One parade, one flag, one video

I have somehow contrived never to attend the Lord Mayor’s Parade through Oxford during my time on the City Council. This year’s seemed a good one for which to make an exception… at least while it was sunny.

A gaggle of councillors were ferried a couple of hundred yards on an open-top bus into historic Broad Street, where we alighted to process through the central streets in order to bemuse tourists and residents, who had simply popped into town to do a bit of shopping. Inevitably it rained. I was able to carry an umbrella - the instrument-laden Oxford and District Brass Band Association, marching behind, was less fortunate.

Here’s a 3-minute video of the parade to give you a flavour. I clutched onto an EU flag to show my support for Oxfordshire’s European Movement, who were part of the Parade’s platoon of floats. You can also see me very self-consciously greeting the public (shades of a triumphant Hugh Grant entering Downing Street in Love Actually: “I really must work on my wave.”)