Latest news with #PaulMooney
The Guardian
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Mayday, mayday! How will Nigeria and Nigerians survive now Kemi Badenoch has cut us adrift?
Paul Mooney, the late great African-American comedian and one of the most insightful yet hilarious intellectuals on matters of race, once quipped that every 'racially aggrieved' person once deceased returns in another body to collect what is owed to them. Illustrating the point he suggested that the first Black Oscar winner, Hattie McDaniel (perhaps most famous for playing Mammy in Gone With the Wind), had returned to the world as Oprah Winfrey. If Mooney's thesis is to be believed, there is amusement to be had guessing which figure from history has returned to us in the form of a newly 'ex-Nigerian' Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party Appearing on a podcast last week, Badenoch said that she no longer identifies as Nigerian. This was bizarre even by Badenochian standards. Her words: 'I don't identify with it [Nigeria] any more. Most of my life has been in the UK …' She went further: 'I'm Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents … but by identity, I'm not really.' The podcast presenter, the former Tory MP and all-round lovely chap Gyles Brandreth, deserves an award for not falling into a laughter-induced coma as Olukemi Olufunto desperately struggled with a self-imposed form of the late Norman Tebbit's 'whose side are you on anyway' cultural loyalty test. Badenoch isn't a runaway favourite. Just today Liz Truss, momentarily the Tory leader, now the stuff of actual stand-up comedy, accused her of 'repeating spurious narratives' about the economy. That's a bit cats in a true blue sack: but, listening to the leader of the opposition, now and previously, on matters of race and identity, I do find her confused and confusing. For someone keen to shed the weight of Nigerian origins, she appears to make much of them, if negatively. Nigerians in the diaspora tend to obsess about three topics: making money, Premier League football and Nigeria. Of this cohort, Badenoch sounds like a recent 'Japa' (a person who migrated from Nigeria usually to the west) who just cannot stop talking about 'back home'. A few months ago, the theme was ethnic enmity and corruption. Last month, doing the anti-immigration two-step on Fareed Zakaria's CNN show, she said her daughters were unable to attain Nigerian citizenship because 'I am a woman'. That was sad: cue violins. But it's also nonsense. The Nigerian constitution confers citizenship on to her children by dint of the fact that one of their parents or grandparents is Nigerian – which is actually more liberal and inclusive than the British approach to citizenship. It is infuriating that Badenoch tends not to do interviews with people with knowledge of Nigeria or even honest brokers on the Black experience in Britain. The result is that her more confusing pronouncements – such as the contention she 'doesn't like socialism' because of her experiences in Nigeria – go unchallenged. A clued-up interviewer might say: 'I put it to you that Nigeria is one of the most brutally capitalist nations on Earth, one without any real welfare state. You actually grew up in a recently liberated former British colony that was struggling under the weight of history and IMF-imposed structural adjustment programmes – the mother of all austerity regimes.' That's why her response to even the prospect of an appropriate interviewer is to run a one-minute mile. On one level it's all comedic, but it also seems sadly revealing. The colonial mindset that everything western is unquestionably superior is one that too many Nigerians have yet to discard: especially Nigeria's political elite. These interviews also reveal something significant about Britain and the Conservative party. She says these things in public, knowing there is a market for them. In Brandreth's podcast, Badenoch says she has not experienced racial prejudice in the UK 'in any meaningful form', adding, 'People didn't treat me differently, and it's why I'm so quick to defend the UK whenever there are accusations of racism.' That's great for her – go Kemi. But it hardly describes the general Black experience – as we might hope someone with such a profile would do – or anything backed up by data. So she is spouting derogatory nonsense about her country of cultural origin and misleads about the country she calls home. If there is value to her public utterances, it is hard to discern what that is. These are trying times, but those of us who feel proudly able to carry multiple identities – enriched by that privilege and truth – will have to go on without Kemi. Nigerians will have to love her, accepting that love is unrequited. Black Britons will seek to know and understand her, even if she shows no obvious yen to know or understand them. And people can change: for the day will come when tickling rightwing tummies no longer works, and VIP Kemi returns to mundane Earth as Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch. We'll see what she says then. Nels Abbey is an author, broadcaster and the founder of Uppity: the Intellectual Playground
Irish Independent
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Ros Tapestry back in Wexford after four year stint in Kilkenny
The exhibition is now open at the Waterfront (opposite the Dunbrody visitor centre), in New Ross, having been returned from Kilkenny Castle where it was on loan and was brought to a wider audience over the past four years. The Bring it Home campaign was started by the Board of the Ros Tapestry to raise funds for the development of its new location, which is now open to visitors. The Festival will include free tours of Medieval New Ross and entrance to guided tours of the Ros Tapestry. The stitchers' workshop will also be open for viewing for those who wish to see the stitchers at work and learn about the making of the tapestry. The exhibition will be officially opened in the evening by New Ross native, Prof. Briona Nic Dhiarmada, writer and producer of From That Small Island series. The Ros Tapestry was the brain-child of Rev. Paul Mooney of St Mary's church, in 1998. It was inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry which portrays the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The panels were created from cartoons painted by local artist Ann Bernstorff, which were painstakingly traced onto Jacobean linen. The stitchers then choose the stitches and colours that reflect the cartoon drawings bringing the tale of our Norman past to life. The stitching of the panels has been done over the past 27 years by 180 volunteer stitchers, and commenting on their work, the Chairperson of New Ross Needlecraft, Mary Lou O'Kennedy said 'their dedication and love of the craft is evident in each and every one of the panels.' Guided tours will take place on the day of the Bring it Home festival, free of charge, and hourly from 11am to 2pm which will included a visit to the various sites throughout the town that are referred to in the Ros Tapestry, led by history guru, Myles Courtney. There will also be a special viewing from 11am to 12pm for those who wish to see the tapestry stitchers at work in their workshop at 14 The Quay. "This exhibition has been made possible by the private donations and sponsorship received for the Bring It Home campaign fund-raising events and the Bring It Home GoFundMe page. Additionally, we received loan funding from Clann Credo Community Loan Finance, without whom it would not have been possible,' Ms O'Kennedy said. 'This festival celebrates all those who have created the Ros Tapestry, telling the tale of medieval New Ross and the South-East of Ireland. It has been created by the voluntary work of the stitchers and the board members who have served as guardians and managers of the Ros Tapestry, its stitching and exhibition, and the planning for its permanent home which will be in the new Norman Centre in New Ross, which is under development,' she added. This festival is funded through Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Wexford County Council under the Festival Grant Scheme 2025. Booking at info@ or 087 3720274, is essential for both tours during the Bring it Home festival.
