Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography

by Richard Branson

  President Nasheed was the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader. He had been imprisoned for five years by a dictatorship that had ruled for decades, before forcing the election he won. Once in power he inspired many with his calls for stronger global emissions targets. He even held an underwater cabinet meeting to illustrate the danger the Maldives faced from climate change, and called out fellow leaders for inaction: “At the moment, every country arrives at climate negotiations seeking to keep their own emissions as high as possible. This is the logic of the madhouse, a recipe for collective suicide. We don’t want a global suicide pact. We want a global survival pact.” We got on well and I found him an inquisitive, honest, driven leader. I told President Nasheed that I admired his stance, but joked that we all needed to be more positive in our language: “Martin Luther King Jr. did not get his message across by saying ‘I have a nightmare!’”

  The next time the country came across my radar was in February 2012, when a nightmare was exactly what Nasheed was having: “Extremely concerned for my democratic friend Mohamed Nasheed, after coup against him in Maldives,” I tweeted. As we learned more, I discovered that Mohammed Waheed had seized power, but exactly what had happened was shrouded in mystery. Waheed got in touch and claimed he had taken control legitimately. I called Nasheed, who told me otherwise.

  “I have been overthrown by a coup,” he told me. “The confusion about what happened in the first two days came about because I was forced to remain in the Presidential Palace in order to be kept away from the press. I was therefore incommunicado and only managed to escape after a couple of days.”

  Nasheed was concerned the new government was throwing out human rights and corruption cases. He called for new elections: “Governments should only be changed through the ballot box and not by any other means. No military in the world should be allowed to take over a Government and hold on to it.” Having listened to both sides, I wrote on my blog calling for a free and fair election so the people of the Maldives could begin to put this ugly chapter behind them.

  Sadly, peace did not come. While holiday-makers continued to visit the Maldives, oblivious to the human rights abuses going on, former President Nasheed was repeatedly threatened, culminating in a thirteen-year jail sentence in 2015 on a trumped-up terrorism charge.

  Behind the scenes, a pro-bono legal team led by renowned human rights lawyer Amal Clooney was helping Nasheed to secure a thirty-day furlough to seek medical treatment in the UK. I sent letters to leaders in the US, UK and EU to help force through his release. “In the spirit of democracy and the rule of law, we shouldn’t rest until Mohamed Nasheed is a free man,” I wrote in my blog. It was still in the balance whether Nasheed would be allowed to leave the Maldives. Amal emailed me on 17 January: “Dear Richard, I wanted to let you know the latest. Nasheed was due to travel today. Then this morning, they suddenly imposed a new condition, seeking that Nasheed nominate a family member who would remain in Male as a hostage—to be prosecuted and detained if Nasheed did not return within thirty days. Nasheed refused to agree to leave on that basis—his family is not involved in politics and he would never put them in a threatening situation. Will keep you posted.”

  As I started to reply, the decision was reversed and Amal said they were on their way to the airport. “That’s wonderful news, if it happens,” I wrote back hurriedly. “If we can help with flights let us know. Keeping fingers crossed.” Within the hour, he was on his way to Britain.

  “It’s wheels up!” said Amal. He was on his way to Britain.

  —

  It is strange how one collision in life can have such a positive impact. We have since worked with Amal Clooney on issues ranging from the refugee crisis to death penalty abolition. She and her husband George Clooney joined us for a Virgin Unite gathering on Necker Island where Amal gave a powerful talk on disrupting to protect human rights. There was time for lighter moments, too. I reminded George of the time he was asked who he would exchange places with for a day, given the chance. Very generously, he suggested he would happily swap with yours truly. My wife instantly replied: “Deal!”

  There was also much talk about the death penalty at that gathering, as a disturbing case was fresh in our memories.

  I had heard about Richard Glossip, a prisoner languishing on Oklahoma’s death row for seventeen years. A growing community of supporters, from Sister Helen Prejean to Susan Sarandon to Pope Francis, believed he was an innocent man. No physical evidence linked Richard to the crime for which he was convicted. Justin Sneed beat the victim to death with a baseball bat and only avoided the death penalty himself by claiming Richard had paid him to do it. Richard was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death based on the sole testimony of Sneed, a man with every reason to lie. Others have since come forward to say that Sneed boasted he’d set Richard up. Despite this, Richard remained due to be executed on 30 September 2015.

  As the efforts to free him fell on deaf ears, I decided upon a different approach. “Why don’t we take out a full-page ad in Oklahoma’s biggest newspaper?” I said to my team on 29 September. “The authorities might not listen online, or answer the phone, but they’ll listen if their own citizens call for the execution to be stopped.” Within two hours the ad was sent over to the paper’s editors. I appealed for this “father, son and fellow human being” to be spared. “This is not about the rights and wrongs of the death penalty. This is about every person deserving a fair trial.” I included the phone number of the state’s governor, Mary Fallin, and urged people to call her demanding Richard Glossip’s release.

