Plot to rename bonfire night

[DulwichFox]

Plot to rename bonfire night

James Barber

Liberal Democrat Councillor for East Dulwich

Article by James Tweeted on Twitter.

Labour run Southwark Council have decided to hold a public bonfire event in Dulwich Park.

Sadly they don?t feel they want to call it firework display but have come up with a more politically correct name for the event ? ?The Colour Thief?.

What is not politically Correct with 'Firework Display' or 'Bonfire night'

What is so politically Correct with ?The Colour Thief?.

Am I missing something.??

Article Here

[Bluerevolution]

*scratches head, thinking of suitable response*

WTF? :-S

[DJKillaQueen]

Given that it's ritten by JB on his website I think I'd like to hear the other side before making comment. Anyone know why the display will be called 'The Colour Thief'?

[James Barber]

Why would you not call a fireworks event on 4 November a fireworks party?

The original bonfire was a catholic being. This proposed Southwark event is titled The Colour Thief and the environment director and team have pointeldy and repeatedly stated its not a firework party. So why on bonfire weekned would you have a non fireworks party costing over ?55,000 that involves fireworks?

Truely bizarre.

This contrasts with the ?900 support for the Dulwich festival and the fact lcoally we have numerous firework events already in the area.

Wouldn't you rather see such money either spent on local events such as the Dulwich Festival or not be spent at all?

[DJKillaQueen]

There are lot's of events that use fireworks that are not necessarily fireworks displays....the Thames Festival for one. Is the event solely fireworks? Or will there be other types of entertainment there? I would like to hear the Entertainment Directors thinking and have more information before having a view on how the money is spent.

[mockney piers]

A bit of digging around and it seems The Colour Thief is a sort of Drama/Music/Costume spectacle thing, with a name, like a play.

So maybe not so completely bizarre as it first sounded. It is all a bit It's Grim Up North London / Modern Parents though isn't it ;-)

[DJKillaQueen]

There we go James.....it's not just a firework display is it? It's a carnival of light....the Thames Festival has one of those too......and the council specifically describes it as theatre.

From Southwark Life

Web: www.southwark.gov.uk/

whatson

Info: The Colour Thief is a vibrant, inspiring and sparkling story, an outdoor spectacle to lift the spirits and warm us into winter. Using stunning carnival creations, processions and sparkling pyrotechnics, the show will surround

the Dulwich Park audience with light, colour and theatre fit for the season.

So the question is, how does this relate to Bonfire night?......Well maybe it doesn't in a traditional way, but given that as you say there are lot's of traditional fireworks displays around the borough, why does it matter if this event is a bit different?

The cost of it though is where you do get my ear. It seems a lot of money to spent on one event at the moment.....especially when several annual festivals lost their funding this year, and when as you say there are plenty of alternate free events over that weekend.

*crossed post with MP*

[Bluerevolution]

James Barber Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Why would you not call a fireworks event on 4

> November a fireworks party?

> The original bonfire was a catholic being. This

> proposed Southwark event is titled The Colour

> Thief and the environment director and team have

> pointeldy and repeatedly stated its not a firework

> party. So why on bonfire weekned would you have a

> non fireworks party costing over ?55,000 that

> involves fireworks?

> Truely bizarre.

>

> This contrasts with the ?900 support for the

> Dulwich festival and the fact lcoally we have

> numerous firework events already in the area.

>

> Wouldn't you rather see such money either spent on

> local events such as the Dulwich Festival or not

> be spent at all?

If I wasn't confused before I am now ! So, they are proposing a non-fireworks party that has a firework display but calling it a "Colour Thief" night?

What exactly does "Colour Thief" mean?

Sounds totally non-sensical unless I've completely missed something.

[RosieH]

Absolutely in agreement with DJKQ.

I think it's verging on the hysterical to blame political correctness for the name (and frankly makes no sense: there's nothing politically incorrect about 'firework display', and I'm quite sure I've never heard anyone use the phrase 'firework party'). Please can we not pander to the political health and safety gone correct brigade - I don't expect such arrant Daily Mail nonsense from a LibDem councillor, even during conference season.

To me, The Colour Thief smacks much more of an artsy name that interprets something through the manner of rhythmic mime and balloons, but I'm open to finding out the facts before blaming it all on the EU.

[DulwichFox]

....the Thames Festival is in September..

Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November.

It was to celebrate the foiled Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Perhaps The anti Catholic sentiment was the reason behind the not 'Politically Correct' tag.

Hence Labour wanting to rename it. Well it's taken them a long time.

Sounds like Labour Councillors have nothing more important to worry about.

Very similar to the 'Rename Waterloo' campaign. because it might offend French Visitors

Well they did not rename Waterloo. They just moved the terminus to St Pancras

What else are we going to rename.?

Trafalgar Square. ??

Fox.

[StraferJack]

ah yes , renaming waterloo - pesky EU eh?

another myth bites the dust

[mockney piers]

But our politicians don't do religion do they.

Well, apart from Dumbledore or whatever his name was, no wonder he's happier in the states than here these days!!

Anyway I agree with the ladies, it's patent nonsense to attach IPCGM to this one.

