Last we heard, Lady Gaga’s planned show in the Indonesian capital Jakarta next month was off, after she was refused a visa amid fears of mass protests against a performance that the Islamic Defenders’ Front has branded “satanic”.

But, while a spokesman for the country’s national police recently told Reuters that Gaga had been refused a visa to enter the country, it seems this may not be the case. Although the full scale stage show seen in other countries on the tour will definitely not happen there.

Posting on Twitter, Gaga said: “The Jakarta situation is twofold: Indonesian authorities demand I censor the show and religious extremist [groups] separately are threatening violence. If the show does go on as scheduled, I will perform the ‘Born This Way Ball’ alone”.

It seems fairly ridiculous to me that there is any debate about who can get married to who. If people want to marry each other, why would you stop them? Really, it’s just a contract that says they can have each other’s stuff, isn’t it? And that they won’t be dicks to each other. And I was always told that sharing and being niceto people was a good thing, even if such things are done partly because of a legal requirement.

Anyway, Jay-Z agrees with me, and so does Barrack Obama, so I think I’m in good company. Obama recently announced publicly that he was in favour of same-sex couples getting married and now, because it’s apparently a thing that people are being asked a lot at the moment, CNN has got Jay-Z to say the same. Whether we really needed to know the rapper’s opinion on this matter I don’t know, though, to be fair, there do seem to be a lot of people out there who don’t like the idea of people being happy and getting on with their lives, so maybe it is a question that should be brought up when interviewing influential folks like Jay-Z.

The rapper said in an interview on Monday: “I’ve always thought it [not letting same-sex couples marry] as something that was holding the country back. What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. [It] is no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple”.

Lady Gaga has been refused a working visa to perform in Indonesia, after protesters there threatened to cause “chaos” outside a planned Gaga concert, a spokesman for the country’s national police, Saud Usman Nasution, has told Reuters.

The show was due to take place in Jakarta on 3 Jun and is the second on the singer’s current tour to attract protest, although a performance in Seoul, South Korea did go ahead despite local opposition.

As previously reported, the chairman of the Jakarta branch of the Islamic Defenders’ Front Salim Alatas recently told AFP: “We will stop her from setting foot on our land. She had better not dare spread her satanic faith in this country. Her style is vulgar, her sexual and indecent clothes will destroy our children’s sense of morality. She’s very dangerous”.

Gaga and her people are yet to comment.

Lady Gaga’s upcoming show in Indonesia is due to become the latest attract protests. The opening show of the singer’s latest world tour in Seoul, South Korea went ahead while a demonstration took place outside, and now campaigners are calling on her to cancel her planned performance in the Indonesian capital Jakarta next month.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, a spokesman for the Islamic Defenders’ Front said: “Lady Gaga insults all religions. Even Christians in Korea opposed her. She is promoting the worship of Satan”.

The chairman of the group’s Jakarta branch Salim Alatas also told AFP: “We will stop her from setting foot on our land. She had better not dare spread her satanic faith in this country. Her style is vulgar, her sexual and indecent clothes will destroy our children’s sense of morality. She’s very dangerous”.

The group claims that it has rallied 30,000 people to demonstrate outside the concert, though they will still be outnumbered by its 40,000 ticketholders.

Neil MacBride, the US Attorney for the Eastern District Of Virginia, has a message for anyone who lost personal data when his office swooped on the MegaUpload operation in January: “Fuck you, I’m a fucking US Attorney and I can do whatever I fucking like”. Well, I’m paraphrasing slightly, but that’s certainly the sentiment expressed by the official in his latest court submission relating to the Mega saga.

As much previously reported, when the US authorities took the Mega websites offline amidst allegations of copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering, while the majority of the files removed from public access was probably unlicensed music, movie and TV content, some of the digital firm’s customers will have been using the cloud-lockers they rented from the company to store legitimate content that they had created and/or owned, and when the plug was pulled access to that data was cut off too.