  For the second time, Glossip was served his last meal, all but certain that his final moment had come. Remarkably, he ordered pizza, and because of a two-for-one deal, offered to share it with his guards. On 30 September he was granted a last-minute stay of execution. The State of Oklahoma said there had been a mix-up involving the drugs needed according to its execution protocol. The very next day, the State went even further and issued an indefinite stay of all pending executions. For Richard, the stay has offered some relief in a seemingly never-ending ordeal that tells us so much about what is wrong with the US criminal justice system today. But it won’t set him free. The fight for his full exoneration is far from over.

  Just over a month later, I got to speak with Richard over the phone. We talked for nearly an hour.

  “How are you holding up at the moment?” I asked him.

  “I’m doing good,” he replied. “You know. Fight every day to make sure this place doesn’t bite me.”

  “Well, you’re a remarkable individual and I think what you’ve been through is barbaric. I don’t know how any human being can cope with what you’ve been through.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I think that the death penalty itself is completely inhumane and dehumanizes everybody,” I told him. “But in your case you seem to have been sentenced to death in the interest of finality and not fairness, and your guilt has not been proven at all within any reasonable doubt. In fact, I think everything points to your innocence and that’s why I think your case has mobilized so many people worldwide and not just in Oklahoma to take a stand. You should know you have a lot of supporters.”

  “I do now . . . One of the main things I wanted to do was to address the issue of the death penalty and make sure that this doesn’t happen to anybody else. It’s just ridiculous that this could happen that easily to somebody.”

  It was a remarkable conversation. Somehow, despite everything, Richard was full of hope and optimism and without a trace of bitterness or fear. While continuing to call for Richard to be released, I was humbled to receive the Abolition Award from Death Penalty Focus in California. At the event, I shared my wider views on why I think the death penalty is a violation of human rights that has no place in a civilized society: “Over the years, I have used my voice, my reach and my resources to take a stand against the death penalty, in
the US and elsewhere. Some countries—like Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Pakistan—continue to execute people at an alarming rate, and convictions often follow legal proceedings that violate every standard of fairness and human decency. But there is a glimmer of hope,” I continued, to nods from around the room. “For the first time ever, the majority of the world’s countries—102, to be precise—are abolitionist for all crimes. The Republic of Congo, Fiji, Madagascar and Suriname are the latest countries to join the growing list of those that abolished the death penalty for good. This is the moment to turn our attention to the US. Ending the death penalty in the US is no longer a pipe dream, but a growing movement that crosses partisan lines—a movement of those who understand it’s not just the right thing to do, but also the sensible thing to do, no matter how you look at it. Less than ten years from now, I’m certain, the death penalty in the US will be history.”

  We continue to campaign for the abolition of the death penalty and criminal justice reform in many different ways: some of our Virgin businesses have been working with and hiring ex-offenders for some time; in May 2014, I visited Ironwood Prison to learn more about the US criminal justice system at the first ever TEDx talk held in a California prison. Ahead of California’s sadly defeated vote to repeal the barbaric law, we supported a series of hard-hitting films Sundog Pictures made called #DeathPenaltyFail.

  How many innocent people have been killed? In total, 156 people have been freed from America’s death rows in recent years. Who knows how many of those who remain locked up are innocent, too? As the wonderful Sister Helen Prejean said to me: “We are worth more than the worst moment of our lives.”

  There are obviously some people who remain a danger to others, who have done some truly horrific things and deserve to be imprisoned for life. But that is a tiny minority. The vast majority of prisoners deserve a second chance to become valuable members of society and need as much support as possible to get back on their feet again.

  CHAPTER 39

  Brexit

  On 10 May 2016, I was invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen’s ninetieth birthday. It was a magnificent occasion that even the light drizzle of the afternoon couldn’t dampen: if anything, the array of umbrellas only added to the color of the occasion. Out on the lawn, I took the opportunity to congratulate Her Majesty for decades of remarkable service.

  “You are the second incredible woman going stronger than ever in her nineties—you should meet my mother!” I said.

  After she graciously passed on her regards to Mum, I spotted David Cameron across the grass. Earlier that day he had been caught on camera describing Nigeria and Afghanistan as “fantastically corrupt countries.”

  “Sorry to interrupt,” I said, deciding to have some fun, “but this is urgent. David, I’ve just had a call from the Ambassador of Nigeria telling me that they have grounded Virgin Atlantic and BA planes. Apparently they’re furious about some comment you made earlier today.”

  As David went pale, I quickly put him out of his misery.

  “Only joking!”

  David’s relief was palpable and we quickly got talking about the single issue that was dominating British politics: Brexit.

  —

  I have never had any desire to get involved in party politics in any country and I’m surprised when any businessperson does. I think it’s invidious for businesspeople to get involved. If the party you’ve supported gets into power, any decisions they make that help your business will be viewed suspiciously. If the party you’ve rejected wins power, it’s even less likely decisions will go in your favor! More importantly, I know I can have a bigger impact by remaining independent of political parties. However, throughout the world I have got involved in campaigning on specific issues. In my home country, the British Virgin Islands, campaigning for laws to protect sharks, rays and turtles; in the US, trying to abolish the death penalty and reform drug laws; in Australia, campaigning to protect the barrier reef and stop new coal mines; in African countries, trying to change laws that discriminate against gay people (and so on!).

