Yeah, the problem is, you're starting from the assumption that this is political and working backwards from there. But you haven't made the case that it was political.

Again, pretty much every single one of the other people I name in the article, and I left out a few other names, were apolitical. At least publicly. Yet they ended up being exposed in almost exactly the same way as Brand; years of rumours, women who came forward but were ignored, a bombshell documentary that ended up gaining widespread attention.

Sadly, there's nothing unusual about this.

And Brand doesn't describe himself as right-wing. In fact, in his most recent video denying the allegations, he describes being called right wing as, I can't remember his exact wording, but something akin to slander. I don't think he's right wing either. Whether in the true sense of the word of the hyperbolic "everybody who doesn't say "white supremacy" and "transphobic" often enough is 'far-right'" sense.

In fact, in word, if not in deed, he's pretty far-left: redistribution of wealth, love and acceptance for all, anti-fat cat, pro-working class. these are his main themes.

I don't think anybody saw him as a threat. Well, except women, apparently.

But all that said, yes, I agree with you completely that he should be tried and convicted before he's penalised. The court of public opinion is just the pitchfork mob by another name. I wrote an article on exactly this point on my Substack. As I said, the article wasn't so much about Brand as the culture that means those rumours can swirl for so long with nobody speaking up.