Carnival spirit

IT IS a shame that this year’s Notting Hill Carnival has seen an increase in crime, not least because this makes headline news when most of the street festival is a joyous thing. But the real power of carnival lies not with petty — and sometimes fatal — displays of machismo with knives but with its ability to subvert the normal order of things. On what other occasion would you find precious London villa-dwellers surrendering their neighbourhoods for a long weekend, and their rarefied streets coming alive with street dancing rather than social climbing? Just think: how would Knightsbridge feel about having a carnival?