When we compare how things are with how they used to be, it becomes apparent that our law enforcement has slowly and perniciously changed in many ways from a common law system to a Napoleonic one, i.e. you now need permission for stuff rather than being able to do anything that isn’t forbidden.
I think that the human condition is frequently denial- we hear about rules, think they are ridiculous then forget all about it until they bite us in the bum at a later date. One such example is the burning of bonfires. Notice the tone of this piece from the Wednesday Obtiser.
Identifying quantities of debris and stockpiles of wood for unauthorised bonfires?
Unauthorised bonfires will be removed?
A bit of a definition here. It applies to Council land it would seem, so private land should be OK, except that you are strongly encouraged to register them and the next slice of the salami will be obligation, then vetting,then local authority approved events with a vague Guy Fawkes theme, then nothing other than the sanitised approved list of equality and diversity sparkler free simulated fire events. (I know one or two display firers who are concerned with the increasingly crippling compliance they have to abide by which as usual favours the big Company over the small one).
It seems that this seek and destroy mission creep does go on, as James Higham reported, in his Bonfire live blogging.
Of course, fireworks and bonfires can be very dangerous if handled irresponsibly, but people enjoying themselves independently out of nanny’s control offends the righteous.
(It seems that the Government is no longer collating and publishing fireworks accident data, I’m not entirely sure why, although the trend in recent years has been downwards (pdf)).
Indeed.
That Obtiser article raised both my eyebrows.
We used to go chumping, nicking it off other kids bonfires, even if it was in their back garden (we pretended to be SAS and went crawling in)
Our parents let us build the bonfire, then turned up on the night to light it, set off fireworks, and serve food.
On the little stretch of unadopted road we lived on there used to be two bonfires, plus fireworks, 100 yards away from each other.
And I won’t mention collecting my mum’s empty Silverkrin cannisters we embedded in the bonfire. (but they made a very satisfying bang
There was a still-smouldering bonfire in Cottingley on Monday morning (saw it from the bus). Council land I assume. Wonder if the scuffers tried to end that one?
The article seems, to me, to have the Bansturber-In-Chief’s fingerprints all over it. He appears to be keen to crack down on law and order.
Comment by PJ — November 6, 2008 @ 11:40 pm
PJ, I have similar happy memories of less risk-averse times.
Hunting for spuds in the embers, the fire brigade coming to one on a bomb site that was scorching a party wall, rogue rockets flying through our feet, jumping jacks leaping all over the place, scrumping for milk bottles, Benwell lights I think they were called (coloured matches, red and green)
I can remember how we used to undo the blue paper on bangers, empty out all the gunpowder and then light them, holding them like a sparkler. They’d pop and the powder would flash when you put a match to it.
I did it in our back yard once, but I hadn’t got all the powder out, there must have been a lump blocking it. Needless to say, it exploded in my hand. No lasting damage, but ringing ears and a blackened hand. I had the shakes for about twenty minutes afterwards!
Comment by Shades — November 8, 2008 @ 1:21 am
I thought it was the wrong way around! The person who sold the fireworks also received a warning, they do just the same with alcohol and cigs; they just carry on selling them.
Because they always make money, that is how they make a living.
N
Comment by Anonymous — November 8, 2008 @ 1:47 am
N- The problem is not in the selling, it is in the (ab)using.
Comment by Shades — November 8, 2008 @ 12:18 pm