The Courier
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Dundee hotel boss on why he's backing a Business Improvement District
Plans to introduce a Business Improvement District (BID) in Dundee have been resurrected. Attempts to create a BID in Dundee have fallen short previously, in 2015 and 2017. In 2019 the idea was floated again, but did not materialise after the coronavirus pandemic. An improvement district is a business led and funded scheme which sees a community pot shared out to help build and 'improve' areas like a city centre or high street. The pot contributes towards things like shared marketing projects, installing furniture like benches and planters and bins, to hosting events to encourage people in to shops. Businesses pay into the scheme, based on a percentage of their rateable value, usually between 1-4%. Owners with businesses located in the BID area will vote on whether to approve it in March 2026. And a steering group, chaired by Apex City Quay general manager Paul Mooney, has been established. There are 37 BIDs in Scotland, including in Aberdeen and St Andrews. Mr Mooney decided to get involved after seeing how the scheme benefitted other Apex hotels in the UK. He said: 'A business improvement district is essentially an additional resource that's going to be business led, that's going to have strong transparency and a stakeholder voice to really focus in on the areas that we see as challenges as a trading environment in Dundee city centre. 'One of the first things we will be doing is going out with a survey to all businesses in the proposed catchment area to ask them what the big things are they worry about on a day-to-day basis.' He said business owners have already raised concerns about anti-social behaviour and security, and enhanced cleaning provision over and above what the council already provides, with him. 'We would be looking to see what events and exciting initiatives would help drive footfall into the city centre,' the hotel manager said. 'We want a better environment that brings people into the city centre. 'It sounds crude, the more people there are the more they will spend with the businesses in the improvement district. 'I've only been in Dundee eight years and I love it. There's so much goodwill and collaborative working already in Dundee across businesses. 'And the BID is almost a natural evolution of that, of us all coming together, being able to pool resources in an equitable way where the bigger businesses will pay more into the pot, (but it's spread across all businesses and everyone benefits from it. Dundee businesses have tried three times previously to pull together a BID. In 2015, 106 businesses voted in favour of a BID compared to 80 against it. But the rateable value of those in favour did not meet the figure needed to allow it to go ahead. Plans for a Dundee BID reappeared in 2017 and again in 2019, but failed to gain traction. Critics of BIDs claim the schemes can be 'undemocratic' with transparency issues. In 2021, businesses inside the Crieff business improvement district voted not to renew it.
The Courier
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Courier Business Awards 2025: Apprentice
Entries are now open for The Courier Business Awards 2025 Apprentice category. The Courier Business Awards, held in partnership with Henderson Loggie, celebrates the achievements of companies operating in Tayside, Fife and Stirling. Since the awards started more than a decade ago, we've heard about the exceptional service offered, innovative products and solutions brought to the market and remarkable growth stories. Entries are now open – we can't wait to hear more about your accomplishments over the past 12 months. Winning a hotly contested Courier Business Award is a fantastic achievement for any business. It means a winning company is a leader in its sector and can be used to promote its products and services. It is also a boost for staff to know the work they do has been recognised. Our winners will be announced at a black-tie awards ceremony held at the Apex City Quay Hotel in Dundee this October, which brings together hundreds of business leaders for a night to remember. Entering is simple and free. We'd love to hear about your business. The Apprentice award is sponsored by Apex Hotels. This award recognises an individual who has participated in an apprenticeship programme during 2024/2025 and exceeded their employer's expectations. Entries can be submitted by the provider or apprentice. Winner will demonstrate: Entries close at 5pm on Monday July 14. Click here to enter the Courier Business Awards 2025 Apprentice category. Thank you to Apex Hotels for sponsoring the Apprentice category at The Courier Business Awards 2025. Family-owned and full of heart, Apex Hotels is a luxury collection of hotels situated in the heart of the UK's most vibrant cities – Edinburgh, London, Bath, Glasgow and Dundee. The four-star properties, each with their own personalities and distinctive style, are renowned for their sumptuous bedrooms, chic restaurants and bars, stylish spas, modern meetings and events spaces, and above all, their warmer welcome. Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa is perfectly placed for a chic getaway, whether it be for business or leisure. Paul Mooney, general manager at Apex Hotel, said: 'Apex Hotels are delighted to support the Courier Business Awards and sponsor the Apprentice award this year. We look forward to meeting all the applicants and celebrating with the winning apprentice at the awards ceremony.'
