Isn't It About Time Fireworks

Shadow Leader

Shadow Leader

At the Start
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Surely it's about time fireworks were withdrawn from public sale and only available on some kind of licensing terms to organised displays with only certain people licensed to let them off?

I hadn't been living in the country for over 4 years and thought that the sale of fireworks had been clamped down on only to be somewhat surprised over the last few weeks. Is it really a necessity that the public can buy fireworks in so many places? There are so many organised public displays that surely it would make sense to restrict the sale of fireworks to licensed events? That way people could still apply for a licence if they badly wanted a display for a wedding, party or whatever. It would also make sense (to me) if that licence were dependent on the people letting off the fireworks being licensed themselves.

What happens instead is you get people buying fireworks just because they can, then letting them off in public for the "craic" after they've had a few beers or whatever. Not only that but you have fireworks going off every night for at least a fortnight - it's just not necessary and there must be loads of accidents occurring, not least through drunken antics with fireworks or kids thinking they are being clever, or cool, or hard.

My poor dog is in absolute tatters ~ she's a nervous wreck. As a younger animal she wasn't bothered by fireworks, thunder, gunshots but now she gets into a right state. She's been crawling all over me, pawing me frantically, when she's not cowering under a table/bed/chair shaking, looking at me with wide open, petrified eyes. And that's on having been fed around a dozen Kalms tablets (she eats them from my hand!) and a couple of herbal sedatives especially formulated for animals to help with fireworks and loud noises (like thunder). She's been like this every night for the past week or so and it's horrible to see her like this.

It affects other animals too - horses in particular tend to go mad and I worry about my fella - he can be neurotic enough at times. If he had been out at grass I'd have brought him in tonight - as I would if I had any horses out for that matter. It's simply not fair on them, they get petrified and enough end up injuring themselves throuh panic.

I'll be glad when it's all over in a week's time!
 
I would support a ban along the lines you suggest, Shads.

But until earlier in the week, they had been noticeable by their absence in this neck of the woods.

Could be down to the microclimate, I suppose. :P
 
Could well be, Colin! :D

Hells bells, this is getting ridiculous. I thought about asking the vet for sedatives a few weeks ago but thought she'd get through just fine on herbal stuff. (ha bloody ha) Her little heart is clamouring away in her chest and every move I make she drags herself out from under the bed to be an inch behind me! First thing Monday morning I'll be on the phone to my pal Stephen the vet, begging for drugs. I've even stuck a shot of vodka down her neck in an attempt to chill her out a bit! (couldn't find any brandy....!)
 
Bless her. Lucky she lives where she does Shad - We get them right through from October when they start selling them right through to Feb. Every night ( and Im not exaggerating) there is at least two sets in earshot of us - i really dont know how people with sensitive animals manage.( or those of a sensitive disposition!) Then we get a break of a few months, and in the summer there are "Fireworks on the Quay - every Thursday through the summer" Woohoo - cheers guys!!!!!


Im all for a ban - we flog ridiculous amounts of sedatives from now to jsut after new year - Im against them from an animals view - let alone what other rubbish goes on - LAst year there were kids letting them off next to and across the M5 - God on ly knows it was lucky noone got injured....
 
Well I'm shocked :eek:

Could this be the same Dom the arch libertarinist (caravans apart), suddenly advocating a nanny state?. As a confirmed country bumpkin of course :P you won't realise that if you lived in an urban area proper, the 'firework season' starts about 3 weeks before Diwali, it roles into Bonfire week, has a small lull, before Xmas and then the New year kicks in. It then goes on for about 10 days after, as people blow up what they've got left.

Personally, having been systematically targetted (or so it seems) by the local artillery unit tonight. My house appears to have been hit be 5 rockets (or sticks if I was going to be precise) I'm not totally opposed to the suggestion right now, but then I do believe there are more pressing things for Parliament to waste their time on. In much the same way as it was the amount of time squandered on non issues such as fox hunting. (I disagreed with it) but not to the point that it occupied legislative time!!!
 
Originally posted by Warbler@Nov 3 2007, 09:55 PM
As a confirmed country bumpkin of course :P you won't realise that if you lived in an urban area proper, the 'firework season' starts about 3 weeks before Diwali, it roles into Bonfire week, has a small lull, before Xmas and then the New year kicks in. It then goes on for about 10 days after, as people blow up what they've got left.
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Where the feck do you live Warbler, Beirut?
 
FWIW, they're only legally available to licensees in Ireland (both ends).

Doesn't stop every knacker in Dublin managing to come up with a limitless stash of bangers every October, mind...
 
How some of the horses didn't tank off tonight and kill the spectators at Kempton is beyond me. There were really loud fireworks going off constantly around the track from about 5.30pm and were still going off when I left at 9pm. I am all for a total ban or at least no evening race meetings in built up areas in the week (including both weekends) of Bonfire Night.
 
Nanny state, Warbler? I just think that the sale of fireworks should be regulated. Let's face it, no-one needs to buy them privately, and if they feel they have to then let them apply for a licence? That way you may be able to cut down on teenagers having 2 cans of Strongbow of a night and coming up with the bright idea of letting off as many fireworks as they can.

Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy a firework display but think it is probably about time there were a few more rules governing their use. I'm seriously worried about having a border collie corpse on my hands at the moment, she's in such a state - and I can do nothing at all about it, having tried most things to no avail!
 
Maybe a good idea to reststirct the sales of fireworks, but what happens then, people will still buy them but illegal ones which are far more dangerous, and much more likely to end up in the wrong hands.

