The JSPrice Perception

Me among the Comic Relief audience, in the middle of the row behind Russell Brand. Russell Brand. Isn't he a character? I usually admire people like him. The boy from Essex overcame drug addiction at a young age and has seemingly moved on from those dark days, making a decent living and sending out inspiring messages to the public about the effects of drugs. I should raise my hat to him. I actually saw Russell Brand with my very eyes. Back in March during Comic Relief's Red Nose Day, I was part of the audience at 1.30am where suddenly he came and sat in front of me, presenting the show (see image below). In front of him, there were little notes on the Autocue in front of him to go by, yet he presented his bit with such fluency. Certainly, he had a bit more freedom in what he could say because he was presenting past children's bedtime, but my views of him changed. My views of Mr Brand this time last year was largely negative. I couldn't relate to his humour....

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg (Image: Mail Online) The annual political party conference season has been over for more than a week and between then and now, I have given myself time to reflect on the speeches that were made by leaders and key figures, and the stories which overshadowed the conferences. With just over 18 months until the general election to go, we are all on the edge of their seats as it's game on in the political boxing ring. It is certainly true that this year's party conferences made great television. The Conservative conference in Manchester intrigued me. Statistically, they've had a satisfactory year as the party in power. We're no longer in recession; the unemployment rate is slipping while crime is hitting new lows, despite heavy cuts to the police force. This is a recognisable contrast to a disastrous 2011 when everything was going wrong for Britain. As the saying goes, 'things get worse before they get better'. Well, ...