Fireworks are a menace
Fireworks are a menace. Full stop. Loud, irritating and worthless in every respect. Have fireworks become the new ego extension for the lower classes? 'Look how big mine is' and 'See how loud that was'...
I fully understand that children, like their sheep equivalents, like to gawk blankly at a sky full of colour, but animals do not.
Out in force with your bangers and rockets...
I also understand that throughout the winter months of November and December, the 'slower' of you will be out in force with your bangers and rockets and my small terrified dog will once again be subjected to 8 weeks of terror and discomfort. Too scared to go outside to relieve herself, she will simply sit, and shake, and shake some more while the children go 'whoopee' at their low paid fathers pitiful attempts to impress his dysfunctional family in their council paid-for shell suits.
Of course, the worst offenders are the 'Summer Fireworks' that local pubs and outdoor parties think are a great incentive to bring the family into their plastic paradise.
Why, at 10.45pm do I have to sit with Sky News on full blast so that my dog doesn't have a heart attack? Why? So that Wayne and Sharon can take little Chelsea Beckham to see the fireworks, propped up by a can of Special Brew and let off in some disgusting franchised pub 'garden/rear car park/vandals playground/little Chelsea's place of conception'.
Go to an event, see them done properly and presented with lasers and music, fine, but not next door to me.
By: IK
Comments from visitors
It's that time of year again - Bonfire night. Well not so much a night as a week or so of it, but it's particularly bad tonight with fireworks going off pretty much non stop now. My dog HATES all the noise they make. She's terrified and won't go outside to perform her duties, so there's poo and wee all over the house (hers not mine). I'm sure I'm not alone and that other pet owners have a similar experience every November 5th.
It's so unfair to inflict this terror on our innocent pets. I also worry about the poor wild animals that cower in the trees and bushes wondering what the heck is going on. What's the point in setting off a load of fireworks anyway? It causes injury every year. The sale of fireworks should be banned, except for licensed, organised displays (if there must be any at all). I don't have a problem with bonfires, they are fairly silent and it's quite pleasant to stand by one, toasting marshmallows or whatever else you might like to toast (not hedgehogs - please check there are none under the wood before you light it).
So please - let's campaign for a ban on fireworks, especially the loud bang and whizzy ones. Molly says, 'Please.'
It's so unfair to inflict this terror on our innocent pets. I also worry about the poor wild animals that cower in the trees and bushes wondering what the heck is going on. What's the point in setting off a load of fireworks anyway? It causes injury every year. The sale of fireworks should be banned, except for licensed, organised displays (if there must be any at all). I don't have a problem with bonfires, they are fairly silent and it's quite pleasant to stand by one, toasting marshmallows or whatever else you might like to toast (not hedgehogs - please check there are none under the wood before you light it).
So please - let's campaign for a ban on fireworks, especially the loud bang and whizzy ones. Molly says, 'Please.'
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Oh for god sake, it is once a year! Go and celebrate! I love them!
+2
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Fireworks will never be banned while ethnic minorities use them, eg, the Chinese. If it was just sub human white chavs setting them off, they would have been banned ages ago. I detest them, and like most pet owners, have to go through the same crap every year.
The firework is an extension of the chav mentality - loud, brash, indiscriminate, smelly.
The firework is an extension of the chav mentality - loud, brash, indiscriminate, smelly.
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Bit of a bummer when the local chavs are setting the bangers off from early sep right up to christmas but I can't stand the thought of anything else being banned in the country.....besides, as with the banning of drugs, handguns etc the only people who will not have fireworks will be normal people like you and I...the chavs will still get them and still be a pain in the bum with them.
We need to stop bannig stuff out of hand and actually enact the laws we already have in place for "anti-social" behavior.
Also...for those of you with dogs that are not happy with bangs going off...can I suggest that you "train" your dog to enjoy bangs. I've always done it with my dogs and they have always dozzed their way through firework night with only an eye briefly opened for a really loud air bomb.
Basically...you buy a load of bangers and a load of chicken and then go for a walk...every now and then when the dog isn't looking you chuck a banger and the moment it goes off you call your dog in and praise it while handing over some chicken....after a few weeks of this you cut out the chicken and hey presto...you dog doesn't care about bangs..... Simples!!!
