The Black Paper
Hosted by Ndukwe Onuoha and Cheta Nwanze, The Black Paper looks at UK politics through the lens of African heritage communities, many of whom are recent migrants.
Episodes
53 episodes
Garbage in, garbage out: Is Farage in the dumps?
SummaryNigel Farage has resigned his parliamentary seat - and immediately announced he is standing again in the resulting by-election. The reason? A formal parliamentary investigation into a £5 million gift from a cryptocurrency ...
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Do no harm: Dr. Fatima Eltinay on the Baroness Amos report
SummaryDr Fatima Eltinay is a Consultant Anaesthetist, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire, and Chair of Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch. Her work spans healthcare, public safety and community leadership, with a focus ...
All hail the King: Is Andy Burnham "for us"?
SummaryLess than two years after Labour’s landslide, Keir Starmer is out.This week on The Black Paper, we go beyond the Westminster headlines to ask what really brought his government down, whether Labour’s shift on immigr...
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Bayo Alaba MP: Representation still matters
SummaryIn this episode of The Black Paper, we sit down with Bayo Alaba, the first Labour MP to represent Southend East and Rochford, to explore his journey from growing up in East London to serving in Parliament.Bayo reflects ...
Pure, cold rage: Is political violence getting normalised?
SummaryIn the wake of the sentencing of the killer of Henry Nowak, Nigel Farage took to the podium to do what he does best: dog-whistle politics. Only this time, his call for “pure, cold rage” incited a riot that has laid bare th...
Don't take it lying down: visa scams and prostate checks
SummaryA landmark employment tribunal has awarded nearly £30,000 to a care worker who relocated to the UK under the post-Brexit visa scheme, only to receive zero days of work for an entire year. His case is not unusual. Thousands...
David Weaver: Tired, but not tapping out
SummaryWhat happens when a community can speak eloquently about its problems, but not so much about the solutions?We explore this in the latest episode of The Black Paper, with David Weaver, Chair of Operation Black Vote.<...
What lies beneath: Examining the Domestic Violence Concession status
SummaryIt’s been one year already!So, where better to start than by a quick reflection on the year so far - which didn’t last long, because Cheta decided to talk yet again about Labour’s woes! Our discussion...
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Beginning of the end: Is Starmer’s premiership over?
Write to your MPClick on this link to write to your MP about Cllr Glenn Gibbins’s death threat to Nigerians: https://theblackpaper.co.uk/write-to-mp.htmlNIGERIAN-HERITAGE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT<...
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Numbers don't lie: Labour's African vote problem
SummaryAhead of the 7 May local elections, we surveyed 123 African heritage voters across the UK. The findings confirmed some things we suspected, complicated a few assumptions, and threw up a few surprises.In this episode,...
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Democracy for sale: what does Christopher Harborne really want?
SummaryOn this episode, we ask why Christopher Harborne, a reclusive Sheffield-born billionaire living in Thailand, has donated more than £22 million to Reform UK, accounting for two-thirds of every pound the party has ever raised...
Prince of Darkness: will Peter Mandelson dim Starmer's light?
SummaryWill Peter Mandelson be the end of Keir Starmer's premiership?In this episode, we explore how a need to contain Trump may lead to the overthrow of the current Labour administration. We also touch on Labour’s internal...
On your mandate: are we ready for African Reform Councillors?
SummaryReform has unveiled its list of Council candidates for May, and their supporters are having a meltdown! Why? Because there are Black and Brown candidates amongst them.On this episode, we explore the wisdom of migrant...
Politics is a market place: why we should never stop engaging.
Kemi Badenoch is reported to be Britain's most popular party leader. But as Reform's poll numbers wobble, we ask whether the media has quietly shifted its gaze - and whether Kemi's rise is as much a media story as a political one.On immi...
New class, same politics: Will Angela Rayner save the ILR debate?
SummaryHas Angela Rayner taken the first step in a leadership challenge - and what does it mean for our community?In this episode, we explore the changing nature of class, identity and power in modern Britain.We brea...
All about interests: President Tinubu's state visit to the UK
SummaryIn this episode of The Black Paper, we explore Reform’s tactics, the role of voter sentiment in elections, and the hypocrisy shaping politics in both the UK and Nigeria - alongside how international relations conti...
The freestyle episode: sometimes you need a break
In a slight deviation from our usual format, we take a small break from politics to talk about… well… politics.Here's the article Cheta mentioned: https://substack.com/profile/40451488-ayisha/note/c-224360945?utm_source=notes-share-actio...
Caught in the middle: how will the war in Iran affect you?
This episode explores the complex geopolitical landscape, the impact of recent Middle East conflicts, and the implications for global and local politics, including UK domestic issues and AI ethics.
Baggy Shanker MP: Why engagement matters
In this episode, we sit down with Baggy Shanker MP, Member of Parliament for Derby South.Baggy reflects on his journey into politics, the responsibility of representing a diverse constituency, and why meaningful community engagement must...
Dog whistle politics: is Britain being colonised?
Is Britain “being colonised” - or is that language part of something much bigger?In this episode, we take a deep dive into three major political storylines shaping the national conversation: Jim Ratcliffe’s controversial remarks about im...
What a week! Murder, migration, and political mayhem.
In this episode of The Black Paper, we unpack a series of pressing and interconnected issues: from the realities of gender-based violence and the need for deeper mental health awareness in our communities, to the UK’s tightening visa r...
It's giving African politics: Braverman, Burnham, and the Battle for Sudan
On this episode, we move between Sudan and the United Kingdom, examining how current affairs are nothing but echoes of a not-so-distant past.In Sudan, the ongoing crisis exposes the long shadow of colonial legacies, weak civilian institu...
The beer parlour episode: visas, defections, and AI in the police
SummaryPossibly the most chaotic episode of The Black Paper yet.We get into why UK visa applications have fallen off a cliff (and what that actually means for public services), unpack the West Midlands police chief’s AI-fue...
