Is It Now Time That London's Mayor Took Some Action Regarding The Notting Hill Carnival?

[anotheoldgit]

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jan/17/notting-hill-carnival-risks-hillsborough-scale-tragedy-report-warns

/// The previous mayor got a grip on London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks, the current mayor now needs to do the same with Notting Hill carnival.” ///

[andy-hughes]

New Judge - //If there was no Carnival today and somebody came along with a proposal to hold an event that would involve closing many streets in central London for three days and that they expected a million people to crown into the area permission would simply be denied. The Carnival has become unwieldy and unsuitable for the area in which it is held. The organisers should hire a suitable venue for their product and charge its audience a suitable sum to cover the cleaning and policing costs. //

I am surprised - you are not normally known for stating the obvious, especially when it is irrelevant.

Exactly the same argument applies to Glastonbury Festival, which has grown from a simple field-based weekend to a site the size of the city of Bath - and similarly has grown over decades, and similarly, it would not be able to be sprung fully formed on the local populace.

The difference is, as villagers will tell you - it is not the three days of the festival, it is the two months either side of it when their rural roads are perpetually blocked by massive articulated lorries bringing and then taking away again the city-sized infrastructure that goes with the event.

The point is - both events are now here, and they exists because of what, and where they are, and my point remains - you could equally move Glastonbury to the 02 - but it wouldn't be Glastonbury any more, and not simply because of the relocation.

[sp1814]

AOG

Don't you see the difference between Glastonbury and Notting Hill?

There's is very little police presence at Glastonbury, because it covers an absolutely huge area.

Also, most of the areas are inaccessible to police vehicles.

Can you imagine the number of arrests for drug offences there would be if the police presence was escalated?

Believe me - I've been to Glastonbury. The trustifarians are all off their heads.

[andy-hughes]

sp1814 - Indeed, I have visited Glastonbury a few times, and your point is valid. Not only would an arrest be difficult in terms of getting the arrested party off the site because of the geographical constraints, there would be the matter of a seriously large, not entirely police-friendly contingent to run the gauntlet through.

It reminds me of attending a Peter Tosh concert in Digbeth, where I was one of a single-fugres number of while people in a crowd of over a thousand people.

When Mr Tosh took to the stage, and sparked up his customary performance support - namely a spliff the size and dimensions of a small Turkish rug, I think he did so safe in the knowledge that any police in the building would not be speaking to him about it any time soon!

[anotheoldgit]

/// If 'the old bill' behave as they did at Hillsborough, you'd expect and insist that they were blamed - wouldn't you? ///

I was answering this statement that you made regarding blaming the bill, but I hold my hands up I am guilty of the way I put it.

[anotheoldgit]

that was to Andy-hughes and I also forgot to end it with my apologies.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// He won't by the way. No politician is going to be the one that bans something that 1 million voters enjoy every year. ///

Really Gromit, you are so naive.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

I don't think there has been any mention about banning this carnival, returned “to its roots”, "scaled down" perhaps, all within the Mayor's responsibility to request.

[andy-hughes]

AOG - //that was to Andy-hughes and I also forgot to end it with my apologies. //

Thank you - apology accepted with the grace it was offered.

[andy-hughes]

I think scaling down would be a good move.

The Carnival parts company with festivals like Glastonbury on the aspect of a controlled environment with strictly regulated admission - which of course The Carnival does not have.

I do believe that a view that the Carnival is now too big to be safely operated for the enjoyment of everyone should be seriously considered.

[anotheoldgit]

Oh dear I have just noticed this:

/// Nevertheless, carnival-goers have often accused Met officers of intimidation and racial profiling, and suggested that police have incited violence through their behaviour. ///

Yes all this dancing, letting them try on your helmet and being spray painted, obviously isn't working.