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I remember that ad Otta. It's had a lasting impact on me. To be honest I abhor fireworks displays.


Mrs Dopamine dragged me to the one in Lewes a few years ago. They burn an effigy of an unpopular local or political figure every year.


It all seemed a bit Mississipi Burning to me.

Blah Blah Wrote:

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

> When I was a youngster, every corner shop sold

> fireworks. It was easy for kids to get hold of

> them. Hundreds of them ended up in hospitals after

> accidents. The government made campaign adverts on

> health and safety around fireworks, it was that

> big a problem. Every other street lit a bonfire

> and the fire brigade were overstretched trying to

> put out the ones that got out of control. So to

> say current laws are inadaquate is just BS. They

> were made in reaction to real issues with

> fireworks.

>

> We live in a city of 6.5 milion people. There will

> be NOISE. There are far more serious things to

> campaign for than some killjoy crusade over a few

> fireworks let off in the privacy of someones own

> garden over a few weeks of the year.


Still have memories of our private bonfires though.

A neighbor had a spare bit of land and we started

building it in September.


Was a highlight of the year as a 10 year old.

The family bonfire.


My brother (aged 14) got bladdered on some partially fermented homebrew which had been bubbling away in an Addis flip-top bin. He was locked in the outside toilet for his own safety, where he vomited on himself.


For my part, I sneakily pocketed a few bangers from the Crawfords 'safety first, Dad' biscuit tin and - possibly - may have touched a second cousin's tit.


Happy days.

For H&S We had a bit of string attached to a bamboo pole and a fork about three and a half foot from the bofire lit by petrol, whilst the dad's (with hindsight - cleary inebriated and noving towards being paralytic by the end) lit the fireworks with their fags..


...best days of our lives

"Mrs Dopamine dragged me to the one in Lewes a few years ago. They burn an effigy of an unpopular local or political figure every year.


Ahem.. there are several competing bonfires in lewes, all with their own effigies


"It all seemed a bit Mississipi Burning to me."


This isn't helping is it??


My local bonfire crew (Waterloo) were the ones that made national news on the back of having Salmond


Cliffe bonfire has a couple of Putins, one in a mankini


It is all fairly intense, but as with Ottery tar barrels, it's good to see something so divorced from "regular" consumer culture once a year

I also never go pole fishing for carp near said pylons for the same reason.



*Bob* Wrote:

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

> Frightening films indeed.

>

> To this day, I've never flown a kite near to an

> electricity pylon whilst wearing flared jeans.

Bonfires were very territorial back in the day, with the sole aim being to dismantle/demolish/set fire to a rival gang's 'bommie' before the big night. It wasn't uncommon for gang members to hide in the bonfire and 'surprise' any would be intruders. However, one year a young lad on 'sentry duty' fell asleep in the bonfire, I'll stop there...

StraferJack Wrote:

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

> "Mrs Dopamine dragged me to the one in Lewes a few

> years ago. They burn an effigy of an unpopular

> local or political figure every year.

>

> Ahem.. there are several competing bonfires in

> lewes, all with their own effigies

>

> "It all seemed a bit Mississipi Burning to me."

>

> This isn't helping is it??

>

> My local bonfire crew (Waterloo) were the ones

> that made national news on the back of having

> Salmond

>

> Cliffe bonfire has a couple of Putins, one in a

> mankini

>

> It is all fairly intense, but as with Ottery tar

> barrels, it's good to see something so divorced

> from "regular" consumer culture once a year


Intense indeed brother. Everyone else seemed to be having a blast so more power to them. Each to their own I guess.

That is so true Red Devil. Ours had a habit of being sabotaged a couple of nights before, so the guys always had a secret stash of wood and were always alble to rebuild it in time.


Anyone remember penny for the guy as well? Remember how that guy ended up on the top of that bonfire?

I don't think (I hope) anyone on here would suggest that "banger fests" were a good thing, or that kids should be sold fireworks, or that fireworks should be set off on the streets.


Banning all sales of fireworks to the public would be something of an over reaction to a minor issue.

same here to the point where I'm mildly panicked about my lads on them despite never having heard of an actual incident in my life.


Once again, permanently traumatised by a public information film. THIS is why the world has gone to hell in a handcart, NO FEAR!!!!!

  • 2 weeks later...

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