A high profile figure, Russell Brand's call for a revolution has resulted in huge media attention.
Asking people not to vote, the comedian/provocateur has encountered some high profile criticism.
The Guardian sat down with John Lydon – whose new memoirs 'Anger Is An Energy' is forthcoming – to gauge his opinion.
Declaring Brand to be a "bumhole" the punk icon then explained: "The likes of Russell Brand coming along and saying something so damn ignorant is just spoonfeeding it to them (the establishment). A hundred years ago who could vote here? To have that so easily, so flippantly ignored in that lazy-arsed way, in that ‘I take drugs and tell not very funny jokes’ way, it’s very poor. You have to vote, you have to make a change. You’re given lousy options, yes, but better than nothing at all."
"If you’re not voting, not contributing, you’re demanding to be ignored. Not very smart at all. You don’t get nothing because you’ve done nothing. Stand up and be counted, make your voice heard or else you’re just going to fade into insignificance."
One of Russell Brand's most effective critiques of modern politics is repeating the belief that all major political parties are essentially offering the same thing – not so, says Lydon.
"There’s a huge difference" he states. "It’s just that their representatives are bland. But it’s clear, if you’ve got a pile of money in the bank, you vote for people with piles of money in the bank. Vote, bloody well vote! You’ll get nothing otherwise, and you’ll get slightly more than nothing if you do – but that’s better than nothing."
Check out the full interview HERE.
Photo Credit: Paul Heartfield
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