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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

244 replies

triumphantantelope · 01/01/2026 14:44

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.

OP posts:
EmeraldRoulette · 01/01/2026 18:35

StarlightRobot · 01/01/2026 18:33

Is this thread getting derailed over London crime stats which aren’t really relevant to the OP’s post?

OP said she was unhappy with how London is being presented, partly in terms of crime.

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 01/01/2026 18:35

ContentedAlpaca · 01/01/2026 17:46

Our traveling to the millennium Dome experience in 2000 will forever put me off going to any mass event in London. It was a family event, lots of children. No one behaving aggressively. We got to one station on the Jubilee line to be met by riot police. I've never been so scared.

I wonder why the parks were closed this year with Glastonbury festival style fencing and police keeping everyone out.

Sadiq & co disbanded the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit as a cost saving measure so they had "no one to police it".

XGiveMeStrengthX · 01/01/2026 18:38

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

ContentedAlpaca · 01/01/2026 18:39

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 01/01/2026 18:35

Sadiq & co disbanded the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit as a cost saving measure so they had "no one to police it".

I so they had enough police to keep people out but not enough to let people in.

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 01/01/2026 18:42

ContentedAlpaca · 01/01/2026 18:39

I so they had enough police to keep people out but not enough to let people in.

Indeed...
I wish sadiq would land whatever international job he is angling for and piss off.

EasternStandard · 01/01/2026 18:42

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 01/01/2026 18:35

Sadiq & co disbanded the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit as a cost saving measure so they had "no one to police it".

That does seem a pity.

NC543210 · 01/01/2026 18:45

I thought it was predictable, tone deaf and pretty shit tbh.

I also think they've just fanned the flames.

New years eve celebrations aren't the time to shove diversity down the throats of a nation who have had enough of it.
Tommy Robinson is probably the most odious man around but even he will have laughed at this as it suits his agenda.

NC543210 · 01/01/2026 18:47

Oh and London is a hole.

I used to love it there and have gone monthly for the last 12 years for my job.
Every work trip now I think it is worse and can't wait to get on the train back out. I used to stay over and make a little trip out of it.

FellowSuffereroftheAbsurd · 01/01/2026 18:53

I watched and really enjoyed the Edinburgh one so went to look up the London one. I think the England flag only looks like a roundabout because the flag was edited to fit the round display and I doubt Farage or Yaxley-Lennon are going to care.

For the money that was spent, if they wanted to be inclusive, they could have done more to ensure there wasn't glitches and errors in the flag display a pp already mentioned that caused multiple flags to be incorrect. That was a silly mistake that I can see why others might view as thoughtless towards those countries. Personally, I found the 'Christian neighbours saying Happy Chanukah mate, Muslim mums saying Merry Christmas love a little odd, it left my wondering why after bringing Chanukah into it that it wasn't a Jewish mum or if those were the only two of the many holidays at this time of year that were remembered. I certainly wasn't left feeling included in all that, more that it had a weird media pretending to be inclusive without really caring sheen to it.

I actually wanted to watch what really happened in London at the time, not an improved version. I spent a few happy youthful years getting crushed in trafalgar square, I love London at NY.

The Associate Press has a version - I found it interesting to compare it with the BBC one.

Crime rates in London have fallen. In what way is it not as safe as it used to be?

Even with stats showing lower crime rates, the system around it can and does lead to things being less safe. One example is the backlog in London is quite severe - cases with defendant(s) on bail are being listed as far out as 2031. This is connected with perpetrators pushing for trials with intent to plea for the lower level of credit later on, leaving victims of crime less safe and under more stress. I don't think there is much any mayor can do about this other than use their influence within the political sphere to improve the situation.

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 01/01/2026 19:00

JLou08 · 01/01/2026 15:04

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.

Exactly this! It's a very necessary message that goes a hell of a lot further than just making a point about Reform idiocy.

Dollybantree · 01/01/2026 19:04

cardibach · 01/01/2026 18:32

Yes, there is less crime now. People feel unsafe if they experience or witness crime, I get that. But the stats are down. And I don’t feel unsafe in London.
Edit: how did she know they were foreign? D9 you mean not white?

Edited

It’s pretty easy to determine if someone is foreign - let’s not be faux naive.

Their accents for one.

Livelovebehappy · 01/01/2026 19:08

EasternStandard · 01/01/2026 18:16

Phone theft is up in London.

I’ve been robbed twice in my entire life, mid 50s. Both times in London, the most recent in May when I had my bag grabbed from me at King Cross station. I was instructed by one of the stations security guys to report online to the police,which I did, but didn’t hear back. Followed it up a month later, and was told that the robbery wouldn’t justify the manpower needed, so had been filed. How many more people are reporting crimes but they’re not actually registered?

Livelovebehappy · 01/01/2026 19:13

BIossomtoes · 01/01/2026 17:49

Then they’re stupid. You have to have a crime number to claim on your insurance.

Many people won’t claim on insurance for a stolen phone as sometimes it’s not worth it to have your future insurance premium sky rocket as a result.

BIossomtoes · 01/01/2026 19:19

Livelovebehappy · 01/01/2026 19:13

Many people won’t claim on insurance for a stolen phone as sometimes it’s not worth it to have your future insurance premium sky rocket as a result.

