A tale of two Britain's

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Tuesday, 1 September 2009, 11:20

Two weeks ago 800 supporters of the British National Party met in a field for their summer festival. It was by all accounts a dull affair, with a ban on alcohol and live entertainment, little for children to do and racist speeches galore.

Over this past weekend one million people descended on the Notting Hill area of West London for a proper festival. What began as a almost exclusively Caribbean festival in response to racism in the 1950s has changed into a celebration of modern London. While the event still keeps its Caribbean roots at its heart, it is now enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of others. White, black and Asian – all having a good time together.

There was even a HOPE not hate float in this year’s procession.

It was interesting to see the significant numbers of Eastern Europeans present – another reflection of the continually changing London.

Those attending the BNP’s festival will no doubt claim that they are defending their Britain. By it’s pathetic numbers, the RWB event does not reflect the modern Britain that far larger numbers of people identify with as was evident by the crowd in Notting Hill over the last couple of days.