Arguing about statues masks the real issues

It was hard for me to accept Charles Dickens was a racist. He’s the nation’s greatest novelist and Kent’s greatest export, pipping Barry from Eastenders to the post.

But there are examples of racism in his works and that’s a fact.

What’s also a fact is most of his countrymen at the time were even more racist, because Britain was an appallingly racist place. Dickens was also horrific to his wife and if he was transported into your living room you’d want shot of him in five minutes. Just like most of our history he was deeply flawed. But does that mean we should daub a museum celebrating his contribution to culture with graffiti? Absolutely not.

The problem here, though, is not Dickens’ shortcomings - it’s the fact we’re even having the debate.

Pulling down the statue of slaver Edward

Colston and rolling him into Bristol harbour was very obviously different.

Using a public space in a multicultural city to celebrate a man who made his millions through the brutal trade of human beings is absolutely crazy.

But shaming Dickens or tearing down the statue of slavery supporting Roman emperor Constantine, as York Minster think they should consider, are not in the slightest bit helpful.

The country has found itself enveloped by outrage manufactured to sabotage the Black

Lives Matter movement. We’re now fighting over emperors and 19th century novelists while failing to tackle 21st century Britain’s racism problem.

It was only this week that Kelvin Fawaz won his 16-year fight against deportation. He was trafficked into the UK as a child and went on to box for England but as soon as he was 18 the Home Office decided he wasn’t British and should be sent to Nigeria. All of this was going on in the wake of the Windrush scandal.

Acknowledging history is obviously important but addressing our current problems is even more crucial.

‘We’re now fighting over emperors and 19th century novelists while failing to tackle 21st century Britain’s racism problem’