Mega’s servers were actually owned by two other hosting companies, and in particular Carpathia Hosting, and bosses there have been agonising over what to do with all the bits of hardware now sitting in their building unused, given the Mega company, with its assets frozen, is no longer able to pay rental fees. Prosecutors say they have all they need from the Mega servers and are happy for all remaining data to be wiped, and the servers put to use elsewhere. But the Mega defence team, legal reps for the Motion Picture Association Of America and various former Mega customers have all requested access to the old servers, either to use as evidence in court, or in the case of former customers to retrieve lost data.

Various proposals to make that happen have been put forward – including letting Mega buy the servers itself and then having its lawyers oversee the return of legitimate data to former customers, though, as assumed, that would require the US authorities freeing up about a million of the digital company’s frozen assets, which said authorities have said they won’t do. The MPAA, which opposed that particular proposal anyway, instead advocated that the federal government in the US take ownership of Carpathia’s hardware, and oversee the data return process, ensuring access to the unlicensed movie content sitting on the Mega platform is first blocked.

Carpathia is open to all options, though really just wants a speedy resolution, because while those servers sit unused it is losing money. The speediest solution would be to just delete all the data sitting on the former Mega servers, though Carpathia is concerned doing so might open it up to civil litigation from any former customers of the file-storage company who lose their files as a result. To that end, amongst various filings made to the courts on this matter, Carpathia requested a protective order to protect it from any such lawsuits.

But MacBride is basically of the opinion that all that inaccessible Mega data is not his or the court’s problem, and Carpathia should just get on with deleting it all, like he said the company could back in January. In his court filing, MacBride was dismissive of Carpathia’s claims regards the extent of its financial burden in holding onto the Mega data, adding that anyway it was doing so if its own accord, and not at the US government’s request. This was a criminal matter, he added, and civil litigation was not a matter for him or the court.

On other matters, MacBride said that he shared the MPAA’s concerns that any move to restore access for former Mega customers to their data might result in further distribution of all the unlicensed movie files stored on the servers, though having washed his hands of that data he didn’t propose any solutions as to how legitimate and unlicensed content could be distinguished. Though he did add that there had been allegations that some pictures of child abuse may have been stored on the Mega platform somewhere, and if those allegations were true, the authorities would take a new interest in the data, albeit in a way that would probably further complicate the reconnection of former users with their files.

As previously reported, one former Mega customer who has lost access to his data (his local copy of which was also lost when a hard disk packed up), has filed papers with the courts – backed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation – calling on judges to intervene to ensure “innocent users” are not negatively impacted by the criminal case against MegaUpload and its bosses. But that hasn’t affected MacBride’s resolve on this issue. While admitting the case, involving Kyle Goodwin, was “unfortunate”, the US Attorney says MegaUpload’s own terms and conditions said users should still keep local back ups of uploaded content, and that if Mega was to cease operations it would not be liable for any lost data.

According to C-Net, MacBride writes: “The ‘innocent user’ concerns articulated by Carpathia – and expanded upon in the supporting brief of Kyle Goodwin – appear to be undermined by MegaUpload.com’s own terms of service. [Users were cautioned] not to keep the sole copy of any document on MegaUpload.com, and stated that MegaUpload.com’s duty to preserve data ends when, at its sole discretion and without any required notice, Megaupload.com ceases operations. While Mr Goodwin’s situation is unfortunate, it is not a matter to be resolved as part of the criminal case”.

Of course MacBride is almost certainly right on all the points he raises legally speaking, though as the Electronic Frontier Foundation has pointed out, we are in uncharted waters here, and any court rulings on this matter could set important precedents, which could impact on both the cloud-locker sector and the copyright industries.

The former because – whatever the small print says – cloud lockers are sold on the idea that as a customer your content is always safe and readily available wherever you are. The more cloud lockers go offline overnight without warning, for whatever reason, the less compelling renting virtual locker space becomes.

The latter because if legitimate Mega users do lose their data here, they will blame the big movie studios, and probably by association the big records companies, who will be accused of using their power and influence to protect their own copyrights while gladly standing by as independent creators have their copyright works deleted by anonymous officials. While the number of people actually affected in that way might be minimal in the wider scheme of things, such an eventuality will further hinder the content industries in the public debate on copyright, which they are already woefully losing.

