because he. was always going to give the president. at least seven people are killed and thirty five left on accounted for after an apartment block collapses the following a devastating gas explosion in the russian city of. britain and france are to step up joint patrols in the english channel after a spike in the number of illegal immigrants trying to get to the u.k. over the past two weeks. thirty russian children returned home safely after being released from an iraqi prison where they were held with their allegedly eisold link . and you're looking at live pictures from new york's times square as they get ready to bring in that the new year of course

that's not coming for another couple of hours but as you can see the celebrations are happening in style there in the big apple the world welcomes two thousand nine hundred in style with the clock having already struck midnight in over half of the globe right now live pictures from new york as they are getting ready to bring in the new year. welcome to sophie okonedo sophie shevardnadze and. the ground breaking news they go pink floyd still sounds fresh in the lyrics of roger waters relevant as ever how hard is the balancing act between music and politics well i'm here in st peter's to ask the legend himself why. musician author activist co-founder of pink

floyd and my guest today is really great to have you with us today welcome to our show thank you everyone's really happy that you're here looking for your tour and i'm looking for a little chat so i'm going to start from there turn a question because you've been pushing the boundaries of music forever. at the same time the lyrics that you write are always very powerful so the question is what is more powerful the words or the music. well the way the way they. have equal importance i mean the trick with with. songs i'm never quite sure where comes from but it has to do with threw away the feelings that are in the lyrics of the song so the ideas that are in the lyrics of some somehow get kicked into

a more accessible place by having to relate to the major of of the music other now it's a kind of magical for me it's a feel a bit. kind of pulling the wings of a butterfly even to talk about it because this sort of mysterious. you know broaching song is sort of a mystery. how it happens or what happens with the connections made between the hardness soul in the brain on the intellect and the nature of. if one is into the actually increased of the world who want to have sin and so on and so forth it's just a way of. being in the life you get this question a lot in. different forms but i never really quite grasped an answer for instance if you go to a pub mccartney concert was a great musician and a friend of yours from what i gather you forget about syria and sanctions for one

night anyhow that little space of three hours to think about love or heartbreak or no family friendship you would never be ok with giving your audience are people just that what is it about. does music always have to be fused with a certain message or else it makes less sense and not as important or there's no there's no house to doesn't have to and i think my father was. a never really knew him much open my mother gave me a great gift when i was a child and that was she said that the only thing that was fundamentally important to her was to care for other human beings to empathize with others so for instance. she was a schoolteacher she had my brother march bring up on a round and she would she was very political so if she would go to a political meeting often in the think she'd druggists along with her we see. the

british china friendship association or something this is specific and we would work grainy movies about the heroic struggle of the child you know have come out of mao and the long march of the chinese peoples for its or against the japanese the puppet government block. after the meetings in cambridge were brought up would be in the friends meeting house which is the that the home of the quakers a religious sect. and never forget my mum said to me one day when we were leaving she said you know where we are in and i said. i didn't read it it's a school the friends meeting it's the quakers there it's a christians and she said as you know i'm an atheist so i cannot subscribe to their religious beliefs but they are very very good people and i thought wow how

cool is that a stew a can or can hear as saying it so i guess you're very much like your mother from what you describe right now i have this welcoming me and you're very outspoken and you always say what you think and you're very adamant to get your message through and you've been political throughout all your life from day one of your career but people now are saying you know maybe you waters should just stick to music they never really say it before and i wonder why it has become so pervasive now as your message changed to become more acute why are they all the sudden realising that roger waters along with great music is as the sleepwalking because there is sleep. because they are the victims of near liberation this you know that ronald reagan and margaret. brought to the world that has spread old basically certainly through western culture and western politics and things and

