The original Bernie Bro: Larry Sanders on Brexit, Boris and why only Bernie can beat Trump

When it comes to supporters of politicians, you don’t get much more enthusiastic than fans of Vermont Senator and candidate for the Democratic nomination for president Bernie Sanders.

Like, seriously, it can be hard to get a word in edgeways sometimes.

One person who’s got an extra special interest in supporting Bernie is his brother Larry Sanders, who lives in the UK. Larry is political himself: he’s a member of the UK Green Party and is their spokesperson for health and social care – a political cause the two brothers have in common.

From his base across the Atlantic, Larry has been campaigning to get the vote out for his brother during the Democratic primary. It turns out, it's not just Democrats in the US who can vote for Bernie – those based in the UK are also eligible

As Democrats vote in New Hampshire, indy100 sat down with Larry Sanders to discuss his brother’s presidential campaign and the future of the left. The conversation covered numerous topics, from the similarities between UK and US politics to Brexit and the falling out between Bernie and Elizabeth Warren.

Larry on the similarities between US and UK politics:

"There’s a lot of similarities. There’s extreme income inequality. The US is worse, but Britain is second. There is still a modicum of decency between politicians (in the UK).

You still haven’t got a Trump, you’re working at it, Boris Johnson has a good chance if he really tries, but you haven’t got their yet."

Larry on what Democrats need to do to avoid Labour’s crushing election defeat:

"I think the Democrats have good luck not to have this whole crazy Brexit thing. The Americans have bypassed that.

The election will be fought on those great issues: the issues of who gets what, of whether your wealth and income is geared towards billionaires, or whether everybody gets the chance of a decent life.

Within that, the Democrats - if they’re led by Bernard – will win. If they are led by some soft middle-of-the-roader, they’ll have a much harder time. Because we got Trump because we had decades of middle of the road. Middle of the road doesn’t mean the middle, it means the people with power are not challenged."

Larry on Elizabeth Warren and Bernie’s falling out:

"I was very sad to see it unfolding, I think Bernard was less to blame, but blame I suppose is not the crucial issue. There are a lot of politics they have in common. I think there is room for them to work together, but I have no inside knowledge – I hope that they will."

Larry on how Democrats living abroad can make their vote count:

"Americans living abroad, including those living – and studying – in the UK can vote in a primary that runs just like a small state. We will elect 13 delegates to the Democratic convention. All you have to do is go to democratsabroad.org. You can vote online or there will be polling places in London, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Oxford and Cambridge."

More: Does the Iowa caucus actually predict the Democratic nomination?