Guy Fawkes' Night
Nov. 5th, 2009 02:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeIs anyone celebrating the Protestant foiling of a Catholic plot to blow up King James I some 404 years ago, or are people not bothering?
Nevermind the anachronism concerning the fact that the plot was discovered in the early hours of 5 November (thus on the evening of 4 November), nevermind the religious undertones that are inherent in the celebration and nevermind the fact that most of us aren't too fussed on the Royal Family these days, I do like pretty fireworks, fires and things that go bang. So I may do something. Or I may just go to the gym.
It's a shame that state opening of Parliament happens in November - had this plot been foiled in June, we could have all watched fireworks in the summer warmth, not during one of the rainiest, coldest months of the year. Ah well.
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And as an aside, since when has the word "British" come to signify "good"? Advertisers are now trying to embue us with a sense of patriotism regarding the quality of products by saying stuff like "100% British beef" etc. I can't remember the advert I heard on the radio earlier today but quite clearly the link was being made between being British and being good. I accept it's a good advertising technique but am I the only one who a) doesn't necessarily think that British produce is the best and b) doesn't care where things come from provided they are of the best quality? Johnny Rotten on that Country Life butter advert is so right in my view.
Nevermind the anachronism concerning the fact that the plot was discovered in the early hours of 5 November (thus on the evening of 4 November), nevermind the religious undertones that are inherent in the celebration and nevermind the fact that most of us aren't too fussed on the Royal Family these days, I do like pretty fireworks, fires and things that go bang. So I may do something. Or I may just go to the gym.
It's a shame that state opening of Parliament happens in November - had this plot been foiled in June, we could have all watched fireworks in the summer warmth, not during one of the rainiest, coldest months of the year. Ah well.
-----
And as an aside, since when has the word "British" come to signify "good"? Advertisers are now trying to embue us with a sense of patriotism regarding the quality of products by saying stuff like "100% British beef" etc. I can't remember the advert I heard on the radio earlier today but quite clearly the link was being made between being British and being good. I accept it's a good advertising technique but am I the only one who a) doesn't necessarily think that British produce is the best and b) doesn't care where things come from provided they are of the best quality? Johnny Rotten on that Country Life butter advert is so right in my view.
