Once a year for just two days, Londoners retake Notting Hill.
Its nice to think that the rich and idle were quivering behind their front doors as the masses partied hard in the streets, but the reality is that the wealthy of the area simply spend the August bank holiday at their second homes in Cornwall, Provence or Tuscany. The 'Notting Hill Set' has absolutely nothing to do with the most famous event in Notting Hill!
I had not been to Carnival since 1993, but went yesterday and had a great time.There were some interesting police tactics on display - Lewisham station for example had two of its three exits closed, and everyone was funnelled through a metal detector. At Baker Street the cops had clearly got bored of using their new toy, and revellers walked past the machine unchecked. That's always the problem with children, they tire so easily - I half expected to see a WPC rolling about on the floor playing with the packaging!
At the Carnival itself the usual problems persist from the 1990s - it takes ages to get there (and longer to get away) because certain tube stations and roads - the one's people would actually use - are closed. There are very few places to piss, and all but alcoholic drinks are totally over-priced. This time I noticed some of the food prices were getting steep - £7 for a plastic plate of food prepared at a street stall is too much, altthough £5 was more common.
There is not much in the way of politics at Carnival these days. Indeed the only prosleytsing I saw was from the Scientologists who had a street stall in Kensington, and the 9/11 "Truth" movement who leafletted the party goers. A sign of the times?
As for fisticuffs, I didn't see any of the mugging or inter-gang violence that has plagued past Carnivals, although I saw several firms that were clearly looking for it with the police, and some strong reaction to the odd police search team. These searches were conducted by pushing the target through a group of uniformed officers, where TSG men would be lurking at the back.
When these up against the wall searches are being conducted it is important people watch them - the police can have no opposition to members of the public doing this (its your civic duty!) and having someone there is good for all concerned, stopping any funny business.
So, when is the next time Notting Hill is going to be re-claimed? Well, you could wait for next years Carnival, or alternatively get yourself down to the Bash The Rich event on November 3rd. David Cameron - get the kettle on!
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