Wow, that is one scathing article indeed. For those wondering about the security, the barriers and who paid for it here is a quote:
"There will be a cost to the Nottingham taxpayer, how much exactly we don’t know. City Council Community Protection Officers were diverted from other duties to provide crowd reassurance in St Ann’s outside the Community Recording Studio.
Council-owned barriers were placed outside to keep the crowd in check. A single Nottinghamshire Police car blocked the road.
In Sneinton, while the couple visited Epic Partners, an unmarked police car blocked the road. For balance, I should tell you that a plastic chair with a sign saying “no one past this point please” was also used (ineffectively) for crowd control in Sneinton." "None of this is free. So why are we paying for the activities of what Buckingham Palace itself calls ‘private citizens’?"
The article repeatedly refers to the events as a 'circus'.
"One particular encounter summed everything up for me today. In Hyson Green, well-wishers had taken time out of their day to wait for a glimpse of the couple on Gregory Boulevard outside the Himmah Hub community kitchen.
Yet, after the cooking session inside, the Duke and Duchess were quietly escorted out of a rear exit for their next stop. They left a street of waiting fans disappointed - some still clutching flowers they hoped to give them.
For all the talk of community support, when the circus packs up and moves on, the people who actually live here are left standing on the pavement, holding flowers, waiting for a reality that has already driven away."
The newspaper has had a lot of negative comment about the visit.
"The reaction to their visit in our newsdesk email has been overwhelming. And not in a positive way. We have been reminded at all hours today by people all over the world that the couple are private individuals. One even pointed out: “You may have private citizens lurking around looking for attention so beware.”