"It doesn't matter what your politics are or if you come from Mars if you're the right man for the job," he said. He points out that some of Lord Sutch's ideas - all-day pub opening, abolition of the 11-plus and voting at 18 - have become mainstream.But for the time being Mr Hope has other things on his mind. He expects to be involved in the funeral arrangements of his friend of 42 years "It won't be a funeral," he declared "It will be a rejoicing in his memory.". LONDON'S Westbourne Grove, between gloomy Paddington and smart Notting Hill, has been jam-packed with Indian restaurants for over 30 years now. As the world has shrunk, so the range of tastes has expanded, and in these cosmopolitan days the road offers a more eclectic mix. In the course of a five-minute stroll the hungry passer-by can hesitate between Spanish, Thai, Malaysian, Chinese, Italian, South African, Austrian, Moroccan, Greek, Turkish and Lebanese food.

But the road still smells of curry: there are eight Indian restaurants within 100 yards of one another. Today, though, there are a couple of new kids on the block - or just round the corner. Some weeks ago, Burger King introduced a whimsical new line of spicy-sounding Masala Burgers for just 99p. They have proved popular. "Yes, we get people coming in for them specially," said one of the salesmen at nearby Notting Hill. There's not much to them - a routine burger-in- a-bun with a couple of onion rings and a dab of savoury mayonnaise - but they are selling well enough for Burger King to consider putting them on its menu permanently.McDonald's has responded by coming up with its own Indian menu, which it is promoting heavily on television. The adverts are fun - parodies of the comically stiff commercials that used to run in local cinemas - though of course they rely for this fun on the idea that real Indian food is somewhat naff compared to the chic new McChicken Korma.I didn't notice Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant sloping off for a curry in Notting Hill.

But Indian food is a well-established staple of British life We all love vindaloo. The Asian sitcom Goodness Gracious Me has even been able to lampoon its role in our lives through characters who suggest nipping out for an English. There are 8,000 Indian restaurants; the best-selling product at Marks and Spencer is chicken tikka masala.It is hard to believe that the new ethnic fast-food snacks will have a serious impact on the Indian restaurant trade as such, since these curryburgers bear only a notional resemblance to Indian food. But they are cheap, and not surprisingly the genuine Indian chefs are peeved."What has curry got to do with them?" said Zaheer Shafi at The Standard in Westbourne Grove His restaurant was founded by a pair of friends in 1962.