Despite my occasionally didactic persona, I am pretty freewheeling. Don’t harm me. I won’t harm you. Mutually assured non-destruction. I just let people get on with life. I question them, make it a bit sticky, but hey! Their life.

I draw the line at racism. I’ll always call that one out. Every time. Every time.

I have acquaintance of some long standing. We have spent many an hour talking amiable bollocks in the pub. I liked him in an amiable way. We are very different, but there was an overlap.

I found out on Saturday he doesn’t ‘like black people.’ No hint of this before, not an inkling. Out of the blue.

He then used the classic racist defence. ‘Listen, I have black friends.’

I took him to task about this.

‘All racists say that. Every single one.’

This may put into perspective how fucking furious I was. I left a drink.

I also left with steam coming out of my ears.