We need to stop bannig stuff out of hand and actually enact the laws we already have in place for "anti-social" behavior.
Also...for those of you with dogs that are not happy with bangs going off...can I suggest that you "train" your dog to enjoy bangs. I've always done it with my dogs and they have always dozzed their way through firework night with only an eye briefly opened for a really loud air bomb.
Basically...you buy a load of bangers and a load of chicken and then go for a walk...every now and then when the dog isn't looking you chuck a banger and the moment it goes off you call your dog in and praise it while handing over some chicken....after a few weeks of this you cut out the chicken and hey presto...you dog doesn't care about bangs..... Simples!!!
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Dog's friend. - 6-Oct-10 20:23
"Personally I would ban the sale of fireworks to the general public and restrict their use to professionally organised displays. They're invariably better anyway. To have a decent display at home you'd need to spend a fortune. Why not just spend £3-5 a head and go to a proper display."
Freddie 16-Oct-2008 11:53
Fireworks are dangerous in the wrong hands, and that is most people, particularly after a few drinks. They are also a criminal waste of money when there is so much poverty, although I suppose people should be allowed to spend their money as they wish if they've earned it - a big if though, as it seems to be mostly council estate scum on income support who have money to burn on such frippery.
Freddie's comment above is spot-on.
Freddie 16-Oct-2008 11:53
Fireworks are dangerous in the wrong hands, and that is most people, particularly after a few drinks. They are also a criminal waste of money when there is so much poverty, although I suppose people should be allowed to spend their money as they wish if they've earned it - a big if though, as it seems to be mostly council estate scum on income support who have money to burn on such frippery.
Freddie's comment above is spot-on.
+2
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IK sounds like some ponsey, middleclass w***er who needs a good solid kick in the head. Sadly though, I doubt we'd be able to locate his head, what with it being lodged so far up his a**ehole!
I don't think this gripe could be anymore generalised if IK tried. Then again...
I don't think this gripe could be anymore generalised if IK tried. Then again...
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I have no problem with fireworks on a given night, early in November. I do have a problem with random people letting off fireworks at random times and dates. Pets & wildlife have a hard enough time of urban living, without being subjected to the whims of people who have a 'laugh' at the bright lights and the loudest noise. And in a rural setting, when urbanites jolly into the countryside to celebrate a friend's birthday or soon to be wedding and bring along a few rockets or cloud-bursts. The disruption to livestock, wildlife and the tranquility of the land, is all the more intrusive. Even costly to livestock farms, where there maybe pregnant ewes, cows and the like. Nesting birds may abandon nest and nocternal animals may be frightened into not feeding for a night. In the case of small rodents and nursing parents, this could quite literally be the difference between life and death.
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IK
I do not live next door to you.
I am sure we are both happy with that arangement.
I do not live next door to you.
I am sure we are both happy with that arangement.
+2
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you are all mean wanting a ban on fireworks, mean nasty and really unworthy of living in the UK, why dont you just get out, go on get out and take your things with you, I ban you.
-1
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bgger you all - 24-Apr-09 03:39
citizen smith , I broadly agree with your point, but would stop short of a total ban, merely because in the past ten years, the present government has erroded our "freedoms" so much, that if we banned everything that caused us annoyance, it would be just another nail in the coffin of "freedom" in this country. That is why I would isupport much tighter regulations and penalties for the use/mis-use of fireworks, rather than a total ban.
But, I completely agree with you about this Government being History: the sooner the better in my book. It is said that "Guy fawkes was the only man to enter parliament with good intention", if he was around today, he would get my vote. :-)
But, I completely agree with you about this Government being History: the sooner the better in my book. It is said that "Guy fawkes was the only man to enter parliament with good intention", if he was around today, he would get my vote. :-)
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I am also annoyed by fireworks and would dearly love to ban them. I have a dog who is terrified & who won't go out to relieve himself. He is now reluctant at any time to go outside whereas at one time he used to be first out. I work in a school and see children who are excited by them - isn't it strange that when children learn about Guy Fawkes they question why we 'celebrate' with fireworks?! I have lost count how many times I have signed something to ban them - fat lot of good it has done! BAN THEM NOW!