When we were kids, in the 2 villages here there were at least 2 or 3 organised displays around bonfire night. One at the pub, the recreation ground and at the football club, all of which attracted a huge crowd. They all stopped about 10 years ago due to insurance / health and saftey problems. This year if we wanted to go to an organised display we'd have had to go 30 mins to the big one in town, which attracts thousands, your lucky if u get anywhere near to get parked, never mind see any bonfire or fireworks, then your paying £3 each to get into it.

Instead we were invited to my dads tenants who were having a party, there was about 30 people about, plenty of kids enjoying themselves, we all took a box of fireworks and 2 of the guys went to the other side of the field and set them off together, had plaenty of drinks, and food and a good natter. Turns out the girl whose living there worked at the same place as i did - not at the same time and shes got some horses that need riding, so i'v got myself well in :D

It just saddens me that if they were banned from sale thwn theres plenty of people who are responsible who would miss out, holly had made sure all the farms and houses nearby knew there was going to be fireworks that night so keep and eye on horses/cats/dogs etc. Just for a small minority who mess about they would spoil it for everyone else
 
I'd ban fireworks outside official spectacles, eg opening ceremonies for major events.

My poor little heinz has been quaking all evening.

We had the Rotary at the door the other evening selling tickets for the local firework display. I told them what's what and the guy looked a bit shellshocked. I much prefer Terry Wogan's firework displays on the radio.
 
Originally posted by betsmate@Nov 3 2007, 10:06 PM
Beirut/Bicester ???
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At the moment, yes

But have i travelled? Have I seen? Have i lived in amongst it? And for Gods sake we're only talkingn fireworks. :P
 
Where we are it has possibly been the quietest pre-5/11 Saturday ever . That may be due to the fact that they are now used throughout year for almost any occasion and people are getting fed up with them.

Last year we visited friends in Nam, as Dagenham is known to the law. Worse than Beirut it was like being in the midst of Rambo 2.With the backdrop of a few burning cars, windows in houses shattering, the thick pall of smoke and ears ringing from the blast of so many thunderclaps. Not quite Katushyas but an incessant mortar barrage up till 2.30am.

Kids nowdays can get hold of fireworks that are as big and powerful as those that were previously reserved for organised displays.Scary.
 
I must confess for all my goading of Dom, I do believe she has a point in truth.

Unfortunately, I'd also forgotten that I can't lay claim to be living in the urban metropolis any longer (as Betsmate points out) and have de-camped to some grotty garrison town for people who can't afford to live in Oxford (which of course I couldn't put up as typical urban either). Certainly living in Leicester on Diwali night, but also in the lead up to it, was worse than Bonfire night proper. I wouldn't be exaggerating (I know because I timed it) to say that there was an explosion every second at its height.

I actually quite like fireworks but they certainly seem to have got louder and more explosive. On balance I think Dom's probably right and it needs looking at.
 
Even worse are those who let off fireworks in daylight. What is the point?

How's the collie by the way SL? Has he/she recovered?
 
Originally posted by Triptych@Nov 4 2007, 02:53 PM
Even worse are those who let off fireworks in daylight. What is the point?

How's the collie by the way SL? Has he/she recovered?
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exactly! as i type now i can hear the cracks of fireworks. ive never been a fan of them (used to make me cry when i was a kid) but now its watchign money go up in smoke which can never be a good thing
 
We had them around here from 8pm until well into the early hours, a week or so ago I saw a group of young children playing with fireworks in a playgrond on a nearby estate and last night I seemed like they were being set off just outside my window.

Sadly I doubt anything will be done about this :(
 
:suspect: We have the everyday arseholes letting off the bangers (all hours of the day and NIGHT and early mornings here) and others riding around on bikes firing Roman Candles at passers bye.......

How much longer have we got to tolerate this TRICK or TREAT and the selling of fireworks to individuals??????????

I have a pet parrot and she is terrified of any loud noises at all, she plays up when I put vacuum cleaner on everyday as it's her that makes the mess...

But these inconsiderate selfish people are not aware what an animal goes through, my sons dog(cross border collie) goes nuts, and my daughters dog also becomes ill with the shock she's a miniature Yorkie............

We have 150 yds as the crow (or parrot! :P ) flies from the front of my house an organised fireworks show starting at 7pm this evening, so more problems for my poor bird...

But have you noticed that some people are having large displays in their houses over 4 days FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, and then Monday, the official NOV;5TH... besides the arseholes who make it last as many months as they can, as long as they can get hold of these bangers......
These two so called festivals need to be banned in my eyes...... :rant: over.....
 
Hate fireworks....even as a kid

Despise what they do to animals and would ban them from all displays..private or public
 
LE, I'm not talking about banning fireworks altogether, I'm talking about regulating their sale so that they aren't available in every bloody Spar shop in every town for anyone to buy. If people who wanted to hold a firework display had to apply for a licence to buy them in the first place there would be neither a lack of firework displays nor the need to have fireworks on sale in every supermarket whereby they are bought by any kid (or adult!) who fancies "a laff". I realise there would be plenty on the black market but it should at least cut down on the amount of clowns who buy then to let off wherever just because they've had a few drinks or they think it's a laugh.

Triptych - she was fine this morning but on them starting again tonight she's in pieces again. She's had a load of the herbal sedatives on sale for such an eventuality, and loads of Kalms tablets but is still panicking frantically. I really don't know what more I can do bar ring the vet first thing to get some proper sedatives that'll hopefully knock her out.
 
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