We have enough domestic malakatude to keep me busy but sometimes I like to dabble in international malakatude. And that is why Laurence Fox is malaka of the week.
Fox is a headline seeking malaka so he’s frequently in the news in the UK. My American readers require some exposition. This is it:
Laurence Fox is best known as a member of the Fox acting family dynasty. His father James, uncle Edward, and cousin Emilia are known for their acting prowess. That used to be the case for Laurence when he played Detective Sergeant James Hathaway on one of the best loved shows in British teevee history, Inspector Lewis, which is, of course part of the Inspector Morse family dynasty. Laurence Fox has gone from dynasty to just plain nasty.
Speaking of nasty, I hereby give him a Hathaway inspired nickname, DS Malaka.
It’s unclear why it happened but sometime in the last decade, Laurence Fox went from being a quirky eccentric actor to an unhinged wingnut provocateur. Fox formed his own populist political party during the pandemic. The Reclaim Party’s platform is xenophobic, pro-Brexit, anti-immigrant, anti-vaxx, and homophobic. I hesitate to call it a party since Fox is, to some extent, a one man band. I feel a song coming on:
Under the Reclaim Party banner, Fox has begun a second career as a perennial candidate. He ran for Mayor of London against Sadiq Khan during the pandemic. DS Malaka ran on an anti-vaxx, anti-mask platform and since Khan is of Pakistani origin, Fox added some casual racism to the mix. He also contested a recent high-profile parliamentary by-election. He did poorly both times.
Fox should have run on the Raging Monster Loony Party ticket, but instead formed a 21st Century version of Monty Python’s Silly Party. Fox certainly has silly hand tattoos:
Freedom, man.
Laurence Fox’s malakatude is a target rich environment, so it’s hard to stay focused. Apparently, his political ADHD is contagious.
He’s fond of performative publicity stunts and had well-deserved problems with the police for this Pride flag burning stunt last summer:
DS Malaka thinks it’s funny to compare the Pride flag to the Nazi’s swastika flag:
I suspect Fox knows about the gay Holocaust but posted that grotesque image for its outrage factor. Populist pukes like him make me wanna, well, puke.
Fox insists he’s not a racist but the record indicates otherwise:
“He established himself as a provocateur after an appearance on BBC Question Time, in which he called an academic “racist” for referring to him as a “white privileged male”.
Fox insisted that being a “white privileged male” did not “lock him out of the debate” on Meghan Markle and her treatment by the press.
After the clip went viral, he sparked another furore when he told a podcast it is “annoying” that black actors only talk about racism once they’ve had success.
He told host James Delingpole: “The most annoying thing is the minute a black actor – it’s the same with working-class actors – the minute they’ve got five million quid in the bank, every interview they do is about how racism is rampant and rife in the industry.”
Laurence Fox’s picture is in the dictionary next to white privilege. I guess saying that makes me a racist according to DS Malaka. Whatever, dude.
As Fox’s public madness has increased, he’s found it difficult to get film and teevee roles. Does Laurence Fox accept responsibility for his own failures? Hell no. He blames drag queens, lefties, and the media for his unemployability. He should look in the mirror instead of suing his critics:
The actor Laurence Fox has told a libel trial at London’s high court that his life was “destroyed” by “hurtful” racism allegations and he was left unable to get a mortgage.
The Reclaim party founder was giving evidence in a case brought over an exchange on Twitter, now known as X, about a decision by the supermarket Sainsbury’s to provide a safe space for black employees during Black History Month.
Fox, 45, called for a boycott of the supermarket in October 2020 and was called a racist by Crystal, a drag artist, Simon Blake, a former Stonewall trustee, and Nicola Thorp, an actor.
He subsequently termed each of the trio as a “paedophile”, prompting the libel action by Blake and the drag star, who is also known as Colin Seymour. Fox, who denies being a racist, is countersuing the three over their tweets.
Fox fails to see that calling someone a pedophile is as deplorable and damaging as being called a racist. But people like DS Malaka are self-absorbed and lack empathy: Hypocrisy is his jam.
DS Malaka also lacks the common sense to stop fighting with strangers on social media. I kicked the habit myself after the 2016 election. Arguing with strangers is a mug’s game. I am not a mug, but Laurence Fox is. The malakatude, it burns.
Fox’s libel suit wrapped up last week. It was a bench trial, so the litigants are awaiting the judge’s verdict. I suspect DS Malaka is dreaming up some daft PR stunt as I write this. Stay tuned.
Before Laurence Fox went over the edge, I was a fan of his acting. I liked his oddball character on Inspector Lewis and he was fabulous on Victoria as 19th Century politician Lord Palmerston. I haven’t enjoyed watching his descent into madness, but his bigoted antics have transformed him into a national joke. It’s a reminder that the US isn’t the only country afflicted by the right-wing populist menace. And that is why Laurence Fox is malaka of the week.
I’ve had a Ray Davies tune in my head as I wrote this post. These lyrics were written in 1993 but could have been ripped from headlines about Laurence Fox:
“My next door neighbour’s totally snappedHe’s gone over the edgeHe’s putting up barbed wire barricadesAround the garden hedgeAnd planting land mines on the lawnHe’s gone barmyAccording to his wife, he’s formed a secret armyEver since he got laid offSomething inside snappedHis wife says he’s gone ’round the twistNow there’s no turning backAll night he waits in the garden shedFor the enemy to attackA suburban vigilanteDressed up in a union jackHe’s over the edge, oh, over the edge.”
The last word goes to The Kinks: