More old bangers, Guido

It's Guido Day again.



When we were kids, celebrating Guy Fawkes was a big deal to our whole community. All year, people saved up their old timber and shortly before The Big Day a huge bonfire was constructed in the front paddock of the farm across the road. Many people made a lifelike Guy to put up, fireworks were bought and, on the night, picnics were packed, kids and blankets gathered up and people from all around converged for a fabulous evening of sparklers and Tom Thumbs, skyrockets and Double Happies, food, fun and entertainment culminating in exhaustion, sleeping kids and some rather unsteady fathers as they all wandered off home late at night with just the occasional burnt finger and hungover head to show for it all the next day.

Thirty-five or forty years on, it's all a bit different. Fire bans usually prevent bonfires, the fireworks are not like they used to be and the general public have turning into mewling, whining babies who want fireworks banned from sale to protect the general populace from the fallout of anti-social, moronic juveniles who have no understanding of consequence and less fear of punishment for the horrid and stupid things they do, like torturing pets, causing fires and driving the population nuts for weeks (and months) on end. That's what our Politically Correct, No Responsibility Nana State has produced in this generation where punishment is not allowed, freedom of choice rules and no-one has to feel accountable for the shit they do or cause. The Gummint banning things "for our own good" seems to have absolved the user from individual courtesy, care or consideration. It isn't the fireworks that hurt people and animals or damage property, it's the numbnuts yobos using the lighter, just as it isn't alcohol or the cars that causes car accidents, it's the wankers behind the wheel. Take away fireworks and all that's needed to build something just as destructive, just as dangerous lives in a plastic bottle under the kitchen sink. Or in the garage.

But the woofters and wowsers keep banging on about it (as I've mentioned before) and their limited intellect just can't comprehend that the issue is NOT that fireworks need banning, the issue is the social mess we are in where young people feel its ok to do this and know damned well that they will get away with it because the policing and punishment for it doesn't exist. THAT is what needs legislating to fix.

This year is the first that we haven't bought our own bangers. Instead we spent the same money going to the Speedway where Ads and I not only got some excellent racing in, but had a fabulous fireworks display afterwards. But that was my choice and buying them to use at home should be my choice, also. Instead of pissing of Joe and Jo Public who are responsible users of recreational explosives, they should start dealing with the issue properly by limiting the sale of fireworks to the 24 hours prior to the nearest Saturday night to Guy Fawkes, limit the time allowed to let them off to 24 hours either side of Guy Fawkes and prosecute the shit out of anyone breaking the rules, be they kids, teens or adults. The key word in there is, of course LIMIT, not BAN.

Public display can be fun; even though we cannot light our own, we CAN enjoy a much better class of explosion and not have to clean up the mess afterwards. These are pics I took of last night's show, and you can enjoy more of it via a small portion of the video I took, below.

No cleaning up required.

Just goes to show, celebrating anarchy doesn't have to cause more. Funny, that. Someone should tell the fuckwits that before our dozy lawmakers take away our choice.