2 sensible and measured responses from Joe and Howard.

Any portrayal of a golly is offensive. It is a copy of one of the uniforms of a Minstrel performer, a caricature of a caricature if you like. Also in Enid Blyton's children's books gollies were portrayed as the villains. They are still on sale in toy shops in England for any racists to purchase.

However, it is important that the historic significance of racist examples are kept in the public eye, lest we forget! It is also important that we acknowledge that our forbears were wrong, and don't make excuses for them.