Because, while the big content owners may have scored some successes in the court rooms and legislative chambers of various countries around the world in recent years regards the protection of copyright online, in terms of public opinion the content industries are seen in the main as money-grabbing power-hungry monoliths, scrwing over artists and blocking digital innovation in a bid to protect their dying business models. That’s a grossly unfair depiction, but one nurtured by unwise litigation and DRM obsessions ten years ago, and a total failure to engage with the public at large on copyright issues to this day.

And public opinion does matter. Because copyrights are always hard to enforce at a micro level, and really rely on the public buying into the principles of copyright law and behaving responsibly. And because in the social media age, single issue campaigning groups can make powerful strikes, such as that which saw the years-in-development SOPA and PIPA anti-piracy bills in US Congress unceremoniously dropped after just 24 hours of public protest. Unfortunately for the big record companies, the actions of the US authorities and movie studios with regard to MegaUpload could further turn public opinion against them, which won’t help when SOPA and PIPA v2 go before America’s political decision makers.

Plan B has defended the depiction of violence in the video for his new single ‘ill Manors’. The first track released from the soundtrack of his new film project of the same name, which sees him return to rap after his foray into soul, the video shows staged violent scenes intercut with footage of last summer’s London riots.

In a statement issued via his website yesterday, Plan B called the video “satire” and said: “The world, and this country especially, is full of contradictions. I’m just highlighting them, I’m not condoning anything. I aired my feelings about the riots very publicly when they happened and I still feel the same way”.

Saying that he feels the subject of the riots “has been swept under the carpet and forgotten about”, he added: “The point being made in my song ‘ill Manors’ is that society needs to take some responsibility for the cause of these riots. Why are there so many kids in this country that don’t feel they have a future, or care about having a criminal record?”

Providing his own theory on this, he continued: “I think one of the reasons is that there is a very public prejudice in this country towards the underclass. These kids are ridiculed in the press as they aren’t as educated as others, because they talk and dress in a certain way… but they’re not as stupid as people think … These kids have been beaten into apathy. They don’t care about society because society has made it very clear that it doesn’t care about them”.

Read Plan B’s full statement here, and watch the video for ‘ill Manors’ here:

With the London mayoral election now just three months away, Ministry Of Sound is hoping support from Labour hopeful Ken Livingstone will make incumbent Boris Johnson wary of meddling in a planning decision that, the club’s operators claim, could put the club out of business if altered.

As previously reported, Ministry last October succeeded in blocking a residential development opposite its South London HQ, fearing that the proposed apartment development would cause licensing issues for the superclub down the line. But, while the local Southwark Council planning committee accepted the clubbing firm’s concerns and refused developers Oakmayne Properties planning permission, Johnson, as Mayor of London, could still step in and overturn that decision. Johnson’s office is believed to be currently considering Oakmayne’s case.

But last week both Livingstone and his party’s leader Ed Miliband gave their backing to Ministry, declaring that Southwark Council had made the right decision, and Johnson should frankly keep his nose out of the South London district’s affairs.

Welcoming the backing from Team Labour, Ministry boss Lohan Presencer said on Thursday: “We are delighted that Ken Livingstone has today come out for Londoners and we thank him very much. Ministry works with politicians of all parties. This has never been about party politics – it’s about London. Boris is a mayor who for many has always been known to do the right thing. He needs to stand by his earlier pronouncements about London being one of the most exciting and unique destinations in the world and protect the future of one of the city’s most famous assets”.

Quoted by Digital Spy, the Ministry chief continued: “Every time Boris has called in an application to date, he has overturned the original decision and granted permission, flying in the face of the choice of locally elected Londoners. If he does so again, he condemns Ministry Of Sound to death. We want to know why the Mayor chose to get involved in this one case, out of the many thousands that are determined by local authorities without his intervention every year. It’s no good saying you want to kick start the regeneration of Elephant And Castle if you’re kicking the most successful local business and employer in the teeth”.

Mick Jagger has pulled out of an event at this year’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland after accusing David Cameron of attempting to use him as a “political football”.

