Is it time for the UK to call an end to Bonfire Night?

[Mr Lick]

Legacy

On 5 November 1605 Londoners were encouraged to celebrate the King's escape from assassination by lighting bonfires, "always provided that 'this testemonye of joy be careful done without any danger or disorder'".An Act of Parliament designated each 5 November as a day of thanksgiving for "the joyful day of deliverance", and remained in force until 1859. Although he was only one of 13 conspirators, Fawkes is today the individual most associated with the failed Plot.
In Britain, 5 November has variously been called Guy Fawkes Night, Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night; the latter can be traced directly back to the original celebration of 5 November 1605. Bonfires were accompanied by fireworks from the 1650s onwards, and it became the custom to burn an effigy (usually the Pope) after 1673, when the heir presumptive, James, Duke of York made his conversion to Catholicism public. Effigies of other notable figures who have become targets for the public's ire, such as Paul Kruger and Margaret Thatcher, have also found their way onto the bonfires, although most modern effigies are of Fawkes.The "guy" is normally created by children, from old clothes, newspapers, and a mask.[



The outcome was never in doubt. The jury found all of the defendants guilty, and the Lord Chief JusticeSir John Popham proclaimed them guilty of high treason.

The Attorney GeneralSir Edward Coke told the court that each of the condemned would be drawn backwards to his death, by a horse, his head near the ground. They were to be "put to death halfway between heaven and earth as unworthy of both". Their genitals would be cut off and burnt before their eyes, and their bowels and hearts removed. They would then be decapitated, and the dismembered parts of their bodies displayed so that they might become "prey for the fowls of the air".


On 31 January 1606, Fawkes and three others – Thomas Wintour, Ambrose Rockwood, and Robert Keyes – were dragged from the Tower on wattled hurdlesto the Old Palace Yard at Westminster, opposite the building they had attempted to destroy. His fellow plotters were hanged, drawn and quartered. Fawkes was the last to stand on the scaffold. He asked for forgiveness of the King and state, while keeping up his "crosses and idle ceremonies", and aided by the hangman began to climb the ladder to the noose. Although weakened by torture, Fawkes managed to jump from the gallows, breaking his neck in the fall and thus avoiding the agony of the latter part of his execution.] His lifeless body was nevertheless drawn and quartered, and as was the custom, his body parts were then distributed to "the four corners of the kingdom", to be displayed as a warning to other would-be traitors.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes



Is it time to call an end to the annual UK celebrations on 5th November which started in 1605?

Many might say it is traditional but then so was fox hunting until some years ago.
405 years has passed since the celebrations commenced after the gunpowder plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament was foiled.
The culprits were hung, drawn and quartered, (another quaint english tradition at the time), but hardly worthy of discussion amongst young children who enjoy firework displays. In my younger years i can recall an effigy of Fawkes being dragged around the streets in a wheelbarrow with children shouting 'Penny for the Guy'. Little did we know or care that Mr Fawkes and his co-conspiritors had met such an ignominious end.

Is it really ok in current times to throw an effigy of Fawkes (or anyone else for that matter) on to a bonfire? Where are all the PC modernists? Why are they not raising concerns with local authorities over the issue? Has the issue already been blocked by Members of Parliament?

What is your opinion? Do we continue to act like barbarians or is it still just jolly good fun?

[can123]

It is a matter of physical necessity for me. I live on a mountain and can never be sure which way the wind will blow. I have a huge pile of garden stuff, conifers, branches, etc. to get rid of and they will go up in flames on Bonfire Night without having to worry about the neighbour's washing.

[HollyGoodhead]

I have a huge pile of garden stuff, conifers, branches, etc. to get rid of

why do you need to get rid of them? if they're not burned, is there anywhere else they can go?

[Stinky]

Guy Fawks night celebrations are a wonderful English tradition, why anyone would want to do away with them is beyond me, it's like asking the Jocks to give up whisky or the Welsh to stop buggering sheep.

We need to keep this most English of celebrations, we've already given up to much to the PC brigade wankers.

[HollyGoodhead]

Guy Fawks night celebrations are wonderful English tradition

Depends who's having them...there's so many nutcases buying fireworks and using them as weapons or torture devices.

[Stinky]

Guy Fawks night celebrations are wonderful English tradition

Depends who's having them...there's so many nutcases buying fireworks and using them as weapons or torture devices.

If you're saying that fireworks should be licensed to shows only I'd agree, the celebrations would still be there and the tradition maintained.

Didn't know about people using them as tourture devices though, unless you mean when I shoved a banger up a frogs arse

[HollyGoodhead]

^that's exactly what I mean

[The Fresh Prince]

when I shoved a banger up a frogs arse

Did you really shove a banger up a frogs arse?

or did your mate shove a banger up a frogs arse?

Or is it more likely that it was a mate of a mate of a mate who saw someone do it down the park?

[HollyGoodhead]

well whoever did it is a sick individual...

[Stinky]

when I shoved a banger up a frogs arse

Did you really shove a banger up a frogs arse?

or did your mate shove a banger up a frogs arse?

Or is it more likely that it was a mate of a mate of a mate who saw someone do it down the park?

Don't you know the old joke about Aflie telling teacher about shoving a banger up a frogs arse?
Teacher said "it's rectum Alfie!". Alfie replies "Rectum Miss, it blew their fucking heads off !"

[can123]

I have a huge pile of garden stuff, conifers, branches, etc. to get rid of

why do you need to get rid of them? if they're not burned, is there anywhere else they can go?

