The launch of The Indepedent group of former Labour MPs was much derided following the debacle of Angela Smith referring to BAME people as a “a funny tinge”. However as Angelo Irving writes, the remark reveals much about the institutional racism the fledgling party professes to abhor

Monday 18^th February. A day that saw a new political movement birthed. Seven Labour MPs resigned from the party citing Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, his handling of Brexit and structural antisemitism as their reasons for doing so. Appearing on Politics Live, one of the self-styled Independent Group, Angela Smith, savaged her former party over its record on antisemitism, claiming “the culture of the Labour Party is vicious, it’s bullying, it’s unpleasant”.

Smith wasn’t alone in her criticism. Shortly before a clip of fellow Labour deserter Mike Gapes had aired with the MP saying he was “sickened that the Labour Party is now a…

With the recent documentary series, Surviving R. Kelly, many are asking why the self-styled “Pied piper of R&B” has got away with it for so long. Angelo Irving asks if our disgust really translates into action.

Content Note: This article contains explicit reference to acts of child sexual abuse, please read on with caution.

Editor’s note: We are not linking to any R. Kelly songs or videos from this piece.

I wrote about R. Kelly last year after a number of music streaming services decided to stop promoting his music. At the time I expressed mocking surprise that they had done anything, because his victims, black women and girls, have been historically invisible.

Lifetime released a docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, which has once again shone a light on the history of Kelly’s alleged transgressions. However it does more than that. It highlight the complicity of so many who…