a part of part of the way that it works is is to anesthetize people and almost make it uncomfortable for people to hear anything real. you know this is this is so it's difficult for some people who are to get people i mean in america you would get people walking out of the shows not many maybe four or five out of twenty thousand you know but never who are supposed to say what isn't just shut up and play the music you know and i sometimes speak to them because i speak to the audience most places that a parent now and some terms of i'm a bit put in for how ready are they to hear that most of them are like they're just a trip and breed for instance raid and then you're speaking to them like you know you're trying to get them out of their comfort zone unfortunately we don't educate . or children well enough. and the

reason we don't do that is a well in america i live in the united states mark and united's america they spend nothing on public education and the reason is in my view i'm always ready to be wrong about everything they want to keep the electorate ignorant and mindless and unthinking and malleable pliable whims and very open to the use of consumerism and propaganda to keep them under control to maintain you know the orwellian notion of the sheep and whatever board up or whatever i'm going to get to the western mainstream is they really want to hear your views on that but a little bit about you before we get to the bigger things. one iraq war was taking place is that your songs from the wall where as relevant as ever and now you're

into or. the tour is called us bless them that song from the dark side and obviously you feel like it's relevant day but you know. what hasn't really changed in that forty years i mean no i phone one third. the five thousand will ever change the fact from what we see that people are killing each other for religion or oil or gas or money or they're still continuing to doing today as if they're doing like two thousand years ago just like discourage you do arlo's your work you've seen driving because you've been out there for forty years and all your songs were element than are relevant now but things are really change well that's true but we have to remember that forty years is. is sort of the run of the end in terms of the history of homo sapiens and new also in terms of food in terms of the way things develop and the potential that we have to change systems.

you know first of all you really have to go back to say well i'm glad that i was born out of to the enlightenment if you like i'm god i'm i'm glad the french revolution happened a couple hundred years ago so that we can have. the question that what the loan is in our back pocket if we want it i agree with. it's a good thing this is something i can cling. but a man that does that puts a stone somewhat different than the people who would suggest that i should be police call a commotion what are you talking about what should shouldn't be it's none of your business and you cannot come where you can come but you can influence me with an opinion about something it's not your music it's my music it's not your job it's my job it's my life this is what i do and it's one of the always done if you thought you were a fan of pink floyd and you didn't notice that that's what i did when i was running

pink floyd your live in them but i don't want to hear life is too short for me to listen to it i'm not interested in their opinions i'm interested in the opinions of people who fought for or cared or something or have something about the. that. there are certain people even meet you talk to and it's like reading a great book let's talk about you and what you believe in or you're very outspoken about the years you know you're an avid supporter of the waco divestment sanctions movement you urge colleagues to follow suit leaders example and then rate there is no question that when you say things you believe in them and you take full responsibility for what health care is it to actually you know shame some of your colleagues into not going to israel or you know pressured them to think like you

they don't. because you are your own person in europe clearly touted as the thinking that. miles on the surface to say nothing. i can't say no when civil society in palestine has reached out to the rest of global civil society which it did in two thousand and four and. and specifically the peer to peer is sci fi but the cultural or could think they reached there specifically reached out to artists and cultural figures and i took them makes in the rest of the world and said we're dying we're dying here. we're dying please help us please do not go. to israel and perform if they offer you an academic accolade or award please refuse it with this is the only way we can think of now off to the to and from how

does the outbreak israel's government change their mind well. look what they're doing now they're trying now to make b.d.s. illegal in the united states and in fronts and in germany and to some extent that because the. b.d.s. has shown the light on what they are actually doing but they don't seem to be learning anything from a moment but they are swain public opinion all over the world by killing those hundred fifty kids and in the great march the return home the protests near the fence that surround the prison. people who are up poor by. it because it is almost impossible not to be if you see it. you know you have to sit b.d.'s helps people see it i

hope people see it up also most much of it as i can always because it's so important to me still there's another side to this story and that's just regular israelis some of them still come to our show they have them know like voted for netanyahu they're not for silence how fair is the to punish that people tell me that unfortunately still it's a huge majority of of israeli jews believe that the policies in relation to goes there and in relation to the settlements in the lakes and to do with romance and really a fight that unsettled. this is a big big. majority. of israelis maybe no not not israeli arabs who are but they're only twenty percent of the population so that eighty percent of the eighty percent there is

a resistance and i know many of them. but it's not huge numbers. when take a break right now we're back talking to roger waters the legendary musician activist co-founder of stay with. join me every thursday on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics or business i'm showbusiness i'll see that.

