tony blair pretending he doesn't understand what russell brand is on about...,

telegraph |  Tony Blair has revealed he is mystified by Russell Brand. 

The former Prime Minister said he has “studied” the works of Brand, the comedian turned popular philosopher, and concluded he “literally doesn’t know what he means”.

Mr Blair, Labour’s most electorally successful leader, said modern politicians should spend less time attempting to “empathise” with voters who are disaffected and instead show strong leadership.

“I’ve studied a lot of what the Russell Brand stuff really means. But I suspect if you implemented that, or tried to implement that, I literally don’t know what it means,” Mr Blair told the BBC’s Nick Robinson, whose latest series looks at a “crisis” in democracy.

Mr Brand, a multi-millionaire comedian, has sought to reinvent himself as the leader of a populist, anti-capitalist “revolution” against a broken “system” of tax evasion, environmental destruction and poverty. Critics argue Mr Brand’s manifesto is intellectually arid and devoid of meaningful policies.

None the less, he has struck a chord with the public, earning nine million Twitter followers and a wide audience for his internet television show. 

He has refused to stand for election in case he becomes “one of them”. He fled from Mr Robinson as he attempted to interview him. 

Mr Blair said MPs should not think that changing the process of democracy, such as introducing internet voting, will address public cynicism towards Westminster. 

“There is a whole swathe of the country that thinks, I elect my government, you guys go and govern. Don’t keep troubling me every three seconds with what I should think or shouldn’t think; they want to see their leaders leading.”