The Spectator (UK) Worries That the Kremlin is Manipulating Russell Brand

The Spectator, which has thoroughly discredited itself by rooting for every war it can possible foment, inveighs against a Tsunami of anger they can no longer talk down...

For an example of the sort of thing The Spectator has trouble with, we published today a Russia-themed video Brand made in July.

This article originally appeared at The Spectator

An interesting story in today’s papers:

‘Russia’s last politically independent TV station will be forced to close at the end of this month after the state-owned company that transmits its signal said it would be taken off the air.’

This comes at the same time, as our cover story last week showed, as Putin’s propaganda station in London – Russia Today – has increased its operations and profile within the UK.

Unlike the Kremlin, I am generally in favour of as diverse a media as possible. The problem with Russia Today is that it seems to have fooled an astonishingly diverse number of silly people into thinking that what they really do is provide ‘unbiased’ and ‘alternative’ news, as opposed to simply offering an international mouthpiece for the Kremlin.

Take the nation’s most unsavoury clown, Russell Brand. On his ‘Trews’ internet channel – where he too believes that he puts out the ‘real’ news – Brand regularly includes clips of his various ‘revolutionary’ activities. Many of these seem, amazingly, to be followed particularly closely and given due prominence by Russia Today.

For his own insatiable taste, it may be true that the mainstream media in Britain probably spend an inadequate amount of time covering the various left-wing protests involving Brand and his friends. But Russia Today does. Perhaps Brand and his ilk think this means Russia Today just really cares. Or maybe they don’t know what RT stands for. Or perhaps they think that together they are breaking the ‘establishment media monopoly.’ But is it too much to hope that at some point the penny will drop?

As the Kremlin closes the last remaining independent TV station in Russia, perhaps Brand and co may begin to wonder if there are other reasons why the Kremlin’s propaganda outfit in London might be so interested in turning an ‘anti-austerity’ march in the UK into a major news story.