Nadia Whittome is deluded about drill music

Nadia Whittome, no longer Britain’s youngest MP but still quite possibly its daftest, has a new bee in her bonnet. Writing on Nottingham’s funkiest website LeftLion, she reveals that she has teamed up with campaign group Art Not Evidence and plans to bring a bill before parliament about rap lyrics (particularly the bleak subgenres of trap and drill) being used as evidence in court. Her bill will aim to raise ‘the threshold of admissibility to ensure that it’s only considered when it’s relevant and justified, and not indiscriminately.’ 

Nadia is upset about ‘negative stereotypes’. ‘[Rap] can still be viewed with suspicion, and associated with gangs, drugs and violence,’ she tells us. Heavens to Betsy, I wonder why that could possibly be? 

I’m longing to see the wording of this proposed legislation. How exactly would this work? If someone confesses to a crime, does it not count if they do it in rhyme? How on earth will rap be defined in law? How will ethnicity – a major plank of her objection to drill music being used in court – be wedged in? 

Presumably Whittome would be equally blasé if there were skinhead groups of the thankfully defunct ‘Oi’ genre bragging about the murders of black men – it’s only art, after all.