Jagger was due to appear at an event hosted by Cameron intended to promote Britain. Other public figures involved include inventor of the internet Tim Berners-Lee and model Lily Cole. Following the announcement of his involvement, some media coverage suggested that Jagger was confirming a political allegiance to the Conservative Party.

However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, Jagger said: “During my career I have always eschewed party politics and came to Davos as a guest, as I thought it would be stimulating. I have always been interested in economics and world events. I now find myself being used as a political football and there has been a lot of comment about my political allegiances which are inaccurate. I think it’s best I decline the invitation to the key event and curtail my visit”.

A Downing Street source told The Guardian: “Clearly we are disappointed that Sir Mick doesn’t feel he can support a non-political event that promotes Britain. At no point was there ever any suggestion that Sir Mick was a Conservative. He understandably wishes to remain apolitical. This is not a political event. This is simply an event that promotes British creativity abroad”.

A video interview featuring Thom Yorke and Massive Attack’s 3D talking about the international Occupy movement and has been released online.

Thom, 3D and one time UNKLE producer and DFA Records co-founder Tim Goldsworthy last week surprised Occupy London activists with secret DJ sets, appearing in the basement of a disused UBS building that has been occupied by protestors and rechristened the ‘Bank of Ideas’. According to a statement on the Occupy London site, HD clips and audio recordings of the performance are also to be released on a ‘pay what you want’ basis, “to help raise money for Occupy London and the wider Occupy movement”.

Arguing that many people feel “powerless” to comprehend the extent of the global financial crisis, Yorke said: “Because it’s in the banking system, because it’s in this great cathedral of glass and steel, we’re not allowed to say anything about it”.

He also spoke out in staunch support of the Occupy protestors, adding: “If the British government is not prepared to really make amends to the British people by penalising the banks the way they should, then I think we should do it ourselves”.

Another music star to weigh in on the debate is rapper Jay-Z, who said recently that the original Occupy movement on Wall Street is “a good thing” in that it gives voice to young peoples’ views. Though, given that his clothing brand Rocawear is still profiting from the sale of those previously reported ‘Occupy All Streets’ t-shirts on its website, his being in favour of the protest is unsurprising, not to mention lucrative. Oh well, hip hop moguls will be hip hop moguls.

Watch his interview with CNN Money here.

South Korean pop singer Rain, once dubbed the “Justin Timberlake of Asia” (when that meant “really big pop star” and not “sometime actor trying to rescue a dying social network”) has stepped back from his music career to go and do two years military service. Hundreds of tearful fans, some from Japan and China, watched as the singer gave a military salute before disappearing into an army base in Uijeongbu, a city north of Seoul.

All able-bodied men in South Korea are obliged to do two years of military service, and while some athletes can get out of it, in the main entertainers are not exempt. Some celebrities have tried to circumvent the system in recent years, though suffered a considerable public back lash for doing so, meaning most now accept some army time as an inevitability. Instead, they generally try to spin it into positive publicity, of them “doing their bit” for the country. As a result, some have managed to come back from two years out of the spotlight and to continue their careers where they left off, though such an absence will, presumably, have an impact on their popularity abroad.

Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon and who, at 29, will be older than many of his counterparts starting their military service this week, told his fans: “Thank you for the ten years of love”.

According to The Pirate Party, the Greens/European Free Alliance, a coalition of political groups in the European Parliament, have adopted their policies on copyright issues.

The Swedish branch of The Pirate Party, which advocates radical reform of copyright law, won two seats in the European Parliament in 2009, and those MEPs subsequently allied with the Greens/European Free Alliance, a coalition of political groups mainly representing environmental concerns or the interests of ethnic minorities. Although only the fifth biggest coalition in the Parliament, the Alliance did have the most gains in the most recent European elections.

Although its policies are not limited to intellectual property matters, it is The Pirate Party’s views on copyright that are perhaps best known. Its copyright policies include a reduction of the basic term of rights protection to five years, extendable to 20 years on registration.