after the war. was still active rich in the nineteen seventies current intel had as the chair of its board a man convicted of mass murder and slavery. a german company develops a little mite a drug that was promoted as completely safe even during pregnancy. it turned out to have terrible side effects what has happened to my baby anything paul you know she said is just. minutes a little mind victims i have to this day received no compensation and never apologized for the suffering that not only want the money i want the revenge.

we're back with roger waters was your strong opinions of. other things i know that the white helmets at some point they asked you for your help and you know because you're aware it organization and you know what helmets what helmets approached me twice once was for a fundraiser in london who was by the syria campaign ok and i looked in and i thought something who are these people and so i did a fair bit of research what is it that you see an organization that the western mainstream doesn't well hang on a minute what what what is it yeah well. for instance there are always different vitalized in the west first and well ok for of her you just just couple things we could be here all day to about how much because that it's a very deep rabbit hole. first or there is no evidence to support the idea that it's across roots organization in rebel held trees in syria who are from people who

just want to go and help civilians get out of them there was no no evidence to support them so that's when the when i made my speech i gave a little speech in barcelona because the other thing is a french guy who supports the white elements he goes around the world climbing two buildings were in a way a helmet and he said i want to come on stage and give a message to the children of syria we haven't forgotten here can i come and go and . no you can't come on stage and say i mean i'm sure he's sincere and whatever but i explained why this happened my cake was when i put the fourteenth this year. in the sea here in barcelona on april the seventh it is alleged there was a chemical attack in duma in syria and

a video appeared. with people who don't children kids would get you know mosques on their faces or and all of that made by the white helmets and the white helmets sent this video and it went viral up about on the only evidence of that video. for the governments of the united states of america the u.k. and the republic of fronts all says i just don't phone syria. and i'm just on the basis of that. i stood up on stage and said i think i have this is i think it would be huge error to go bomb efi of sin syria until we know what happened the united states knew k. in front didn't send a hundred cruise missiles to syria i don't think they did much damage thank

goodness they didn't kill people but they did do that and they did and then the people left and the next day two journalists went in both of this group of independent it's a perfectly reputable english newspaper broadsheet was tabloid actually. and and also the strange journalist he was i'm working for a conservative christian t.v. station from texas and his name was pison shop and they both extensively went all over to him but they both went to the hospital where the video had been. show up and everybody told them the same story. absolutely nobody knew anything about any chemical attack the doctor said there was no chemical attack we had a few people in you've got dust in their throats there was not a single deathly duma that nobody nobody was killed certainly nobody who was

affected by chemical soup any kind and so this is two independent journalists in and sending out these reports that were unequivocal and i believe i believe them to be true funnily enough the official you know chemical weapons inspectors went in for five weeks later with all this stuff and their report came out and they said they couldn't find a single trace of any of age that they found chlorinated that's just something come on the how this phrase which propelled by the so could be anything in a bit so they did not say they think this will report is now out nobody read it it wasn't news you can see it on c.n.n. because it's not the narrative that they follow then narrative is that there was a chemical attack in the white omits a wonderful i just have to say this one more thing that's as i said this in

a slow and i will say whenever this comes up if that is a grassroots footy cool the way home as a volunteer is. separate for the people who actually start it in istanbul it was it didn't start service started by an english it soldier. in istanbul but if that body exists. and they and they go and help people of faith in it as to the russians or somebody else to stop absorb them then i support the whole heartedly with every fiber of my being but. wouldn't point the fact that that is not the reality i don't know if you did you did you see through the documentary that won the oscar yes i have. mean have you ever seen anything so obviously scripted and carefully shot and put to

