Last week – just like Laurence Fox on Question Time – I was branded a racist. The catalyst, of course, was a tweet I’d sent about Meghan Markle. Actually, a question. Politics is my obsession and I’m not the greatest Royal watcher. The ongoing psychodrama of Meghan and Harry and Kate and William had largely passed me by.

So I went on to Twitter and wrote: ‘On the Meghan racism debate – I’ve got to be honest, I haven’t followed the coverage about her until this week. Genuine question, are there any glaring examples of specifically racist articles (as opposed to a simple aggregation of broadly negative coverage).’ And that was it. I’d exposed my own racism.

One follower responded: ‘Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges says it’s OK and not racist to say awful things about black people, provided you don’t actually say they are black, or say that you are criticising them because they are black.’

DAN HODGES: Last week – just like Laurence Fox on Question Time – I was branded a racist. The catalyst, of course, was a tweet I’d sent about Meghan Markle

Another wrote: ‘If you’re a white male, I’m not sure you can begin to assess this situation but so many of you seem to be experts and are clearly confident in expressing how a black American woman should be feeling and acting.’

A third asked: ‘Why do you think it is the role of People of Colour to teach you about racism? There are books out there. Stop wasting people’s time and energy.’

There was a time when to be a racist you had to target someone based on their ethnicity. But that has changed. We now have ‘institutional racism’ – where a corporate view can inculcate racist attitudes. And there is ‘subconscious racism’, in which the individual may not intentionally be trying to target anyone, but does so out of habit or established cultural practice.

Full exchange: Rachel Boyle v Laurence Fox Rachel Boyle: 'The problem we've got with this is that Meghan has agreed to be Harry's wife and then the Press have torn her to pieces. Let's be really clear about what this is – let's call it by its name, it's racism, she's a black woman and she has been torn to pieces.' Laurence Fox: 'It's not racism, you can't just...' RB: 'She has been torn to pieces.' LF: 'It's not racism.' RB: 'It absolutely is.' LF: 'No it's not, we're the most tolerant, lovely country in Europe.' RB: 'Says a white privileged man.' LF: 'It's not racism. RB: 'Says a white privileged man.' LF: 'Oh God. It's so easy to throw the charge of racism at everybody and it's really starting to get boring. RB: 'What worries me about your comment is you are a white privileged male who has no experience in this. LF: 'I can't help what I am, I was born like this, it's an immutable characteristic, so to call me a white privileged male is to be racist - you're being racist.' Advertisement

In the past I’ve had some sympathy with those trying to expand these definitions. Racism is a complex issue and needs to be challenged in a thoughtful way.

But last week with the Meghan furore, we finally crossed a line and moved beyond institutional and subconscious racism to ‘ducking-stool racism’.

It operates in this simple, catch-all way. If you are presented with an allegation of racism – and agree with the allegation – that is evidence of the presence of racism. But if you disagree with the allegation of racism, then that is of itself evidence of your own bigotry, or myopic ‘white privilege’. And so again the racism is proved. Just as in the days when if the witch floated she was guilty, but had to drown to prove her innocence.

On Thursday it was the turn of actor Laurence Fox to be lashed to the chair and submerged. Confronted on Question Time by a lecturer from my alma mater, Edge Hill University, he was condemned as a ‘white privileged male’ for daring to argue that Meghan was not a victim of racism.

‘I can’t help what I am,’ he responded, and in doing so brought a social media avalanche down upon himself.

I don’t know why some people don’t like Meghan. I have no strong views on her one way or another. But in answer to a question I was asked repeatedly last week – ‘Can there be any explanation for the negative treatment of her and positive treatment of Kate, other than racism?’ – the answer is yes.

In the same way, people used to prefer Diana over fat, common Fergie. Or arrogant, horsey Princess Anne (until she teamed up with Emlyn Hughes on A Question of Sport).

My personal hunch is that what we’ve seen is simply a repeat of the classic narrative arc of the 21st Century celebrity couple. They embrace fame. They get frustrated with the inconveniences of fame. They try to have their fame and eat it. They fail. They cry foul. But frankly, I don’t care about them. What I do care about is their appropriation by the woke, liberal Left, and the instruction that anyone who doesn’t start to treat Meghan as a heroine, like the US civil rights activist Rosa Parks, must be branded a bigot.

