Sounds like Shami Chakrabati needs to get on the case.

Good to see Labour Leave recognising and attacking the problem:

https://brexitcentral.com/remainers-using-identity-politics-demonise-brexiteers/

If remainers use identity politics to demonise leavers, then leavers use identity politics to demonise remainers, most of whom are not Islington-luvvie-tofu-munching-champagne-socialist-liberal-elitists.

Shock horror everyone uses identity politics on the offensive

I’m not David Lammy’s biggest fan, but bravo to him for his comments on Africa today.

As someone who has done quite a bit of business in Africa over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing holds Africa back more than the pitying Live Aid / Comic Relief stereotype of the continent.

Africa needs business investment and the respect which comes from being treated as an equal, not C-list foreign celebrities touring villages cuddling malnourished infants. Time to retire the out of date Comic Relief and focus our efforts on business relationships and helping them with better governance.

That is what China is doing. Investing in many African Countries.

I saw suggestions that Comic Relief should be replaced with a show where African (and maybe from others developing countries) business people and entrepreneurs bid for investments.

Ruthless as China’s investment often is, it is reducing poverty in many places, creating jobs and changing lives for the better (as has happened to a great extent in their own country). Aside from investment, Africa also seriously needs better governance and to rid itself of endemic corruption. But only its own people can do that, even if we can do our best to help them along the way.

HH – true.

But that’s the fault of middle class (white) liberals from the Foreign Office to Geldoff.

Lammy seems to be as silly as plastic Paddys who claim some kind of inherited knowledge and victimhood – blaming any British person – whereas at least SD did bother to visit and see the problems first hand.

I agree with LO more than HH here.

Lammys language is unnecessary and a bit nasty, frankly. Dooley and Sheeran are good ppl and it was horribly insulting to them. (“poverty porn” etc)

Surely we can have charity drives as well as what HH advocates above?

I’ll take the middle ground here. Lammy.worded his criticism far too strongly…it sounded a bit hysterical. On the flip side, I do see his point about some of these Comic Relief pieces being cringe inducing…very very white people swooping in heroically and saving African kids. I do think Ed Sheeran and Dooley meant well though.

Lol is ‘very white’ hate crime against people with freckles.

Only if you are an empty headed moron…

Personally I think Lammy’s comments were wrong

This country lacks no shortage of assh*les who would warrant his fire, but targeting a well-meaning white lady only trying to help some of the most vulnerable people in the world, is at best misplaced, and at worst, bang out of order

Have to take the side of Deepthroat and TJ on this one. If western governments aren’t investing enough in Africa, blame those governments, not Lenny Henry.

Also, can we all agree that while Comic Relief the cause is noble, Comic Relief the television event is woeful.

It’s an interesting debate. I’ve nothing against the celebrities personally nor against the concept of charity. And Lammy twisting it into an issue of race/colonialism isn’t quite what I was getting at. My problem is with the helpless stereotype of Africa which the west has which is stuck in a timewarp of Live Aid 1985, and how our modern culture of obsession with narcissistic celebrities seems to be perpetuating this. I’m not usually a fan of the Daily Mail nor of Jan Moir but her article on this today is worth a read.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/columnists/jan-moir-stacey-dooleys-comic-relief-photo-sums-up-an-instagram-generation-that-cares-most-about-me-me-me/ar-BBUe6Sb?ocid=ientp

Tristan – sorry, “very very white people.”