Gunpowder And Ghosts

[poliphilo]

I think bonfire night is dying out. There were very few fireworks last night- and they stopped early. I smelled bonfires around tea-time, but I didn't see any.

Two explanations. One is that it's being swamped by Halloween. The other is that our safety-first culture is killing it. I saw a news item a few days back about a police task force in Liverpool that was going round confiscating "illegal" fireworks. They'd collected over a ton. Spoilsports, I thought.

A third possibility is that I've got a skewed view of things from living in a Muslim area.

Living TV had a show in which "acclaimed spirit medium" Derek Acorah investigated sites associated with the Gunpowder Plot, picking up on residual energy and talking to ghosts.  Professor Ron Hutton, historian of Wicca, was scoring his performance. Very impressive it was too, which points- I suppose- to his having done his research- which wasn't always the case on Most Haunted.  It sounds absurd, but this was actually quite a neat little history lesson- and I learned things I hadn't known before. When Acorah enacted the last moments of the gang's leader Robert Catesby-  who died clutching an image of the Virgin after charging a line of musketeers-  it was curiously moving.  Terrorists may be wicked in all manner of ways, but don't try telling me they aren't brave.

Comments

[brttvns.livejournal.com]

Personally I can't stand bonfire night (though why we use the singular when fireworks go off evenings before and afterwards is beyond me) - my main gripe may seem selfish as the fireworks frighten one of my dogs, not a little but seriously frighten her. The other reason is that I see no need in celebrating the execution of a terrorist for a failed act of terrorism. Now if the gang had succeeded in blowing up their target that may have been something to wave a sparkler at!

As for 'terrorists may be wicked in all manner of ways', we seem very sure about the definition of 'terrorist' these days, but what defines a terrorist from a rebel? The brutality of their actions? How many 'rebels' throughout history went on to be leaders, politicians, yet a majority of those who unsuccessfully rebelled against them are remembered not quite so fondly?

Cheers

Brett

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If the Gunpowder plot had succeeded we might now regard the conspirators as national heroes- as fathers of the nation- the men who returned us to the True Faith. Catesby would be our Lenin.

Round here they let off fireworks all the year round. I've got so I hardly notice it anymore.