I’ve looked through the coverage. And with the exception of that single infamous tweet from Danny Baker – for which he rightly got fired – none of it is racist. ‘That doesn’t matter,’ the argument goes, ‘the racism is still there, it’s just subliminal.’

No, it does matter. If you’re going to take a smouldering culture war, then fan it into a full-scale race war, you have to come armed with more than intellectual abstraction and psychoanalytic double-speak. In a poll last week, 73 per cent of those questioned said they preferred Kate to Meghan.

Prince Harry and Meghan (pictured together) leave after visiting Canada House in London earlier this month

That’s 73 per cent of the British public who are now being effectively branded as racist, or enablers of racism. What do the woke pseudo-progressives think they are actually going to achieve with the racist criminalisation of three-quarters of Britain?

When they’ve successfully rounded up all of us who don’t blindly accept Meghan is a victim of racism, or who voted for Brexit, or committed any of the other numerous crimes against liberalism, then forcibly shunted us to the same side of the political divide as the BNP or EDL, what do they expect to happen? We can’t keep doing this. We can’t keep saying to people: ‘You’re either on Team Meghan or you’re on Team Nick Griffin [ex BNP].’ And we have to start having an honest and open dialogue about issues of race that don’t involve abuse on either side.

Laurence Fox's QT highlights On a being actor on flying around the world: 'Yeah the carbon footprint is huge - but we make up for it by preaching to everyone else about how they should change their lives'. On Meghan and Harry quitting: 'I feel sorry for them, in a way, because it's difficult when you have a young baby and all that but surely Harry should have had a chat with Meghan at some point and said: 'By the way this is going to be misery and you don't have to marry me if you don't want to'. And then they hop out and I think, can we have the cottage back and your HRHs? I do sympathise with them but there is a little bit of having your cake and eating it, which I don't enjoy'. On racism and Asian sex gangs: 'We need to call out racism when it's seen and stand together to condemn it - but for fear of sounding racist there have been series of horrific things happening in Manchester and other towns all across the north of England and we should be careful and not call someone racist because they don't agree with you'. On the north: 'The people here are much nicer than anyone you'll meet in London, ever'. On the Labour leadership: 'Hmmm, who should replace magic grandpa. Keir Starmer? He just looks like he can take Boris on. That the vibe I get'. Shami Chakrabarti accused him of ignoring female candidates and he replied: 'Oh God it's not about women, jeepers creepers. Sorry, let me rewind. Any of the women. Is that better? Any woman. Because it's really important what your gender is or what your sexuality is rather than what your policies are'. Advertisement

When Meghan joined the Royal Family, it was held up as a symbol of the diversity of modern Britain. And it’s clear that many people in the British black community are angered and upset by her decision to move to Canada. They must be listened to.

But that has to be as part of a two-way conversation. And it cannot start with the demand to ‘check your white privilege’. Not least when Meghan is enjoying a life of privilege beyond most people’s wildest dreams – black or white. If we can’t have that conversation then we will all suffer.

I grew up in a part of South London close to where Stephen Lawrence was murdered. I used to work for the anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate. I know what happens when we let genuine racism fester unchecked.

But last week we also had a graphic example of what happens when we cry ‘Racism!’ where none exists. An independent review into the Greater Manchester grooming scandal found dozens of white girls were being abused by gangs of Asian men. Almost 60 victims – some as young as 12 – had been systematically assaulted. Nearly 100 assailants were identified. The police had been aware of the assaults all along but they failed to act for fear of being called racist.

SO please, stop telling me that I have to view the Duchess of Sussex as a victim, that I should be working myself into a paroxysm of rage because of the way the media has chosen to portray her love of avocados or compared her wedding bouquet to Kate’s wedding bouquet.

One of the responses to my initial tweet said: ‘Black Britons are 40 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police. Dan Hodges: hmmm, that’s just an aggregation of harassment, not explicit racism.’

Meghan isn’t getting hassled on the streets by the police. She’s being escorted by them to Royal galas, where her husband taps up film executives for voiceover work. And there were no police on hand to hear the screams of victims of the Greater Manchester rape gangs.

If writing that automatically excludes me from the ranks of those challenging actual racism, so be it. It can be safely left to the liberals and the woke Left, those people who currently demand we listen to the ‘lived experience’ of black Britons, but last month were telling us all to ignore the pleas of the Jewish community and elect Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.