Also noting that its sister organisation in Germany recently won seats in the Berlin state parliament, UK Pirate Party leader Loz Kaye told The Inquirer: “With the recent election victory in Berlin and now the Green EU Block adopting key Pirate Party positions, the movement continues to grow in its influence. This is because of the strength of our ideas. There are real challenges to digital rights world wide – site blocking, ‘[three] strikes’ laws and [global intellectual property law treaty] ACTA – and people are looking to us to stand up to the industry lobbyists. It’s vital that we work at an international level to combat these threats to the open web”.

He added: “Every country with a Pirate Party presence is a country where digital rights, our right to a shared culture and civil liberties, are put firmly on the agenda. Here in the UK, we plan to follow up on our meeting with [the government's culture minister] Ed Vaizey to continue to point the government in the direction of digital inclusion, rather than crackdowns like the Digital Economy Act. The time of the big media lobbies having it all their own way is over”.

Primal Scream have issued a statement saying that they are “disgusted” that Theresa May closed her speech at the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday with their 1994 song, ‘Rocks’. Which is interesting for several reasons, though mainly because Theresa May didn’t close her speech at the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday with their 1994 song, ‘Rocks’. She closed it with ‘Bohemian Like You’ by The Dandy Warhols.

In a statement slating the coalition government, and in particular the Conservative Party, Primal Scream said: “We would like to distance ourselves from this sick association. The Tories are waging a war on the disenfranchised. They are the enemy”.

But then the Conservatives responded by insisting that May had in fact used ‘Bohemian Like You’ by The Dandy Warhols. And unlike much of May’s speech, that was actually true. She’d not chosen a song containing the line “Cops keep bustin, hustlers keep hustling, death keeps knockin, souls are up for auction”, instead she’d gone with what is surely a much less appropriate song for a gathering of Tories, an ode to friendship and being helpful.

Of course The Dandy Warhols are Americans, so what do they care if some political party on a tiny island uses one of their songs? Surely they couldn’t be as angry about it as Primal Scream were when they thought it was their song. Well, er, upon hearing the news Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor wrote a blog post which started: “I’ll tear their fuggin heads off. Well maybe not, but this happened to us in an Arkansas gubernatorial race and it makes me super angry. And then I wanna puke”.

He continued: “Why don’t these assholes have right-wing bands make them some right-wing music for their right-wing jerkoff politics? Oh, because right wing people aren’t creative, visionary or any fun to be around. Nor are they productive or even introspective about it. I tend to really dislike ANY people who take sides in politics. It is the single greatest contributor to getting nothing done. Fuck ‘politics’. What a joke. I give my charitable donations to people who get on a plane themselves and go to Haiti or Africa and help other people. Do you? NEVER to a political machine. I like to get shit done”.

Of course, the biggest tragedy in all of this is the fact that a joke posted to Twitter by former Labour minister John Prescott was rendered redundant. “Surprised Cameron and Osborne used ‘Rocks’ from Primal Scream at conference. I’d have thought they’d prefer ‘Loaded’”, he tweeted, which goes to show that anyone can craft a half decent gag with just a little time spent on Wikipedia.

The government’s Intellectual Property Office has published a new guide for employers advising them on how to ensure their staff are not infringing copyright on company time.

Noting the civil and criminal risks to both employers and employees of being found guilty of infringement, it offers advice on business processes and policies that could stop that tedious bloke in accounts from downloading the new Nickelback album pre-release via a dodgy file-sharing site, or that irritating woman in a HR from catching up on ‘X-Factor’ via an unlicensed video sharing website.

Am I stereotyping there? I should stress there is no reason why a tedious bloke might not want to watch ‘X-Factor’ on MegaVideo nor why an irritating women might not be downloading Nickelback via The Pirate Bay. I’ve just never personally come across that bloke or woman. Not that I would have done anyway, because no tedious or irritating people work at CMU, and they certainly wouldn’t be infringing anyone’s copyrights even if they did. Oh no.

Anyway, here’s Business Minister Baroness Judy saying words: “This new free guidance is a great example of government, enforcement agencies and industry working together to raise awareness of the importance of managing intellectual property in the workplace. I would urge companies of all sizes to look at the guidance so they know how to protect their own IP and how to respect the IP of others. If they don’t, they expose themselves to the risk of legal action and risk damaging their own reputation and brand. Intellectual property rights are essential to the success and growth of any business. However, many companies can leave themselves open to prosecution if they or their staff infringe the IP rights belonging to other companies or individuals”.