+2
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Annoyed Dog Owner - 8-Nov-08 22:06
Not so many years ago, Bonfire night or if you will Guy Fawkes, or even fireworks night was "celebrated" on the 5th of November, regardless of whatever day it fell on. But in recent years, it appears that date is now insignificant because people sem to have fireworks displays or let off fireworks whenever they bl**dy well want, regardless of the date.
Without wishing to be a killjoy (I enjoy fireworks myself), I think it is time for some stronger regulation on the sale and use of fireworks, and restricting their use to the ONE official day of the year as it has been since the Gunpowder Plot (November 5th) and make it illegal to set them off on any other day without prior permission being granted.
Unfortunately, Fireworks have also become just another tool of annoyance in the hands of Yobs, and inconsiderate people they now need this sort of regulation rather than ban them altogether
Without wishing to be a killjoy (I enjoy fireworks myself), I think it is time for some stronger regulation on the sale and use of fireworks, and restricting their use to the ONE official day of the year as it has been since the Gunpowder Plot (November 5th) and make it illegal to set them off on any other day without prior permission being granted.
Unfortunately, Fireworks have also become just another tool of annoyance in the hands of Yobs, and inconsiderate people they now need this sort of regulation rather than ban them altogether
+4
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Why, oh why do we have to put up with this menace every year? My cats spent most of the evening last night (most of this week actually) shivering in the corner, too afraid to go out. Why can't people go and see their fireworks at a public display or at least take them to somewhere isolated and set them off instead of the back garden?
+5
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To all those who advocate banning/time-restricting the sale of fireworks - fair enough I understand why you feel the way you do.
The problem is simply banning them won't address the issues fully.
If properly made licenced fireworks are not available people might be tempted to make/use home made ones with catastrophic results! Simply banning/restricting an activity will just force it underground. Just imagine dodgy fireworks being made available on the black market by organised criminals!
There has to be an element of education together with any ban/punishment.
I don't know what happens now but when I was in school many years ago there were campaigns about firework safety which showed the kind of terrible injuries in graphic detail.
They didn't give me nightmares but they gave me a responsible attitude toward fireworks.
The problem is simply banning them won't address the issues fully.
If properly made licenced fireworks are not available people might be tempted to make/use home made ones with catastrophic results! Simply banning/restricting an activity will just force it underground. Just imagine dodgy fireworks being made available on the black market by organised criminals!
There has to be an element of education together with any ban/punishment.
I don't know what happens now but when I was in school many years ago there were campaigns about firework safety which showed the kind of terrible injuries in graphic detail.
They didn't give me nightmares but they gave me a responsible attitude toward fireworks.
+4
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I hope the sad story posted by Freddie is enough to make some people think before posting facile comments like some of those made below.
I reiterate my point about fireworks being 'appropriated' by the anti-social element of society, a true shame for those of us, children and adults alike, who enjoy fireworks and see them as a traditional part of the British autumn.
Having said that, I must to say whatever restrictions are in force this year appear to have worked; it's been tolerably quieter around where I live (famous last words)!
While I'm here, I want to raise an objection to the removal of the comment I made in response to the poster "everyone loves your dogsh*t", which, whilst pithy and to the point, was by no means anywhere near as offensive as some of the nasty strings of highly-personalised invective found elsewhere on Weekly Gripe.
Right, I'm off to stroke some kittens and buy a nice doughnut...
I reiterate my point about fireworks being 'appropriated' by the anti-social element of society, a true shame for those of us, children and adults alike, who enjoy fireworks and see them as a traditional part of the British autumn.
Having said that, I must to say whatever restrictions are in force this year appear to have worked; it's been tolerably quieter around where I live (famous last words)!
While I'm here, I want to raise an objection to the removal of the comment I made in response to the poster "everyone loves your dogsh*t", which, whilst pithy and to the point, was by no means anywhere near as offensive as some of the nasty strings of highly-personalised invective found elsewhere on Weekly Gripe.
Right, I'm off to stroke some kittens and buy a nice doughnut...
