66ème Festival de Venise (Mostra)
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor
Controversial filmmaker has called Britain a “toxic place” and refused to visit the UK for his latest film.
The film, Where To Invade Next, doesn’t feature the UK as Moore didn’t think he could learn anything from Britain, a place that has “damaged the world.”
He made the comments while promoting his new film, and the 62-year-old was unrepentant on his views on the UK.
In the film Moore travels across Europe to try and discover the qualities he claims the US is lacking, Mr Moore said: “We wanted to go to countries where we thought we could learn something. It was a conscious and purposeful decision to not come to the UK.
“We didn’t feel like there was anything left to learn here. And that you had given up on yourselves.”
He also believes that Tony Blair’s decision to join forces with George W Bush and invade Iraq had badly damaged the reputation of the UK.
He said: “You may be over Tony Blair. We’re not. “We expected George W Bush to start that war. That wasn’t a surprise. But he was able to do it because you – the Brits, under Tony Blair – gave him the cover. You made it possible for him to say: ‘Hey, it’s not just me – we’ve got Tony Blair here!’”
Ha added: “We’re not quite over the damages that the country has done to the world. This is a toxic place.
“This is a place that wants to put young adults in debt, a pace that wants to create a two tier medical system, has elected a conservative government and now wants to leave the European Union.”
Moore also had a strong word of warning about US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump. He thinks many people might have underestimated him and his push to lead the most powerful nation in the world. Moore didn’t seem too certain that Hilary Clinton currently has enough to beat the billionaire star of the Apprentice.
He said: “He’s not as stupid as he looks. You should take him very seriously. The manipulation, the propaganda and the way he’s doing it is just brilliant, in the sense that he has succeeded. Seventeen other candidates couldn’t find a way to bring him down.
And now Hillary Clinton is trying to do the same thing using logic and brains. It’s going to require something else. Personally I hope satire brings Donald Trump down.”
