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On Nov 5th it will be the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawke's attempt to blow up the houses of Parliament and in broad terms reinstate Catholocism as the main religion of England.

The Tradition of burning a "Guy" on a bonfire is thought by some of our more PC politicians to be incendiary (pun intended) and racist, what do you think?

To be honest Bothwell, i cant remember the last time i saw a guy!

This year, because its the 400th anniversary my home town are encouraging

children to make a guy and the winner of the best one will light the bonfire (or bommy)

and their guy will sit on top of it.

Like everything today, the true meanings of tradition are lost in hype, kids today are more interested in setting off fireworks than understanding why they have them on Nov 5th.

Racist? sectarian-anticatholic perhaps but not racist. I think you need to teach kids about the past and the religious wars, just as you should about nazism and communism so these kinds of conflicts never happen again. When it comes to terror muslims are amateurs compared to some of the things christians did to each other never mind anybody else that didn't share their beliefs.

I heard you have really cool fireworks too! Burn the Guy! Light up the sky!

Someone was telling me yesterday that a couple of children came running up to her asking for a "penny for the guy" "Where's your guy?" she asked. "What's a guy?" was the response.

I'm a catholic and I say "burn away!" we don't mind coz we know were going to heaven anyway. But I tell you what, that bloke on Top Gear Richard something, did a reconstruction of the bomb with 36 barrels of old fashioned gun powder and a structurally accurate reconstruction of the old house of lords, with crash test dummies to simulate James the First and the rest of them. BAAAAAMMMMM, that thing went up like a nuclear bomb! They only found the top of the kings head! That guy fawkes wasn't messing around.

But seriously I woudn't get too wound up about the whole burning the guy thing, its just history as it was. Though it would be interesting to see what would happen if Prince William falls for one of our lot, them catholic girls do have their charms you know.

Galbally wrote: I'm a catholic and I say "burn away!" we don't mind coz we know were going to heaven anyway. But I tell you what, that bloke on Top Gear Richard something, did a reconstruction of the bomb with 36 barrels of old fashioned gun powder and a structurally accurate reconstruction of the old house of lords, with crash test dummies to simulate James the First and the rest of them. BAAAAAMMMMM, that thing went up like a nuclear bomb! They only found the top of the kings head! That guy fawkes wasn't messing around.

But seriously I woudn't get too wound up about the whole burning the guy thing, its just history as it was. Though it would be interesting to see what would happen if Prince William falls for one of our lot, them catholic girls do have their charms you know.


I saw that programme tonight, "The Gunpowder Plot" with Richard Hammond.

I found it really interesting and amazing that the gunpowder could cause SO MUCH damage! Concrete walls 7 feet thick were destroyed by the blast! I also found it interesting when Hammond said that whether they had been successful or not, the end result would still have been the same!

I wonder why we still celebrate it though. There must be many more appropriate things to celebrate with fireworks rather than a 400 year old plot that didnt even come to fruition!

On your other note...I would LOVE to see Wills (or Harry) marry a Catholic! It probably wouldn't be any huge deal though. They bent the rules so thoroughly for Charles and horseface that i'm sure they could get round that little obstacle quite easily.

posted by galbally

But seriously I woudn't get too wound up about the whole burning the guy thing, its just history as it was. Though it would be interesting to see what would happen if Prince William falls for one of our lot, them catholic girls do have their charms you know.


Would be fun. Most people wouldn't care but it would cause a real stooshie.

posted by rapunzel

I wonder why we still celebrate it though. There must be many more appropriate things to celebrate with fireworks rather than a 400 year old plot that didnt even come to fruition!


It wasn't just about how to worship god and burning those who disagreed. It was also do you have a king that is an absolute that rules by divine right and therefore should not be called in to question or do the people get to choose. Later on there was a civil war about just that point-or maybe the english were racist and objected to a scottish royal family:sneaky:

Go ahead and get it over with. It's always the guy who gets burned in the end, anyway.





:-2





Wait. This isn't the relationship forum!

It wasn't just about how to worship god and burning those who disagreed. It was also do you have a king that is an absolute that rules by divine right and therefore should not be called in to question or do the people get to choose. Later on there was a civil war about just that point-or maybe the english were racist and objected to a scottish royal family:sneaky:


GMC, I was wondering are there any Stuarts still knocking around?, just in case both William and Harry fall for Catholics, you never know they might be in for a shout for the big job.

I think the Stuarts are still around and probably have at least as good a claim as the present day Hanovers oops I mean Windsors

"Remember, Remember,

The Fifth of November,

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.

We see no reason

Why Gunpowder Treason,

Should ever be forgot!”

posted by bothwell

I think the Stuarts are still around and probably have at least as good a claim as the present day Hanovers oops I mean Windsors


Actually diana had a better claim the the honoverians, forget the exact reason though. It's often been mooted as one of the reasons the hanoverians survived is because they were not closely associated with british aristos so stood aloof from the general dislike of aristocracy in the late victorian and early 20th century. Not that simplke I don't think.

Not that simplke I don't think.[/QUOTE]

Do I not like that?

Bothwell wrote: On Nov 5th it will be the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawke's attempt to blow up the houses of Parliament and in broad terms reinstate Catholocism as the main religion of England.



The Tradition of burning a "Guy" on a bonfire is thought by some of our more PC politicians to be incendiary (pun intended) and racist, what do you think?try not to set yourself on fire this year darling :rolleyes:

Lady cop, are you really an erm, lady cop? And if so do men really go for women in uniforms? (You don't have to answer the second part if thats police business).

400 years of tradition! This yank is going to a bonfire with fireworks and a guy!

It's quite amazing to realize that we were all still British then! Cool! My family was still here when this event went down. We were still here, when the British civil war went down. Wonder what side we were on? We didnt show in america, till after the revolution. Then two of my great-greats fought on opposite sides of the american civil war.

Wonder how Westminster would look today if Fawkes would have succeeded?

Wonder how Westminster would look today if Fawkes would have succeeded?


Probably a bit smaller I would think. More like a pile of bricks, though if you put it in the tate modern you could still charge people to see it.

Just think how easy it would still be! Only they wouldnt be catholic this time......

posted by raven

400 years of tradition! This yank is going to a bonfire with fireworks and a guy!

It's quite amazing to realize that we were all still British then! Cool! My family was still here when this event went down. We were still here, when the British civil war went down. Wonder what side we were on? We didnt show in america, till after the revolution. Then two of my great-greats fought on opposite sides of the american civil war.

Wonder how Westminster would look today if Fawkes would have succeeded?


Actually we weren't British, the union of Parliaments wasn't until 1707, Scotland was stuill an independent nation. I know you are american so I forgive you:D

LOL!! It WAS James the 6th/1st that was the intended blow-up-ee, was it not?

AWWW c'mon!! You're not STILL miffed about the flag thing, are ya?:p