Should The Notting Hill Carnival be Extended for the month of August?

[Ridgley]

On the radio today one of the organiser of the Notting Hill Carnival, was saying they are thinking of extending the Carnival for a month which the residents of Notting Hill are not happy about. He was thinking of having arts exhibitions, and some sort of fundraising events, as the cut have hit Kensington & Chelsea he said he wish the carnival to be more self sufficient as it heavily relies on public funding not to mention the cost of police presence. Notting Hill carnival originally came about in 1964 a group of West Indians started this festival to bring communities together in the west part of London.

Does anyone feel Notting Hill Carnival should be extended for the month of August? I have mixed feeling about this I don?t think Carnival is the same as it use to be it is now very commercial and middleclass now how many West Indians still live in the area.

[zeban]

No I don't think it should! Personally I think they should charge for it. Not much but enough to keep the troublemakers out who seem to ruin it every year. I've given up on it now because of that. I think people would still go if you had to pay say ?3 or something like that.

The thing that annoys me about it is the price of food. The food was always the best part for me but the prices now are ridiculous. Maybe that's what you mean by becoming commercial? it seems to me the people running the stalls there seem to be more interested in making as much money as possible than actually doing it for tradition and fun and love of it. But that's their fault surely- not because it's more popular/commercial/middle class. Greediness tends to ruin the fun for me.

[Ridgley]

Erm..... I have heard the stalls has become more exspensive nothing has changed then since I last went.

[Loz]

I read the other day that the NHC is the most expensive event in the UK to police. I'm not sure we (or they, if the organisers contribute) could afford to extend it.

Besides, a month? You'd have roughly the same number of people spread over a much longer period. Not much gained.

[new mother]

Having lived nearby, I can assure you it was a disastrous, hated and feared event for residents till relatively recently. Thank goodness it is now slightly more law abiding. Clearly in a time of cutbacks elsewhere, it should be self financing, including covering police costs. It is not an essential. Bythe way, when you say it is " more commercial and mc", are you being positive or negative?

[Ridgley]

New Mother wrote

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Having lived nearby, I can assure you it was a disastrous, hated and feared event for residents till relatively recently. Thank goodness it is now slightly more law abiding. Clearly in a time of cutbacks elsewhere, it should be self financing, including covering police costs. It is not an essential. Bythe way, when you say it is " more commercial and mc", are you being positive or negative?

It is very much so middle class event now, how many of the original organiser or there descents still live in Notting Hill.

[Atticus]

.

[Huguenot]

"how many of the original organiser or there descents still live in Notting Hill" [sic]

Well, there you go - if NHC isn't racially pure, it's nothing apparently. Descents? What rubbish, it didn't even start until the 60s, and was created by immigrants fighting the woeful state of race relations. Barely one generation.

There is a delicious f'cking irony in the racism and class war that it's being used as a vehicle for on this thread.

"It is very much so middle class event now"

Can't go far without some idiot calling it middle class as an insult. No fun when it's middle class eh?

Is this a thread for rubbish? Can we call it the bin thread?

[Ridgley]

What don?t you just fuck of H this as nothing to do with race you can be middle class and black. I am saying it not the same as it use to be. So start your crap with me as tried that shit with DJKQ I will tell exactly where to get off

[Huguenot]

Well I could do Ridgley, or alternatively you could look up the history of the carnival, steer clear of genetic assertions and stop having a go at people not in your self appointed class?

You think you have a monopoly on being cross?

[Ridgley]

I don't need history leson from you like I said you can fuck off

[StraferJack]

Ridgley

As someone who has lost my rag with Huguenot myself, I understand the emotion but I can't see why you are being so aggresive in this instance? It just reads like someone telling someone else to F off without good reason

[Ridgley]

He is pissing me off, I am just saying the carnival is more comercial and middleclass now then it was before the area as changed I am not anti middle class nor is this a race thing you have black middle class as well SJ

[Ted Max]

Hugey's being a dick. It's quite clear what Ridgley is trying to drive at.

Ridgely has said that the nature of the carnival has changed due to:

a) the original organisers no longer being involved

b) the demographic character of the area itself changing

c) an increased commercialism around the event

I wouldn't say Ridgely has even expressed an opinion about this beyond "mixed feelings".

Hugey has decided that Ridgley is indulging in "racism and class war". Is talking "rubbish" and doesn't understand the history of the event.

He's being a dick. If he can't lower himself to express himself in a less antagonistic manner, he's going to get told to F off by people who can't be bothered wading through his angry-balloonisms.

[Ridgley]

Thank you TM he is a fucking dick, he really brings out the worst in me which I hate.

[katie1997]

StraferJack Wrote:

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> Ridgley

>

> As someone who has lost my rag with Huguenot

> myself, I understand the emotion but I can't see

> why you are being so aggresive in this instance?

> It just reads like someone telling someone else to

> F off without good reason

You can't see where WHO is being aggressive here?!

This really hits the top of my most incredulous post of the week award.

[StraferJack]

Yeah it was a good summary from Ted, and I guess I just saw Huge doing another shouty post and didn?ttake it all in, so didn?t get why Ridge was so upset. I wasn?t saying she shouldn?t be telling H to F off (as I say I?ve done it myself ? although I would add it doesn?t really get one anywhere) I was more saying what was she so angry about in the first place

(which If I?d taken the time to read through properly etc etc.. hands up)

[Ridgley]

I think H just likes to pick fights, but I am not having it.

[Huguenot]

You've just chosen your own interpretation Ted Max.

I thought I was quite even-handed, with a touch of scorn. If Ridgley went nuclear that's up to her/him.

If Ridgley didn't want me to infer from his/her post that s/he thinks middle class is a negative thing then s/he shouldn't cite them as part of a complaint.

If s/he didn't want me to infer that she has a problem with the race of attendees, then s/he shouldn't cite the reduction of West Indians in the neighborhood as a problem.

If s/he didn't want me to challenge her knowledge of history then s/he should check his/her facts.

In fact the 'outside' Notting Hill Carnival was first started by the London Free School - a bunch of predominantly white middle class hippies. The Carribean element came from other events staged against racism in Kings Cross.

One of the big drivers was Pink Floyd, being notable for the fact that they aren't from Trinidad and Tobago.

The criticism of 'extension' for the month of August lacks transparency - in fact the proposal is that there should be other events that happen over this period classed as part of the festival. This doesn't mean 31 days of parades and people pissing on front lawns.

None of this is relevant if you want to criticise it on the basis of being too white and middle class.

[Ted Max]

Much better, Hugey.

Please keep this up and parents' evening will be much more pleasant for them, you and me.

[Ridgley]

I dont give a rats arse tis what you think H you just want to pick fight like you do on other threads with your over baring crap fuck off get fuck off

[Huguenot]

No. ;-)

[Loz]

Ridgley Wrote:

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> I dont give a rats arse tis what you think H you

> just want to pick fight like you do on other

> threads with your over baring crap @#$%& off get

> @#$%& off

> Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was today, 01:42pm by Ridgley.

If Ridgley went nuclear before, I think this one just overshadowed the Big Bang. I am dying to know what you edited to fix, though.

[maxxi]

That last one looked like veering off into a Glaswegian vernacular a la "Get te fuck!" but that the fingers rebelled in sheer anger and frustration so what was fixed was prbably something like "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

[new mother]

Huguenot, you are intelligent, logical, persuasive and express yourself beautifully. Obviously, on this forum, these comments are negative and meant as insults.

Ridgeley, errr what can I say? Perhaps the kindest thing would be, "I find it difficult to follow your argument".

Loz, hilarious, rofl.