No one, as far as I can see, is saying that Britain is more racist than in the 60s. What they do seem to be saying (and I agree with them) is that there is more open racism than there was 10-20 years ago, that is, in the 2000s/2010s.
Sorry but I still don't agree. Take one subject hair: Now back as far as the late 90s early 2000s it was still a problem for poc to wear their natural hair to work. Even in something like cornrow. When I was 19, I went on a training work program for a job and me another girl went for the same job. I had my hair straightened, she had natural short twists.
She did better in the interview than I did but I got the job and she didn't. Why? they openly wrote feedback saying her hair was 'untidy' this was discussed out loud in the group as an actual failure. We accepted it then. This would be challenged now, but was fairly common just 20 years ago. People may still straighten or wear weaves now, but the difference is you might genuinely not have got a job in my day if you didn't.
Getting makeup that complemented your skin tone was another problem. Unless you could afford Fashion Fair, you were stuck with Sleek or if you were fair skinned/mixed race you might just scrape by with the darker 'Get the London Look' Rimmel shades (the irony of the London look being almost exclusively white never occurred to their PR team).
I remember when Tyra Banks released a beauty book and I waited all day outside Foyles to get a copy because there was so little for a young black woman to look to as inspiration or tips for black beauty. Naomi and Tyra were 'it' for ages. Bobby brown makeup was noted for including ranges for all skin tones. Now there is more choice.
I was constantly refused jobs once I turned up for interview, because I sounded white on the phone. One day I went into an office for a junior assistant role and saw the PA and she wanted to hire me on the spot. But the manager wasn't in and she said 'I just have to get the ok from him, but it's more or less yours. Phone back first thing in the morning'.
Phone back next morning. The PA is weirdly tearful and saying sorry over and over and that she 'cannot' give me the job. When I asked why she said 'I can't tell you. It's not because you weren't qualified' She said it in such a way as for me to understand her implication that her boss was a racist and simply didn't want a black face in his team.
Robertsons' jam still had Gollywogs on it's front. There were debates as to whether it was racist. Can you imagine a debate about that now? There were no adverts featuring black women especially. Olay never had a woman of colour in its ads. Black babies never featured in nappy ads etc etc. And even 20 years ago many black children were not encouraged to go to university after school. There were low expectations. I think my sons have way more opportunities now.
There's more I could say.
Yes these issues still exist, but from my lived experience, I can see strides that have been made. Of course there's still a waaay to go.
What there is now however, is a backlash against the extreme PC left wing identity politics and I do think some of that is justified. Unfortunately some of that backlash is being high jacked by some racists hiding behind the 'tell it like it is, spade is a spade' rhetoric. That doesn't mean there's an actual increase in racism in the culture though.
I do also think Brexit is heavily skewing things.