In fact it sounds like it could be rather fun and a bit of a change from the usual firework display type affair which I've grown a bit bored with as a grown up. Plus the pyro in me always preferred the bonfire anyway.

[DulwichFox]

.... And rename 'Waterloo Sunset' to 'Liverpool Sunset' the original idea for the song title...

Fox

[DJKillaQueen]

That's a point......what happened to the bonfires? We used to go door to door as kids collecting rubbish and wood before helping to build a massive pile in the local park!!! (imagine doing that now).....but inevitably someone always set fire to it a couple of days before :D

[James Barber]

Think what fantastic events we could hold in Dulwich with ?55,000. A Dulwich Festival 2 or 3 times the curreent size with free events for local schools.

So why hold the ONE Southwark Council event for southern Southwark on the one weekend Dulwich is already full of events?

Why blow the ?55,000 on that single Friday for what officers have told me will be a one hour event - please don't let it rain that night.

When asked have the Police, who tell me they are alway stretched that weekend, agreed they can support it. They tell me yes. But our local Police throw their hands up in horrow not knowing how on earth they can Police another major event.

It's daft.

Up intil the SLP ran this as its front page story today the event was called the Colour Thief. At 8am today Southwark Council renamed it as a fireworks diplay and issued a revised consultation form. So now newspapers can see the before and after public documents making the council look even sillier and one reporter told me deceitful.

[ianr]

>From Southwark Life

>Web: www.southwark.gov.uk/

Yet no mention at all found on the Southwark web site, in five minutes of multi-route searching, even under the 4 November listings on the Events pages.

[DJKillaQueen]

James, I'd drop the PC argument...really I would. It doesn't matter what kind of event it is or what it's called...I don't think people really care too much about that, and it just makes you look as though you are playing party politics for the sake of it.

The funding issue though is a very valid criticism. It is a lot of money, and certainly a lot of money to spend on one hour of entertainment. That is something that I think many people would like some explanation on. Firework displays are exepensive though anyway but it might be helpful to have some idea of what the ?55k is being spent on.

Ian, you will find a copy of Southwark life (published by the council) on the website as a PDF and it is listed in that.

[ianr]

> Ian, you will find a copy of Southwark life (published by the council) on the website as a PDF and it is listed in that.

TY. Copied here. [ed: extracted from the full Southwark Life autumn 2011 edition (PDF, 3 MByte) downloadable here]

[Alan Medic]

They advertise it as 'free' but it costs ?55k. So who is paying? I think the answer is we are. What a waste of money on something with no long term benefit, unless you think an hour is a long time.

[Huguenot]

It is a heavy investment for an needless service.

It's like the freee school dinners thing - they seem to be buying off monied middle classes with perks they don't need at a price they would be perfectly capable of paying for themselves.

It also sounds pretty snooty and pretentious - not exactly mass appeal.

[RosieH]

Can we have a definitive answer on the cost? In the web article, it says 'plan to spend ?55k' (my bold). On here, James suggests that they are spending over ?55k.

Plan to spend is not the same as actually spend. I'd been been planning to go on holiday this year, but when it came to it, I couldn't afford it, so I didn't do it. Still planned it though.

Clearly the event is going ahead, so money is being spent. How much, target audience, rationale etc all currently unknown. James, can you clarify? Is the amount confirmed? How much is it? Where has the funding come from?

Any labour councillors care to join the party and explain the thinking.

As for snooty and pretentious, I disagree. I wrote lots of poems at my unsnooty, unpretentious primary school about autumn colours. I think it sounds rather lovely. Not ?55k of council tax lovely, but lovely nonetheless.

[James Barber]

The ?55K doesn't include council officer time.

Today they've dropped the daft title and are now callnig it Firework event.

Apparently it will have design, performance, music and dancing. Not sure how in an unlit park anyone will see the design, performances or dancing though.

The Dulwich Park car park will be closed so the now predicted 2,000-3,000 visitors and those not walking will have to park near the Court Lane entrance which will be open. The event is listed in Time Out so clearly expectation of attracting more than just Dulwich residents.

Don't get me wrong. I love a party. But I'm sure the money could be spent on other local events to reach more people and make a bigger impact.

[maxxi]

I hope this doesn't mean Fat-Beardy-Man-with-inappropriate-behaviour-towards-children won't be bring me any pressies for 'Winterval'!

'A Firework Event' sounds like someone somewhere busting a gut to be 'original', and the inclusion of a couple of dancers or maybe a poet and some new-age music probably means it can be classified as a 'mass-appeal-multi-arts-media-event' rather than an opportunity to have our pagan souls stirred by a roaring fire and some loud bangs and whooshes.

*lights blue touch paper and refuses to retire...*

E.T. correct pagan spelling.

[RosieH]

Ok James, I get that you're against it.

But can you confirm how much money has been spent on it and where that money has come from?

[mockney piers]

Oh James James James.

Quoted in the press using IPCGM. *audibly tuts*

I'm afraid a peg or two has been descended there mockneyestimationwise.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23988961-bonfire-frightcouncil-gives-guy-new-name.do