-4
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Fireworks are okay provided they are in the right hands. The problem occurs when they are sold to youths as a plaything to be used on our streets for a period of several weeks in the late autumn.
I have no problem with them as an item, simply with those that use them wrong.
Some little turd cost me over £300 and my cat considerable pain and discomfort a couple of years ago. She was an old girl that didn't really venture away from home. Content to stay in her own garden when outside she caused no problem for anyone. Some mindless youth thought it would be funny to aim some fireworks at her. She was so scared she tried to jump a fence but owing to her age was unable to make it. She gored herself on the top and hung there until she was almost dead. That was how I found her. She died a couple of days later. I know you need to keep animals in around guy fawkes night but you should not need to on October 7th!
I know there are people who will say "it's only a cat" and other things like vermin etc. they'll call me sad as well but ultimately she was a living creature and she deserved better. She was my friend and companion.
Personally I would ban the sale of fireworks to the general public and restrict their use to professionally organised displays. They're invariably better anyway. To have a decent display at home you'd need to spend a fortune. Why not just spend £3-5 a head and go to a proper display.
I have no problem with them as an item, simply with those that use them wrong.
Some little turd cost me over £300 and my cat considerable pain and discomfort a couple of years ago. She was an old girl that didn't really venture away from home. Content to stay in her own garden when outside she caused no problem for anyone. Some mindless youth thought it would be funny to aim some fireworks at her. She was so scared she tried to jump a fence but owing to her age was unable to make it. She gored herself on the top and hung there until she was almost dead. That was how I found her. She died a couple of days later. I know you need to keep animals in around guy fawkes night but you should not need to on October 7th!
I know there are people who will say "it's only a cat" and other things like vermin etc. they'll call me sad as well but ultimately she was a living creature and she deserved better. She was my friend and companion.
Personally I would ban the sale of fireworks to the general public and restrict their use to professionally organised displays. They're invariably better anyway. To have a decent display at home you'd need to spend a fortune. Why not just spend £3-5 a head and go to a proper display.
+6
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Government : Should ban the public sale of fireworks.
Supermarkets ; Take the lead & stop selling fireworks
Consumer : Boycott the sale of fireworks.
Result : peace & quiet, no air & noise pollution, less amo for the local retards.
...easy.
Bottom line : we cannot rely on dross New Labour to do anything except prop up fraudster bankers, so boycott the fireworks - make a difference instead of moaning about it.
Supermarkets ; Take the lead & stop selling fireworks
Consumer : Boycott the sale of fireworks.
Result : peace & quiet, no air & noise pollution, less amo for the local retards.
...easy.
Bottom line : we cannot rely on dross New Labour to do anything except prop up fraudster bankers, so boycott the fireworks - make a difference instead of moaning about it.
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"Fireworks have been around longer than you and I so deal with it"
What an unbelievably daft thing to say!
What an unbelievably daft thing to say!
+1
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So you dog can't go out for a shlt? .. Oh dear, how sad, never mind.. At least decent people don't have to tread carefully around the streets for the 8 weeks your dog is shltting inside your house as opposed to every one else's doorstep.
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Everyone loves your dogshlt - 6-Oct-08 02:05
I'm glad the gov cut down on the sale of fireworks to just before the 5th and not after,before they did that we used to get fireworks set off everynight from 2 months before nov until about a month after new year,drove our poor animals and me insane,also every street/park was littered with all the refuse and burnt out remains of these things.I got hit on the head one night going down town by a dead rocket falling from the sky,being hit from that hight by a four foot long 1/4 inch square wooden rod with with a 7oz or so hot lump on the end of it was not the most enjoyable thing,also the local yobs used to hide in wait in the local park while supping their special brew for people to come along,then they would start WW3 with banger,ssky bombs and rockets,of course they thought it was hillarious,I on the otherhand did not.Yes,I used to enjoy spending a few quid on fireworks etc,but I drove out to a friends farm to "play" with them in a field miles from anyone,oh and I picked up my rubbish too.The town square for the six months or so of firework hell was turned into a no go area at night by the Taxi's/police etc as they were instant targets for long range attack.So yes,I have found only one good thing the gov has done in recent years.
+7
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