Irish singer and songwriter Bob Geldof called current political activity in Westminster a “betrayal of Churchill”, at a forum on Wednesday.
Geldof, who is also a vocal Remain supporter, said “what is going on in that house (Westminster) is a betrayal of Churchill… that great figure of the 20th century who stood against tyranny”, at One Young World conference.
The Dublin-born activist spoke out against Brexit in the lead up to the referendum, and joined the anti-Brexit protests on Saturday.
Speaking at One Young World, an annual forum for young leaders, Geldof criticised the British Government, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Sir Bob Geldof touts the importance of young leadership:
'We require thoughts. We require ideas. We require action. And the people who are our leaders, are all old.' #OYW2019 pic.twitter.com/tGx6v0ONBi
— One Young World (@OneYoungWorld) October 23, 2019
He said: “The people that purport to be our leaders are all old people.
“It is a world essentially without leaders.
“When leaders fail to lead, then the people will teach them to follow, and that’s what we’re seeing.
He added: “The economy that we have built is consuming the world, and that economy is consumed by technology.
“And it moves so fast we cannot possibly control it.”
“Younger people retreat to the certainties of the strong man, the admiration for thugs like Putin, fools like Trump.
“But these people are not leaders. They are not strong. They are weak.
“Power can only come from the will of the people.”
Speaking about One Young World, the former Boomtown Rats vocalist said: “This has ended up being one of the great ideas laboratories that I have been to.
“I get attuned to where this century might be going, as my generation fails spectacularly, as we flounder for the certainty of the new.
“There never is certainty.
"Be true to what you truly believe. Always be clear what you're there for. Always believe politics is first and foremost about people and how they live. " – Sir John Major at #OYW2019 pic.twitter.com/pzTFXcxLR3
— One Young World (@OneYoungWorld) October 23, 2019
“As the 20th century crumbles, and this one stutters to start, it is still is mouldable, it still is plastic.”
He told the audience: “Change occurs through ideas – the great ideas factory.
“Ideas are the raw material of change, and language is the expression of those ideas.
“You’ve got Malala (Yousafzai) and you’ve got Greta (Thunberg). And they spoke truth unto power. And it’s effective.
“We need to steer this century or we will end up in a very bad place.
“It is possible to just give the world a nudge in the right direction.
“The future may not be ours, but our values must shape it.”
Geldof’s speech preceded a talk by former prime minister Sir John Major, who also condemned Brexit as a “colossal mistake”.
The annual conference One Young World summit is showcasing speakers at the QEII and Westminster Hall in central London from October 22-25 2019, after an opening night attended by the Duchess of Sussex.
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