To think the London NYE fireworks were an excellent FU to Farage and Tommy Ten Names?

[triumphantantelope]

The NYE fireworks always get me a bit emotional but this year I think it was up there with the 2020 covid ones. The message was beautiful and ran through the whole thing. The way they got the EU stars in, the dig at the mini roundabout painters and flag hangers.
I’ve lived in London my whole adult life and I felt the display reflected it perfectly.

Utterly unreasonable. Unless you want to see Reform’s political propaganda if/when they win. Civic celebrations aren’t the place for politicised messaging from any direction.

Im also unsure that it should be politicised but suppose it’s inevitable really

I thought they were great. I loved that the England flag was included, along with others. It really felt like a big public display of how we can be proud to be English without being racist bigots. It showed that the 'we can't even wave our flag' is a load of BS which was created by the extreme right wingers to try and divide us.

Yeah but then neither do I want our roundabouts and road markings vandalised so fair play I say. I Cheered the fireworks celebrating inclusivity

I disagree with your premise that it was political propaganda - the purpose of events organised by the London authority is to celebrate the city and promote London internationally. Whilst we have maniac flag raisers, Trump and musk making unsubstantiated smears, and social media promoting right wing, Russian backed frothing - there is an obligation to show on the global stage London is a safe, diverse, thriving and open place to visit

£3 million is a lot to pay to make a point to people.

What was politicised about it? How is a message of togetherness and inclusivity political? (Maybe the EU stars, but it was just a clever way of depicting “Europe” on a circular background…)

I didn’t see any digs at anyone tbh. Just a celebration of the U.K.

Fortunately it also paid for a giant fireworks show

This. It took back the England flag from the “Raise The Colours” fuckwits.

This. I don't see how displaying our national flag is any kind of issue and it was nice to see it in the firework display.

Perhaps you are over thinking it OP.

I was unhappy that it was politicised and although I voted for Sadiq Khan,I'm not happy that he played a large role in it with his speech and the starting message that the fireworks are 'Presented by the Mayor of London.' I doubt he personally pays for the fireworks!

Maybe. But the England flag was displayed like the ones painted on the mini roundabouts and the commentary over the top when it was shown was about taking back the flag (I don’t remember the details) so I’d be surprised if it was a coincidence.

What definitely wasn’t a coincidence was the overriding message of inclusiveness, togetherness and multiculturalism. Which absolutely was intentional.

I didn’t see any digs criticising specific groups, but perhaps I wasn’t paying close enough attention.

I would have thought it quite divisive to do so if the message was supposed to be inclusive, though.

If the act of promoting inclusion itself is now interpreted as a dig against people who don’t promote inclusion, I’m not sure how inclusive that is, tbh.

Agree, op are you saying it was a show of look how accepting and accommodating of all viewpoints and opinions, unless you are ‘insert usual sneering/condescending’ you’re all uneducated oiks who shouldn’t be allowed to vote/hold an opinion?

”It’s not happening and it’s good that it’s happening”.

The whole premise of your first post was that it was a politicised message.

You yourself read it as an FU to specific politicians, were pleased they’d ’got in’ one political flag, and enjoyed the ‘dig’ at another (flag related) movement you disapprove of.

You so much approved of the politics of it you started a thread about it, but now you can’t see any politics in it?

I love that Sadiq has coined the expression ‘London is open’ and made it clear that its diversity is celebrated. I think the fireworks just reinforce the message, so if that makes it politicised…hell yeah!

You're so out of touch with the rest of the country.

That’s not new… it’s always been an event organised by the mayor of London… and it’s always been on every poster / beginning of the display for as long as I remember.

They’re London fireworks. If you want a non-inclusive display, go to your local town to watch them.

War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Diversity is Strength

The ‘messages’ went completely over my head TBH . I just sat there wishing I was in Sydney watching the NYE celebrations there.

End of days stuff when we’re overthinking firework displays and concluding that we’re sending a FU message to politicians through the medium of costly colourful explosions.

Also forgot to add for those who mentioned the cost - it is a ticketed event and you have to pay to go and watch.

Is that really the norm you want though? When Reform wins a council we get lots of heavy-handed politics from one direction with the fireworks, and when the other lot win we get the same from the other team?

Sounds awful to me.

It’s a civic celebration, it’s public money. Can we have it without the politics from either team please.