Brand weirdness

I was a fan of the Monster Raving Loony Party and Screaming Lord Sutch, who teased politicians by encouraging the public to “Vote Loony, you know it makes sense.”

After David Steel’s conference speech when he told the ­Liberals “to prepare for government”, Lord Sutch, in a much better speech, sent the Loony party to do the same.

Some of his manifesto proposals become law, such as all-day opening for pubs, and pet passports, while Alex Salmond has taken up his idea of 16-year-olds getting the vote.

Nothing in Russell Brand’s rant in the New Statesman had the good humour and off-beat common sense of Lord Sutch and his interview with Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight was simply weird.

Having people take to the streets rather than vote with the “willingness to die of religious fundamentalists” would turn Britain into a lurid version of Egypt after the Arab Spring.

(Dr) John Cameron

St Andrews