Fireworks tragedy

[Scylax]

Can we assume that the recent explosion at a
fireworks factory will galvanise the government into
banning the manufacture and sale of fireworks ?

These things are explosives, and have been used as such. It needs some mental sleight-of-hand to see
the justification for selling explosives to just anyone.

The tragedy has killed and maimed. Doesn't anyone
learn anything ? A doubly sad day for the bereaved if
not. Were these deaths truly in vain ?

[jake-the-peg]

No - fireworks bring a great deal of pleasure to many people and the risks are really quite small.

One event however tragic is poor grounds to base public policy on and there are many more dangerous installations and practices around the country. Like Military arsenals and weapons manufactures, refineries, compressed gasses, nuclear installations. You even see lorries containing loads of Liquid Oxygen being overtaken by petrol tankers on the roads.

Your reaction seems out of proportion - You wouldn't happen to be a "concerned pet owner" would you?

[Gromit]

Don't quite follow the logic of that. Last year we had the Buncefield Fuel Depot fire. I don't think many people thought they should ban that nasty petroleum stuff because it explodes rather easily.

[ConfusedJohn]

Every year people pipe up saying that fire-works should be banned. There was a letter to our local paper from a proper GROLIE saying that they petrify old people. The next day, about 50 OAPs had written in saying they enjoy them and they've survived the blitz so a couple of rockets aren't going to scare them. Brilliant!

I agree though. We should ban fuel as it's an explosive and a mentalist could blow things up with. Not too keen on fertiliser either, now we're at it. Plus I've heard nasty things about that bicarbonate of soda when mixed with house-hold chemicals. I also heard about people being killed with kitchen knives, so I guess that's them out of the window too. And rolling pins. I also heard about a craze in the States for using a baseball bat as a weapon! I think we should ban them before that catches on over here. In addition to this, there's a lot of crack-pots who think mobiles cause cancer so I've just binned mine.

Anything else I should hold an unfounded prejudice against?

[vehelpfulguy]

Well there are an average of 10 people a DAY killed on the roads in the UK, and many more injured. Cars are dangerous.

But it is hardly likely that this awful statistic will galvanise the government to ban cars.

Funny enough the most dangerous sport in Britain is angling.

More people are killed angling than doing any other sport.

Shall we ban that ?

[ConfusedJohn]

Definitely! Pretty bad for the health of the fish too...

[WendyS]

In recent years fireworks have become a real pain in our neck of the woods and whilst I wouldn't want to see them completely banned, I would like the law changed so that they are only made available to official bodies organising public displays. I would also like to their use restricted to between 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. Then we would all know we could go to bed in peace and not be continually disturbed by midnight bangs, and the elderly, pet owners, and post traumatic stress former military personnel who still have flashbacks when fireworks are exploded would have a degree of respite.

Additionally we should have more rigorous planning regulations about where any explosives factories should be sited, and certainly not near residential areas.

[LazyGun]

Whats a Grolie? Never heard that expression b4....

[noxlumos]

Grollie in the corner= miserable old sod who moans about everything and spoils other people's fun, you know the type.

[Scylax]

Like I said - mental sleight -of - hand.....
Petrol, kitchen knives, compressed gases etc. are
dangerous if misused, but are virtually vital to normal
existence, but fireworks....?
Panem et Circenses, perhaps ?

[jake-the-peg]

Alcohol and tobacco are unnecessary to everyday existance.

And they kill far more people than fireworks!

I think the argument stands

[Gromit]

Still think it is disingeuous to link a tragic accident with your own personal dislike of fireworks.

[ConfusedJohn]

GROLIE = Guardian Reader Of Low IQ in Ethnic skirt. You all know one, you'll all smirk and you'll all pretend to be appalled by such a rude comment. Blame GQ, not me!

WendyS - As per my earlier post, don't assume that the elderly are petrified of anything that bangs, nor the ex-servicemen. Also, do you really think restricting their use to a four hour window will make any difference to the elderly?! And do you think people will take any notice of it?

[Scylax]

Grolie - never. Troni certainly.
Anyway it seems that the 'Noes' have it - the 'Lure
of the Loudest Throat' maybe ?
Quit now, Scylax, you can't win. Cassandra felt the
same way.

[LazyGun]

Ok, Thanks to Nox and John I now know what a Grolie is.... can scylax now enlighten me as to what a troni is?

I must be living in an acronym free world...

[joko]

trouble is, they would just become underground and get shipped in from abroad and sold on the black market - there would be none of the controlled displays, the strict regulations for manufacture, saftey advice, and the refusal of sale to children - or any of the current safeguards in this country.

at least now, you know that the fireworks you have bought are well made and will act in the way they were intended, rather than substandard, made-in-a-shed, blow-up-before-you-even-touch-them, melt-your-hand ones

[dyli795]

Well, every year, because of fireworks, someone loses their life, some years a number of people; there is enough reason there for them to be banned I would think. It's not as if they save lives but have a down side- it's nothing to do with being a spoil sport.

[flip-flop]

Public organised displays - fine: chavs letting them off at all hours from 1st October to 1st Decmber - not so fine.

I'd support a ban on the sale of them to the public. Shame the chavs have to spoil other people's fun, but twas ever thus.

[Scylax]

TRONI - Telegraph Reader of Normal Intelligence.

'Tis worth noting that the firm concerned had previously
been fined for faulty storage of its goods

[bigmalc]

Surely TRONI is an oxymoron. I'd go for TRASHI - Telegraph Reader of Sub-Human Intelligence. ;-)

Seriously though, ban fireworks?! Haven't the Chinese been using them for about 4000 years? Accidents will happen and I think this particular accident was extremely unusual and impossible to predict. Don't forget that fireworks night was over a month ago.

I don't really see how the deaths of two firefighters trying to prevent a larger catastrophe were in vain. Surely that's just hazard of the job?

I think there may be a case for banning Guy Fawkes' night but not because of the fireworks. More likely that it celebrates the burning to death of a Catholic freedom fighter/terrorist. What's next Osama Bin Laden night? (That is sarcasm, by the way, before there are 100 responses about terrorists etc.! And no, I don't think that OBL is a freedom fighter!)

[Scylax]

Oh dear, we seem to have regressed into the world
of schoolboy acronyms, but since they are neither clever
nor supported by evidence, they remain Noddyisms.

On a point of information, Bigmalc may care to revise his knowledge-base ; I may not be the only subhuman who
recalls that Guy Fawkes was not burned to death, but
was hanged. Hanged high enough for the fall to break
his neck, from eyewitness accounts.