The government’s IP guide is online here.

Some London political types have hit out at Britney Spears for filming a pop video in Hackney which seems to glamorise gun violence.

Some seem offended by the concept of the video in general, others that she chose to film it in East London, and others still that the filming involved the popstress waving a fake pistol around outside Stoke Newington Town Hall. The video is for new single ‘Criminal’, and has a Bonnie and Clyde theme apparently.

Presumably aware of the damage recent riots did to the reputation of some of London’s suburbs, including Hackney, local councillor said of the Britney video to ‘London Tonight’: “I think she should apologise and make a sizeable donation to a Hackney charity that deals with young people… for the rudeness and damage she’s done to this community”.

Meanwhile local MP Diane Abbott added: “It is only a music video but it’s images like this, with pop stars glamorising gangs, which means that some young people … get drawn in. Britney should really know better”.

Hackney Council, which was in the news last week for turning down an application for a new Channel 4 crime drama set on a fictional housing estate to be filmed in the area, admitted it had given the Britney video the go ahead, but said it did not give permission for a replica gun to be used and that it would be taking the matter up with the production company behind the pop promo.

It’s the battle of minds you’ve been waiting for: Dappy v Leona Lewis. In an interview with The Guardian, the N-Dubz star was asked his thoughts on comments made by Leona Lewis in an interview with the same paper about last month’s riots, in which she said: “I don’t think there was any motivation behind it other than to cause trouble cos they’re bored and want free stuff. Total, total hoodrats. Little shits!”

Dappy responded thus: “If I’d said that, I’d probably get killed, bruv. I’ve been that guy. It’s imperative to think of this as well: if these youngsters doing these things, if they were all rich and had money in their pockets, they wouldn’t need to go into a shop and steal a bloomin microwave to sell it and get money. They’re broke. Not to condone it, but they’re broke”.

He continued: “We have to think: David Cameron, why has he put these universities up to [£9000]? Say if my little son grows up and [the Prime Minister] takes [fees] even higher and I become bankrupt, can I afford for my little youngster to go to uni? Why is [Cameron] taking benefits off people? He doesn’t have a clue. They’re quick to put these ‘hood rats’ down, but there’s an ‘if’ and there’s a ‘why’”.

Following Hugh Grant’s guest spot at the weekend, Feargal Sharkey will be taking to the stage at the Liberal Democrats’ Party Conference later today, which will be jolly exciting I’m sure.

The one time Undertone and current boss of cross-sector trade body UK Music will be debating the copyright elements of the Digital Economy Act at a fringe event with Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert, who has been critical of that part of the DEA, despite the Coalition government being committed to enacting it (albeit at a snail’s pace).

Huppert told local newspaper Cambridge First: “I am looking forward to a lively debate on issues that have wide-ranging implications for the music industry but at the same time threaten the freedoms of the public. Feargal is always an interesting speaker, and it promises to be an interest exchange of views. We both share the aim of supporting music in the UK, and the wider creative industries”.

A 1965 concert contract, up for auction and expected to raise up to $5000, confirms that The Beatles showed their support for the 1960s US civil rights movement by refusing to play at any venue where the audience was segregated by race. The contract, signed by the band’s manager Brian Epstein, includes the clause that The Beatles will “not be required to perform in front of a segregated audience”.

The contract, for two shows at the Cow Palace in California, also reveals that the band received $40,000 for the performances, that a special drumming platform was constructed for Ringo Starr, and that at least 150 uniformed police officers were provided to ensure the band’s safety. Not that the latter clause worked especially well, at the second concert the 17000 strong crowd broke through security barriers and stormed the stage, forcing the show to be halted for a time.

The Beatles, of course, were known supporters of the civil rights movement’s campaign for racial equality, having previously refused to play a show in Florida in 1964 until officials abandoned plans to segregate the audience. At the time John Lennon said: “We never play to segregated audiences and we aren’t going to start now, I’d sooner lose our appearance money”.

