Notting Hill Carnival - had it's day?

Notting Hill Carnival - had it's day?

Author
Discussion

Slow.Patrol

Original Poster:

1,810 posts

28 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8zxk083qko.a...

Has it become too big and too violent?

Too much cost to the public purse.

I admit I have never been as I am not a fan of crowds, so I wouldn't worry if it never happened again.

scenario8

7,102 posts

193 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
There s been eleventy billion threads on the NHC on these pages over the years. This is the most recent (in NP&E) that I can recall.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

It really is the thing, Carnival. It s very difficult to think that if you were proposing the idea in modern times it would end up looking pretty much anything like the event it is. But it s an unstoppable force.

(Obviously there’s an element of begging bowl wrt to this recent article. I’m not convinced the organisers are looking for an existential review).

bad company

20,427 posts

280 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
I don’t see why so much taxpayers money should be spent on it.

Slow.Patrol

Original Poster:

1,810 posts

28 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
scenario8 said:
There s been eleventy billion threads on the NHC on these pages over the years. This is the most recent (in NP&E) that I can recall.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Rude?

I did try a search and the only threads I got were 10 years old.

Mods- please delete this thread and I will add to the one linked above

scenario8

7,102 posts

193 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
Slow.Patrol said:
scenario8 said:
There s been eleventy billion threads on the NHC on these pages over the years. This is the most recent (in NP&E) that I can recall.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Rude?

I did try a search and the only threads I got were 10 years old.

Mods- please delete this thread and I will add to the one linked above
Im not being intentionally rude at all. I think you’ve just misinterpreted the tone as is very easy in the written form. I was simply saying conversations about the NHC are quite frequent. At least one a year!

I don’t doubt this thread will gain traction as the day goes on just like all the others.

Fwiw I’m glad I’m not the politician who is asked existential questions about the Carnival. Me, I’d make fundamental changes but then I have no economic or employment security so have nothing to lose. I recognise any significant change would please nobody and most likely offend everybody. Any politician getting involved very much has an awful lot to lose and so would rather run away.

What do we do with a problem called Carnival?

oyster

13,127 posts

262 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
bad company said:
I don t see why so much taxpayers money should be spent on it.
Many taxpayers attend?

55palfers

6,100 posts

178 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
WOW! A hundred grand for a "safety review"

Nice work if you can get it.

bad company

20,427 posts

280 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
oyster said:
bad company said:
I don t see why so much taxpayers money should be spent on it.
Many taxpayers attend?
Not this one.

oyster

13,127 posts

262 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
bad company said:
oyster said:
bad company said:
I don t see why so much taxpayers money should be spent on it.
Many taxpayers attend?
Not this one.
There's many things you probably consume tax revenue for that I don't use.

Such is life.

TikTak

2,233 posts

33 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
I've worked in events for almost 10 years, and have friends who live on the carnival route (I've probably been a dozen times) and in all honesty they've been given a bit of a free ride with it for a long time. Unfortunately the facts are, levels of crime are high, the security and organization is sub par and it's needed a change for a while.

It hasn't happened because the funding for it doesn't cover everything and ultimately doing things properly would probably crush it without another revenue stream. It's been seen as giving it a hard line and thus the allegations of trying to repress a diverse event bubble to the surface.

There are plenty other events all in the capital not to mention other cities where businesses and homeowners don't feel the need to board up their property and move out for days on end to avoid it.

One of the easiest ways to perform crowd control and generate cash for it would be to ticket it, like they do with almost any other large gathering, start to spread it over a larger area like they do with Pride to spread the crowds or just move it from Notting Hill entirely to somewhere with more space.

Maybe put it up the road in Hyde Park AND ticket it?


TeaNoSugar

1,387 posts

179 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
oyster said:
bad company said:
I don t see why so much taxpayers money should be spent on it.
Many taxpayers attend?
It’s a massive thing - I’ve never been and wasn’t really aware of how big a deal it is in London but attendance over the weekend is getting on for 2 million+ which seems mental to me, and must be a recipe for at least some bad behaviour. I’m sure most of those in attendance pay tax.

I’ve got no problem with tax £s being spent on policing massive events. I only attend 3 or 4 football matches a season, but Im glad there are plenty of police to keep the troublemakers among the fans from getting out of hand every week.

On the other hand there must come a point where attendance at NHC is just too big to be a) safe or b) enjoyable?

Carl_VivaEspana

14,495 posts

276 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
scenario8 said:
But it s an unstoppable force.
I've got about 15 NHCs under my belt and I did post on the previous threads.

It's never been police-able, even 20 years ago, but I think the police are increasingly concerned about an event which occurs during the NHC that then causes large loss of life due to the sheer number of people making it a prime target for violence.

Because it's mainly a street carnival, the level of protection from a determined nutter in a car is higher than 20 years ago.

I think the costs needed to protect against that type of threat and not a crip wannabe with a knife, is what keeps the BIB awake at night.

Gecko1978

11,338 posts

171 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
oyster said:
Many taxpayers attend?
I doubt many attending pay tax....

tim0409

5,238 posts

173 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
oyster said:
bad company said:
oyster said:
bad company said:
I don t see why so much taxpayers money should be spent on it.
Many taxpayers attend?
Not this one.
There's many things you probably consume tax revenue for that I don't use.

Such is life.
But it’s not really essential is it? We are spending £100 billion every year on debt interest and adding a further £120 billion to the total debt. Maybe we should be saving every penny to try to reduce the deficit and debt before funding carnivals that should be run on a wholly commercial basis.

J4CKO

44,288 posts

214 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
The IOM TT seems to have given up its mantle as the event with a likely high death toll to NHC !

Wacky Racer

39,728 posts

261 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
Always seems to be one or two stabbings every year.

rolleyes

Skodillac

7,682 posts

44 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
tim0409 said:
oyster said:
bad company said:
oyster said:
bad company said:
I don t see why so much taxpayers money should be spent on it.
Many taxpayers attend?
Not this one.
There's many things you probably consume tax revenue for that I don't use.

Such is life.
But it s not really essential is it? We are spending £100 billion every year on debt interest and adding a further £120 billion to the total debt. Maybe we should be saving every penny to try to reduce the deficit and debt before funding carnivals that should be run on a wholly commercial basis.
I agree. Let's bin Trooping the Colour and all the other Royal parades too.

(And no, they don't bring in tourist revenue to pay for it.)

FiF

46,740 posts

265 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
It cannot continue to exist in current form, plus it cannot be allowed to exist in its current form. Which might sound like saying the same thing twice but in reality different points.

When you have the local council temporarily relocating elderly residents to the coast in order to give them some respite from, let's be honest, the debauchery, noise, nuisance, public aggression it deserves to die. Sorry but there it is, does not deserve public money in support, costs enough just in trying to keep things on a not very level keel.

If it must go ahead in a modified firm, move it to an open space, Hyde Park maybe. Ticketed and with really robust security that the event pays for. One step out of line and you're out. No messing.

ro250

3,207 posts

71 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
Always seems to be one or two stabbings every year.

rolleyes
8 last year and 2 deaths.

bad company

20,427 posts

280 months

Thursday 19th June
quotequote all
oyster said:
bad company said:
oyster said:
bad company said:
I don t see why so much taxpayers money should be spent on it.
Many taxpayers attend?
Not this one.
There's many things you probably consume tax revenue for that I don't use.

Such is life.
Very true but the carnival seems to have got out of hand. I’m not happy for so much of my tax £’s to be spent on it.