Why Your Government Loves you: Keeping Bonfire Night Benign!
This week was Bonfire Night, November 5th, a 'celebration' of a failed act of terrorism against the crown which is now remembered by councils banning bonfires, fireworks with about as much fizzle as John Major's wardrobe and the chance to, effectively, burn money. It never used to be this way. I can remember as child Bonfire Night was always one of the major events of the year, perhaps second only to Christmas. Where I lived, groups of kids would spend weeks before the date collecting "Bonnie Wood" and storing it in a variety of disused garages and other 'secret' hidey-holes. There was a palpable sense of anticipation every year, fuelled by the singing of "Remember, Remember" in school and the scary adverts warning you not to pick up sparklers at the wrong end, or otherwise play with fireworks. When the night arrived, I was always amazed to discover it wasn't a school holiday. Even so, you'd rush home from school, get outside to help...