London mayor Boris Johnson has apologised to Kelis after it was reported that she had been the victim of racial abuse at a London airport, and pledged to look into the incident. Which is all well and good, except it turns out the fracas actually occurred in Spain.

Kelis said earlier this week that a middle-aged English man called her a “slave” and “probably a disgusting Nigerian” after he incorrectly thought she had pushed in at passport control at an unnamed airport, and that no one else in the queue had spoken up. She added “the racial issues in the UK are disgusting, [the country is] racially decades behind progression because everything is swept under the rug”.

Kelis sort of implied this had happened at a London airport, leading to Johnson to take to Twitter to say: “Heard about the treatment you received at a UK airport. Want you to know this is not typical. I’m appalled and I’m on the case”.

But it’s unlikely Boris can help, given that we now know this happened in Spain. While the London mayor could have taken a London airport to task for their staff not stepping in, he can’t really do anything about one idiotic racist, other than, I suppose, dedicating the rest of his political career to fostering better racial harmony in Britain.

After Boris tweeted, Kelis clarified as follows: “Just to clarify, because apparently there’s been some confusion, I was in the UK (as always) this time for Bestival (which was great). I took a flight from Gatwick back to Spain. I landed in Spain and that’s when the fat pink faced British guy who was on the plane with me called me a slave and [told me] to call him sir. It was at passport control. I didn’t think to make that clear at the time because I was shaken and furious. Now you know”.

Kelis has claimed that she was racially abused at a London airport after being accused of queue jumping at passport control. The incident happened on Monday as she returned to London following her appearance at Bestival at the weekend.

In a series of tweets, Kelis said: “Apparently [I] pissed this one man off cause he thought I cut the line, which wouldn’t be far fetched of me, but this time I actually didn’t (not entirely, anyway). Well, the point is from zero to 60 this fat red faced sweaty ‘man’ (I use the word man loosely here) started calling me a slave and told me to call him sir and how I was probably a disgusting Nigerian. He called me ‘Kunta Kinte’ [the name of the main character in Alex Haley's novel 'Roots: The Saga Of An American Family' who is kidnapped from Gambia and forced into slavery in America] and ranted and raved some more”.

She continued: “The man behind the passport desk laughed, shook his head, in agreement I guess, and said ‘Kunta Kinte’. All the while the entire line full of people I just sat on a plane with for almost three hours – over 50 people – said nothing. I mean literally nothing. Didn’t flinch”.

This latter point, she said, is indicative of the UK, and why, she thinks, the recent riots in London erupted. She said: “I didn’t say anything at the time of the riots in London for a lot of reasons. But I am in London all the time and today I’m gonna say that the racial issues in the UK are disgusting. It’s racially decades behind progression because everything is swept under the rug. People don’t talk about it. People don’t fight about it. Not mentioning a problem doesn’t make it go away”.

She added: “I bring it up now because, as an American, it is abundantly clear that my country has a smorgasbord of disgusting racial problems. We are the poster child for racial inequality even still with a black president, but [at the same] it’s NO SECRET! And that I can fight against. I can try to prepare and teach my son. Because it’s out there. But you can’t fight for or against something no one is willing to talk about or even admit exists. Everyone wants to be politically correct. But who really cares? And what does that help? I could go on and on. I won’t. But maybe someone will start to talk about it from here”.

Chumbawamba’s ex-frontman has hit out at the UK Independence Party for using his former’s band’s hit ‘Tubthumping’ during its annual conference in Eastbourne this weekend. Apparently the song played as the party’s leader Nigel Farage took to the stage.

Dunstan Bruce told The Guardian he was angry that the right-leaning anti-Europe party chose to use his former band’s pro-anarchy song, telling the broadsheet: “This song being used by UKIP is so wrong. I am absolutely appalled that this grubby little organisation are stealing our song to use for their own ends. It’s beyond the pale and if they use it again we will consider legal action”.

Unfortunately for Bruce, and as previously noted, assuming the venue used by UKIP has the appropriate public performance licences, there is nothing he could do under copyright law to stop the anti-Europeans using his songs at their conference. All I can suggest is that, having been knocked down by Farage and friends, Bruce gets up again and pisses the night away.