  In 2016, Britain and Europe faced the most important decision to be made in my lifetime. A long-brewing storm reached a head when David Cameron announced an in-out referendum on Britain’s European Union membership. Mr. Cameron keenly wanted to remain in the EU, but the growing threat of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and his own Conservative Party’s disgruntled right wing convinced him to take an almighty gamble. He suspended “collective responsibility” on the issue, allowing ministers to campaign on either side of the argument. Tories Boris Johnson and Michael Gove took their cue to join UKIP leader Nigel Farage in spearheading the Leave campaign. What followed will go down as one of the most unpleasant episodes in British history.

  A few days after seeing David at Buckingham Palace, he sent me a handwritten note inviting me to come to dinner a week later, the night before the Brexit vote: “On the referendum, I really appreciate all you have done,” he wrote. “The nation really does look to you on this issue. So the more you feel you can do the better—it does make a big difference.”

  It was already well known how strongly I felt that the UK staying in the EU was best for the British people, British business and Europe as a whole. But I bided my time for the right moment to throw my public support behind Remain. The Stronger In campaign wanted me to be a “secret weapon,” as the Daily Telegraph’s Jeremy Warner jestingly called me: “Don’t laugh . . . Amid a sea of suits, he’s a rock star player who manages to make business look like fun.” I decided I would speak out in the immediate lead-up to the vote, when swing voters were most likely to be swayed.

  Our comms team pointed out that my intervention in this debate would risk me being reviled as a “tax exile.” I clearly had no right to vote, so this was the only way in which I could possibly make a difference—but our team said that my commentary might result in public criticism that could affect my reputation and thus the Virgin brand. My response to them was the fact that I had clearly made the BVI my home for life some years ago doesn’t mean:

  I don’t care about a place where I lived for much of the earlier part of my life;

  I can ignore something that will have a material impact on my children and grandchildren who continue to live in the UK; and

  more importantly in a purely Virgin context, that I can’t speak up as a long-term commercial investor in the UK economy. Whatever happened in the vote was likely to have a material impact on Virgin itself.

  Over fifty years of business I have been happy to take all manner of chances, but I have always made sure I protected the downside. If Britain left the EU and the European Single Market, I believed it would be a catastrophe for both British and European people. My reputation is of being a risk-taker—the cat with nine lives—but leaving the European Union is not a risk I wanted the UK to take. Although these days I live in the British Virgin Islands, I didn’t want to take a risk either as a major employer of people in both the UK and Europe, and certainly not as a father and grandfather concerned about the world we leave to the next generation.

  Memories of doing business before the EU was formed were still fresh in my mind. Moving my people between the UK and the Continent took months of negotiations, goods couldn’t be moved without high taxes and higher bureaucracy and trading and travel were nightmarish. The EU has removed those barriers; helping UK companies big and small to expand abroad and trade without tariffs or taxes. What’s more, people can live, travel, study and work wherever they please within the Common Market, creating a multicultural society that enriches all. Aside from economics, I recalled my father’s horrific stories about fighting in North Africa, Italy and Germany during the Second World War, and my grandfather’s ghastly tales about being gassed in the trenches of the First World War. If you work, play, learn together, and even marry each other, it is unthinkable you will ever go to war with each other. I liv
ed in the UK for five decades and represent the first generation of my family not to fight on European battlefields. Instead I was able to become an entrepreneur, thanks to a new vision of peaceful partnership between Europe’s nations—one built on trade, openness and collaboration. In fact, in 2012, the European Union received the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights.

  The economic arguments carried weight, too. Up to three million British jobs are linked to the UK’s membership in the world’s largest single market—a market of more than 500 million consumers, offering unparalleled opportunities for investment and trade. Almost half of all British exports go to other EU countries. At Virgin alone, we employ nearly 50,000 people in the UK. I predicted Brexit would deal a devastating blow to the UK’s economy, killing many jobs and hitting the strength of the pound. I wasn’t saying the EU is perfect—far from it. But the UK needed to remain inside to have a seat at the table in reforming the EU as a stalwart for peace against aggressors around it, and a beacon of democracy.

  On the other side of the fence—at times it felt as if they were on the other side of the universe—the Leave campaign continued to peddle nonsense so outrageous it went beyond satire. A bright red “battle bus” toured the country with an enormous lie plastered across the side of it: “We send the EU £350 million a week. Let’s fund our NHS instead.” The UK Statistics Authority stated this was misleading; the Institute for Fiscal Studies called it “absurd.” Meanwhile, Boris Johnson was busy comparing the EU’s aims to Hitler’s, and Nigel Farage posed in front of a Nazi propaganda-mimicking poster showing a queue of mostly non-white refugees with the slogan “Breaking point.” This was the tip of the iceberg.