Russell Brand as future Mayor of London Noooooooooooo !

OMG, I will be emigrating if that happens.

It wont happen.

Is one of the criteria now that you have to have appeared on 'Have I Got News For You' [preferably as chairperson] to qualify. As in 'having to have been a ham actor to qualify for Mayor of California? We always seem to follow the Americans these day . Having said that, Brand is a very intelligent bloke and I've got a lot of time for him.

He's be alright as Lord Mayor of London. He's been dressing up like a pantomime Dick Whittington for years.

Oh Tegan he's the Pits in my estimation.

He never seems to have any trouble getting girlfriends, I wonder if it is his money, his notoriety or his that entices them.

The man's an immature, self-obsessed fool, according to this article. I agree.

It'll be the money, nankate. He's nearly old enough to have midlife crisis about not being able to keep a girlfriend. Bores them shitless, I expect.

He makes me , & yes I think he is quite intelligent but too OTT to be Mayor. He'd get too carried away with silly ideas.

o.k. thatbags. immature, self-obsessed fool sounds a good description to me. He was on something I was half watching on t.v.last night and he was an idiot.

I caught some of that programme too, Liz46 - the Jonathan Ross show - of course they're big mates!

I listened in horrified fascination as during one of his rants he was sounding more and more like Dudley Moore in a Pete 'n Dud sketch!

I rather like him. The Press hate him. I can't stand Jonathan Ross though. Russell Brand took the flack for him

In spite of all the bad things said about him, and I agree with many of them, nevertheless I can't help finding him fascinating.
Help!!! I'm obviously losing my marbles...

Now that his Hollywood career is going down the drain, he is trying to re-invent himself as a political philosopher. Best of luck with that one, Russell. That he was invited onto Newsnight shows that what was once a flagship programme has now lost its way.

I used to really like him for a nano second before he became the well known person he is today. Of late I find him posturing and naive. His infantile voice really grates but most of all I just think he is really affected. I do wish these so called serious programmes such as Newsnight would stop giving him a platform. I believe viewers have deserted Newsnight in droves anyway since Jeremy Paxman left and giving over a substantial portion of their one hour to the musing of an charlatan isn't going to improve viewing figures.

Aside from all that I find men, or women for that matter, who think it's OK to discuss previous sexual relationships in a derogatory way despicable, particularly on air!

I agree with Bags he is a little sh** who can't keep his mouth shut or his trousers done up. Rant over.

NanKate - be careful what you wish for! One of my local councillors used to be a leading light in the Monster Raving Loony Party until he switched to the Conservative Party.

Preferable to a right wing reactionary who pretends to be a cuddly, funny buffoon while sneaking in devisive policies which favour his rich, upper class buddies. I watched a woman in a Tube office trying to cope with 2 windows, one of which had a long queue, recently- Thanks to Boris's cuts of course.

Thanks for the advice Grannyactivist. I wonder if Ken L will put himself forward again ?

There's a dose of idealism in Russsell Brand, but 'politics is the art of the possible' and that's something he needs to learn. Given the choice between him and Farage? Luckily that's unlikely to happen!

Crikey! A choice between Farage and Brand. We'd be the laughing stock of Europe!

I think we already are whenim64

True!

I read today that a third of voters would vote for UKIP if they thought they stood a chance of being elected. I find that very scary.

I wouldn't mind a pie and a pint with NF . I would rather go on a diet than spend a moment with RB.

Russell Brand has become a parody of himself. I remember reading his autobiography some years ago (had a stupid title - something like "my booky wook") - in that book he came across as intelligent but having seen him on TV and read the things he has said he is obviously successfully hiding that intelligence. The things he said about 9/11 and his comments about peodophiles are both loony and dangerous.