Eric Van Duyse, said on the LN24 news channel.