I have specialist insurance covering only my phone. It guarantees no increase in premiums for the first three claims. I’ve never had to claim at all - touch wood. .

BePoisedPlumUser · 01/01/2026 19:25

It was brilliant and I love that the roundabout painters and flag shaggers are furious 🤣

LlynTegid · 01/01/2026 19:30

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 01/01/2026 18:35

Sadiq & co disbanded the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit as a cost saving measure so they had "no one to police it".

Well it was the Met Police, and a man had been stabbed on Primrose Hill in a previous year. Though you'd doubt the Met would have held the same view if a woman had been stabbed or worse.

cardibach · 01/01/2026 19:44

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 01/01/2026 18:42

Indeed...
I wish sadiq would land whatever international job he is angling for and piss off.

Edited

He’s been re-elected 3 times hasn’t he? If he wanted another job he’d have it by now. Why do you think he wants anything other than being Mayor of London?

cardibach · 01/01/2026 19:47

NC543210 · 01/01/2026 18:45

I thought it was predictable, tone deaf and pretty shit tbh.

I also think they've just fanned the flames.

New years eve celebrations aren't the time to shove diversity down the throats of a nation who have had enough of it.
Tommy Robinson is probably the most odious man around but even he will have laughed at this as it suits his agenda.

Shove diversity down throats? That’s how you see promoting inclusivity?
I struggle with that viewpoint.

cardibach · 01/01/2026 19:48

NC543210 · 01/01/2026 18:47

Oh and London is a hole.

I used to love it there and have gone monthly for the last 12 years for my job.
Every work trip now I think it is worse and can't wait to get on the train back out. I used to stay over and make a little trip out of it.

Really? I find it easy and brilliant. Less stressful than it used to be and my lungs are happier with it.

cardibach · 01/01/2026 19:51

FellowSuffereroftheAbsurd · 01/01/2026 18:53

I watched and really enjoyed the Edinburgh one so went to look up the London one. I think the England flag only looks like a roundabout because the flag was edited to fit the round display and I doubt Farage or Yaxley-Lennon are going to care.

For the money that was spent, if they wanted to be inclusive, they could have done more to ensure there wasn't glitches and errors in the flag display a pp already mentioned that caused multiple flags to be incorrect. That was a silly mistake that I can see why others might view as thoughtless towards those countries. Personally, I found the 'Christian neighbours saying Happy Chanukah mate, Muslim mums saying Merry Christmas love a little odd, it left my wondering why after bringing Chanukah into it that it wasn't a Jewish mum or if those were the only two of the many holidays at this time of year that were remembered. I certainly wasn't left feeling included in all that, more that it had a weird media pretending to be inclusive without really caring sheen to it.

I actually wanted to watch what really happened in London at the time, not an improved version. I spent a few happy youthful years getting crushed in trafalgar square, I love London at NY.

The Associate Press has a version - I found it interesting to compare it with the BBC one.

Crime rates in London have fallen. In what way is it not as safe as it used to be?

Even with stats showing lower crime rates, the system around it can and does lead to things being less safe. One example is the backlog in London is quite severe - cases with defendant(s) on bail are being listed as far out as 2031. This is connected with perpetrators pushing for trials with intent to plea for the lower level of credit later on, leaving victims of crime less safe and under more stress. I don't think there is much any mayor can do about this other than use their influence within the political sphere to improve the situation.

That section, about Muslim mums e5c, was from a viral video about what makes Britain. It just means most people are happy for others to celebrate their own festivals. I’d have thought it was pretty easy to work out even if you hadn’t seen the original video 🤷‍♀️

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 01/01/2026 19:51

cardibach · 01/01/2026 19:44

He’s been re-elected 3 times hasn’t he? If he wanted another job he’d have it by now. Why do you think he wants anything other than being Mayor of London?

It's wishful thinking on my part...

cardibach · 01/01/2026 19:52

Dollybantree · 01/01/2026 19:04

It’s pretty easy to determine if someone is foreign - let’s not be faux naive.

Their accents for one.

Really? So nobody who is a British citizen ever has an accent from elsewhere? Plus I’m not sure how many phone thieves speak to you.

cardibach · 01/01/2026 19:53

Livelovebehappy · 01/01/2026 19:08

I’ve been robbed twice in my entire life, mid 50s. Both times in London, the most recent in May when I had my bag grabbed from me at King Cross station. I was instructed by one of the stations security guys to report online to the police,which I did, but didn’t hear back. Followed it up a month later, and was told that the robbery wouldn’t justify the manpower needed, so had been filed. How many more people are reporting crimes but they’re not actually registered?

It was registered. Not followed up, maybe, because how would you? But it was registered.

StarlightRobot · 01/01/2026 19:55

@cardibach

I think you are being difficult. It’s very easy to identify if someone is a foreigner if their English is poor or heavily accented and sometimes you can get a good sense of this from how a person dresses or carries himself. Humans are evolved to spot these types of differences.

cardibach · 01/01/2026 19:56

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 01/01/2026 19:51

It's wishful thinking on my part...

Not very democratic wishful thinking then. A majority of Londoners like him.