'Ritz afro row and Essex pub are sad reminders of a Britain stuck in the past'

I recently returned home to the UK from an overseas work trip. And my goodness it felt like I’d stepped off the plane and back into the 1970s.

I couldn’t believe the ­headlines that greeted me after such a short space of time away.

First the story about police seizing a collection of golliwog dolls from a pub in Essex. One of the furious landlords said she couldn’t “see the harm” and within days had replaced the collection that was taken away. It later emerged that her partner, “Mr It’s Only A Toy”, had allegedly spouted racist views online.