I’m not sure if there is any
point celebrating (if ‘celebrating’ is the right word) events of November 5th
anymore. The fireworks display on the Forest Recreation ground was good but I failed
to see what it was being commemorated. It doesn’t even seem to be called Guy
Fawkes Night nowadays, and if we’re no longer marking the last time someone
entered the Houses of Parliament with honest intentions (little bit of satire
there, my name’s Ben Elton goodnight) then what is Bonfire Night actually about?
It is apparent that Nottingham
Council (I can’t speak for other areas) want this night to be quietly abolished
which is why they seem to be messing it up with the hope that people stop bothering.
The display on the forest now incorporates a miniature version of Goose Fair
which spoiled the effect of the fireworks display as you couldn’t hear the
music that they had choreographed the fireworks to. The biggest problem is the
bonfire itself, you can see it but you can’t get near it, no doubt due to those
three little words that have torn the heart and soul out of so many events,
health and safety. If they want to have just a fireworks display then there is
no point having the bonfire there because it served no purpose.
When I was a kid the bonfire
was a joint effort that saw people making the journey with an old chair or some
wooden boxes that had been cluttering up the garage, and nobody thought it
strange to see children walking up to the fire and throwing things on. In fact
we were encouraged to do so as it provided the neighbourhood with an
opportunity for a clear out. Given how people who live in close proximity to the
forest like to just leave their unwanted junk outside this could have been a
chance to see the roads finally clear of mattresses and tables and provided us
with the biggest bonfire the forest has ever seen.
The climax of the evening
should have been the competition to see who had made the best Guy, (I would
have been up for judging) followed by putting them all on the fire to rapturous
applause from the crowd. I doubt that the schools even bothered to mention Guy
Fawkes amid all this, never mind something as controversial as throwing a man
on a fire. Admittedly as Guy Fawkes was hanged for his crime I did used to
wonder why we chucked him on the fire but I’m sure if I could be arsed to
research it I would find out.
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