Is this yet another blow to English culture.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-119897 9/ROBERT-HARDMAN-A-cruel-fete-Elf-n-Safety-goo ns-cast-shadow-best-British-village-life.html

This week we saw the last of the 'Royal Show', which has been staged every year since 1839 (except for certain war years and years of widespread Animal disease).

Now it looks as if certain English Village feats, carnivals and processions are to be chopped, these in the name of 'Elf and Safety'.

Still all is not lost it looks as if those two other stalwarts of English culture remain free from the eyes of the 'Elf & Safety Police'.

I am referring of course to the 'Notting Hill Carnival' and 'London's Gay Pride March'.

[VHG]

>English Village feats

Are they the same as fetes ?

[anotheoldgit]

Hands up, sloppy indeed.

[hc4361]

The fete hasn't been stopped, only the floats and that is because the lorry drivers would be breaking the law driving them when they have used up all their legal hours.

[hc4361]

F�tes, for the pedantic.

[paraffin]

Solution: move to Scotland or Wales! Not half as PC!

[anotheoldgit]

Or in Spain it would seem.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/11/arti cle-1198792-05AC88C2000005DC-199_634x424.jpg

[anotheoldgit]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/11/arti cle-1198792-05AC88C6000005DC-898_634x422.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/11/arti cle-1198792-05AC88CA000005DC-400_634x443.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/11/arti cle-1198792-05A6B907000005DC-567_634x423.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/11/arti cle-1198792-05A9F41A000005DC-583_634x467.jpg

[anotheoldgit]

hc4361
The fete hasn't been stopped, only the floats and that is because the lorry drivers would be breaking the law driving them when they have used up all their legal hours.

Try reading the whole report, it gets better.

Thank you for correcting both VHG and myself, you are quite right there is no such English word as fetes.

Pity VHG didn't do more research before standing out so much by being the first in the queue to specially correct me.

[fredpuli47]

aog ,Notting Hill Carnival , the Gay Pride March and other events, such as international rugby games, are run by professionals and/or by people with proper professional advice. Amateurs sometimes don't think of the laws, long-established, governing signs and decorations in streets or drivers' hours and the rest, or may be ignorant of or misunderstand rules governing food safety and the other matters raised in your link.. Sometimes they don't think of the insurance cover they may need, or the cost of it..

It seems a bit ill to set up the ignorance or naivety of these people as proof that there's an attack on English culture.

[fredpuli47]

Just out of interest, aog, what has the Royal Show got to with anything ? It's been losing money. It has lost attendances (hardly anyone attended this year, but the rain can't have helped ). It can't compete with the local shows of the same kind. These do well. Years ago it was the only such show of any size.Now it has competition. People aren't prepared to come from far and wide when they can go to something just as good and which is nearer.

[sp1814]

The reason why the traditional English summer fete is dying is because it's no fun.

Gin-sodden vicar's wives judging giant marrow competitions? Horse brasses? Bobbing for apples? The WI giving a demonstration on tatting and needlepoint?

Yawnsville, UK.

No - people don't want that. They want great music, great food and dancing. If Gay Pride and the Carnival attract hundreds of thousands of people, there's a reason.

Same with the Wireless Festival, Glastonbury, the V festival etc...there's for people with a pulse, not for those who hold up Penelope Keith and Anne Widdicombe as style icons.






(All of the above is said with tongue deeply set in cheek).

[fredpuli47]

Tongue in cheek, sp1814? You obviously haven't been to the village fetes [sorry, can't do the circumflex accent] in our area !

(And we gave up looking for a virgin to be Village Carnival Princess in about 1876).

[Gromit]

You're not having a good weekend AOG, you have got confused again and missed a golden opportunity to rant at the Beaurocrats in Brussels. The EU ois to blame, do you not read your own links...

Nor can we pile the blame on to the usual suspects, the Health and Safety Executive.

It turns out that the people who kindly provide Swanmore with lorries for their carnival float have not got any spare drivers, thanks to the 2007 EU directive governing lorry drivers' working hours.

I assume this is a problem of scale. Notting Hill and the Gay Pride March are not exempt from the EU legislation. However, as they are more larger events they will invest the considerable time to fill in all the forms. Some village fetes on the other hand are very small and do not consider all the form filling to be worth the effort.

[crestschools14]

I think yes it is another blow to English culture and I also strongly feel that in such cases English course London gives a very good help and support in providing better understanding of these plays so if someone is a non-English speaker then should definitely think of going and learning there as is a very reliable, convenient and relevant option not only for this play thing but for everything.
http://www.crestschools.com