good documentary that come out of the water and that's another thing i want top hear about you're saying carefully scripted you used it is not their narrative that's why the report from the inspectors is not making the mainstream media in the united states when you say like you know i'm critical of u.s. airstrikes or syria or you say. you know i believe after looking into it that they white house or shady are going ization from what i've gather or like screwball case is sorry strange then they say range then they say right away that you were put in sympathizer that you were aligned with the russian authorities who said sure if you were and who you are the under say about outright nuts. because be attacked for being on our journeys that wasn't someone i don't even know if you like why did that someone that doesn't express an opinion that's in line with the state

department is like scarlet letter like branded it like a russian spy or like a kremlin sympathizer and live like you can't think for yourself well but will mean clearly clearly the warmongers doing it because they want to promote the idea of having war with the rum first maybe russia second there's a lot of money in war and i know that this sounds like a crazy conspiracy theorist of but it's no why are they spending six hundred billion dollars a year going into foreign countries that a number of them business and killing brown people in brazil why what's it for. you know if you stop asking those who why why i do this is it because you're scared because they're going to attack you because they hate your freedom i mean the narrative is nonsensical in every possible way the u.s. narrative here and there probably through me now french leave the country oh i do

i'm not a did did you feel that danger or i feel that a people are trying to silence me i mean obviously on the b.d.s. issue trying to silence me they threaten me as well where would you go. back to what written a what you mean if if if i didn't live in the united states. i didn't know that you could say i don't think what you can imagine what you go why not russia. russia plus they're not even tree. of now and no i do can i ask another thing have you noticed the general line in the way also that the american officials . allow themselves to how when they come when it comes to speaking about the russians i mean i've just heard this american politicians say russians are

genetically true in to co-opt and penetrate that's a quote and i was thinking oh my god like if any of the americans especially officials were caught saying that about jews or the african-americans that would be like the end of their career why is it ok and why is it allowed to speak about russians like that to quibble because because the mainstream media in the united states of america have been selling this narrative to the general public for the last autumn of four years i think it was but how long do you think it goes but i would say about folding it started it started during a bomb mom period it became really. bads during the presidential campaign and it's gotten him and worse ever since try out as an office well that's true i mean i've had to when i was making this this record i just made this is the life we really want. the guy was producing the wreck of producing this record with me

started telling me about how far to hit how artie was. just pure propaganda nothing but a pack of lies so when i watch ot so i thought it best you can see a documentary about fracking on american television because they were and then interested in it in turn and telling you anything about anything you know it's so so obvious now that c.n.n. and all the american l. of them they're all the same m.s.m. b.c. or to fox and everything in between maybe not discover and maybe that's the one little piece of t.v. in the united states where you can occasionally get a glimpse of three i must say before it's like to be human press to fit is just. just propagandists fruit and that i still don't know though is the

whole russia thing i've said this to audiences as well as such there's something in you know of the countries women in america said to have you any idea who the russians. and the the russian as i said because i've met many russians and i do not sing and know many russians very well but i do know there is the russian people . gave up twenty million lives in the second world war to save you from the nazis and you want to go around with the stick and poke at them are you insane you have no idea what you're talking about. and also you know nothing about the country with the people it's just finger point to well once you work for office you should have important things to do. along those important things thanks a lot for talking to us. or watching us i will go up

with a with a thank you so. that . nobody could see coming that false confessions would be that prevalent in the spot the waste the fall the convert. had any interest geisha out there what you'll see is promise threat promise threat why a lie a lie the process of interrogation is designed to put people in just that frame of mind make the most comfortable make them want to get out and don't take no for an

answer don't accept their denials she said to forward poor horary santa statement that i will be home by that time the next day there's a culture on accountability and police officers know that they can engage in misconduct that has nothing to do with all the crime. since the presidential election of twenty sixteen we've seen the rise of what the mainstream media terms fake news as though news had previously been. honest and accurate until online platforms a voice told media outlets that circulated stories that were less than accurate and even potentially misleading but the british documentarian adam curtis had first seen if not.