I'm not talking about a car boot amount of stuff here. I would require a large lorry to take this to a recycling centre so, up in flames it will go. We do the same thing every couple of years. The local council will only remove grass cuttings because everything else is too heavy for their puny little workers to handle. All my grass cuttings are allowed to rot back into the ground.

My garden is quite large and I have about forty trees, all pumping out oxygen, in it so one fire every two years is not too damaging to the planet.

[Stinky]

Oh bugger I just realised we're in issues, digits gonna get in trouble

[kmart]

Guy Fawks night celebrations are a wonderful English tradition, why anyone would want to do away with them is beyond me, it's like asking the Jocks to give up whisky or the Welsh to stop buggering sheep.

We need to keep this most English of celebrations, we've already given up to much to the PC brigade wankers.

Well said, that man!
I used to fucking love Bonfire / Mischief Night, when I was a kid.

[Thetyim]

The only valid reason to ban Guy Fawkes night would be because it offends muslims.
Nothing else is important

[Smug Farang Bore]

Mates and I ERR borrowed some err stuff from the Army stores and had a party at the end of the garden....

Blew a two foot hole in the ground...


and the windows out the neighbors house.


...but hey it was firework night ..

[Stinky]

What D''ya know we've been moved out of issues, either that or I was drunk last night.

When I was a lad we would take all of the powder out of fireworks and make little bombs and blow up peoples sheds in the dead of night.
Great fun then but times have changed in the last 35yrs and I don't believe that fire works should be on public sale.
A few years back I was running a pub in Bilaricky when two of the local thugs came in and started loosing off rockets at me and the barman trapping us for some time behind the bar, oh how we laughed.

[Moonraker]

We should ban Christmas because of cruelty to turkeys and Brussel Sprouts and stuff.

[Smug Farang Bore]

What D''ya know we've been moved out of issues, either that or I was drunk last night.

When I was a lad we would take all of the powder out of fireworks and make little bombs and blow up peoples sheds in the dead of night.
Great fun then but times have changed in the last 35yrs and I don't believe that fire works should be on public sale.
A few years back I was running a pub in Bilaricky when two of the local thugs came in and started loosing off rockets at me and the barman trapping us for some time behind the bar, oh how we laughed.

Smoke grenade in a pub in Surrey...but I was running that one at the time.
Thunder flash in the pond too.


Shed went up with a phosphorous flare.

[Stinky]

What D''ya know we've been moved out of issues, either that or I was drunk last night.

When I was a lad we would take all of the powder out of fireworks and make little bombs and blow up peoples sheds in the dead of night.
Great fun then but times have changed in the last 35yrs and I don't believe that fire works should be on public sale.
A few years back I was running a pub in Bilaricky when two of the local thugs came in and started loosing off rockets at me and the barman trapping us for some time behind the bar, oh how we laughed.

Smoke grenade in a pub in Surrey...but I was running that one at the time.
Thunder flash in the pond too.

Shed went up with a phosphorous flare.

Nice, you do get to see some odd stuff running pubs eh

Just after Guy Fawks night about 25 years ago I was running the White Lion on Putney High St when a guy came in and ask to see the bouncers, I said "I don't have any bouncers" so he turned and left without saying a word. He went to the next pub up the High St and on seeing the bouncers he hosed them with lighter fuel and set them alight, guess he had bouncer issues.

[the dogcatcher]

Try this at home.

[The Fresh Prince]

What D''ya know we've been moved out of issues, either that or I was drunk last night.

That is good news. I didn't reply last night after you pointed out it was in issues.

Don't you know the old joke about Aflie telling teacher about shoving a banger up a frogs arse? Teacher said "it's rectum Alfie!". Alfie replies "Rectum Miss, it blew their fucking heads off !"

Yep I've heard the joke and I think everyone knows someone that has said that they've stuck a banger up a frogs bum, but I think its an urban legend.

First off, you've gotta catch the frog. Not too difficult but I'm not into handle frogs. Except the cute baby ones that just hop on your hand.

Then you've got to find its bum and shove a banger up it. This can't be an easy task I don't reckon. I think it would be difficult to shove even the smallest banger up there.

Then you gotta light it and hope that it doesn't go out when the frogs hoping off.

So Mr Digit. Did you actually shove a banger up a frogs bum

There's also a 50% chance here that this prank is how you got your nickname

[ItsRobsLife]

[Stinky]

What D''ya know we've been moved out of issues, either that or I was drunk last night.

That is good news. I didn't reply last night after you pointed out it was in issues.

Don't you know the old joke about Aflie telling teacher about shoving a banger up a frogs arse? Teacher said "it's rectum Alfie!". Alfie replies "Rectum Miss, it blew their fucking heads off !"

Yep I've heard the joke and I think everyone knows someone that has said that they've stuck a banger up a frogs bum, but I think its an urban legend.

First off, you've gotta catch the frog. Not too difficult but I'm not into handle frogs. Except the cute baby ones that just hop on your hand.

Then you've got to find its bum and shove a banger up it. This can't be an easy task I don't reckon. I think it would be difficult to shove even the smallest banger up there.

Then you gotta light it and hope that it doesn't go out when the frogs hoping off.

So Mr Digit. Did you actually shove a banger up a frogs bum

There's also a 50% chance here that this prank is how you got your nickname

Oh dear I'm gonna get myself a bad name aren't I, to answer your question Princey I've never hurt and animal nor shoved a "banger" up anythings arse, I'll not divulge more that that

[The Fresh Prince]

So how did you get the nickname then.

[Stinky]

That was given to me after a HHH run in ChainMai in which someone fell over breaking fingers and landing in buffalo shit, nothing more to it