I’m sure they’ll be there taking a stand the next time the EDL are marching through the streets of Luton. Meghan may well even send a message of solidarity.

But I won’t. I can’t. Because last week I became a racist.

Lily Allen blasts Laurence Fox saying she is 'sick to death of luvvies forcing their opinions on everybody else' and says actor shouldn't rant 'about things you don't know anything about' after Question Time Meghan racism row

By Phoebe Eckersley for MailOnline

Lily Allen launched an extraordinary attack on Laurence Fox saying she is 'sick to death of luvvies forcing their opinions on everybody else' following his Question Time racism row with an ethnicity lecturer.

The singer posted a string of messages on her Instagram, which has recently been made private, about Fox's slanging match with Rachel Boyle, an academic at Edge Hill University on Merseyside.

In the Instagram stories, she admitted being 'sick to death' of 'luvvies' like Fox who are guilty of 'forcing their opinions on everybody else'.

Lily Allen has shared a tirade of messages slamming Laurence Fox for his Question Time row with Rachel Boyle, an academic at Edge Hill University on Merseyside.

'He'll never have to deal with what normal people have to deal with in his gated community.

'BBC should be ashamed, this is not what we pay our TV license for.'

In the scathing attack, the pop star told him to 'stick to acting mate, instead of ranting about things you don't know about'.

Allen added fuel to the fire following Fox's interview where he was called a 'white privileged male' for denying the Duchess of Sussex was hounded from Britain for being mixed-race

During the BBC programme, the actor claimed 'throwing the card of racism at everybody... [is[ really starting to get boring now'

The Famous Foxes Laurence Fox comes from a distinguished acting family. His sister Lydia and brother Jack (One of many in the family to have appeared in Midsomer Murders) are both actors. Father James Fox is a film and TV actor who appeared in Performance, Death In Paradise, Downton Abbey and Midsomer Murders. His uncle Edward's impressive film CV includes Battle Of Britain, The Day Of The Jackal, A Bridge Too Far and Johnny English Strikes Again. Edward's first wife Tracy Reed appeared in Dr Strangelove and the original Casino Royale. His second wife Joanna David has appeared in TV hits Colditz, Rumpole of the Bailey, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and The Darling Buds of May. Laurence's other uncle Robert was once married to Natasha Richardson, herself from a famous acting dynasty. Laurence's cousins include Emilia, with movie hits such as The Pianist on her resumee, and TV actor Freddie Advertisement

During the Question Time row, Fox accused Boyle of 'being racist' after she called him 'a white privileged male' for denying the Duchess of Sussex was hounded from Britain for being mixed-race.

The Lewis star said 'throwing the card of racism at everybody... [is] really starting to get boring'.

Acting Union Equity called his words 'disgraceful playing to the gallery' and dubbed him a 'disgrace to our industry'.

As the backlash continued yesterday, Fox quoted Martin Luther King's 1963 'I have a dream' speech about living in a country where children will be judged 'by the content of their character'.

Social media users accused him of 'appropriating [Dr King] in order to prop up your own white privilege and toxic masculinity'.

He has since retweeted Allen's messages with a sarcastic nod to her so-called political correctness by saying: 'Lily Allen is the most stunningist and bravery artist in the whole wide world. #stunningandbrave'

And this is not the first time Allen has been slammed for her views expressed online.

In 2016, she received backlash for apologising to a teenage refugee in the Jungle camp in Calais 'on behalf of the country'.

The pop artist said: 'We've bombed your country, put you in the hands of the Taliban and now put you in danger of risking your life to get into our country.'

Fox retweeted Allen's messages in a sarcastic nod to her so-called political correctness

Social media users were quick to defend Fox and call Allen out on her 'virtue-signalling'

She cried upon seeing his living conditions and was openly criticised for comparing British action in the Middle East to Isis on the visit.

The 34-year-old wrote on Twitter: 'Isis kill innocent people by the way, they cause horrific pain and destruction across the world, so do we. I'm sorry for that.'

Ms Allen, whose fortune has been estimated at as much as £15million, launched a tirade on British voters saying the reason Boris Johnson won the election was because 'racism and misogyny runs so so deep'.

She was 'holding out for a Labour majority' and responded to accusations of being one-sided by saying 'the left don't have the resources of the right' and she was still 'holding out for a Labour majority'.