22 replies to this topic

[RegimentalPyro]

Just heard on R4's Today program that Patricia Hewitt is working on a law making the posession of all fireworks by under 18's a crime. She blames the recent spate of "youths" using fireworks as weapons.

A lot of the contributers of this forum will be impacted by this. Anybody else see it as overly draconian?

Oh Yeah - She is also making the possesion of cat-4's by normal members of the public illegal. I think this is probably a good thing, but it's early and I may not have thought of all the implications.....

This is not supposed to be a sad day!

[BigG]

The BBC in the last two days gave a very unfair view of fireworks ? and the only person to actually sound rational was the MP that was asked whether fireworks should be band.

Most of the law that is going to be introduced tonight ? is quite okay. I find it quite annoying when someone does fireworks at midnight in a ?normal? day when I?m suppose to work the day after. The only bit in the law that will not be comfortable to many members is the ban for under 18?s. While I?m far from being effected by this, it seem like the behaviour of many irresponsible kids is going to destroy the fun for some of our member who are responsible?

[Stuart]

The BBC have also gone on about how dangerous fireworks are and they are true, they are dangerous. However, they have gone on about how dangerous they are to the angelic children of the UK and its residents because they are always being injured and fair play, some accidents do happen. But at the end of the, most injuries with teenagers and their attacks of members of the public is due to their irresponsibility (the teenager) and therefore, it is not the firework that is a problem, it is the children obtaining them.

The law for making it illegal for under 18s to posses fireworks, (although I dout that it will do much, when was the last time you saw a teenager walking down the streets carring a pack of 10 air b*mbs), is good but too strict. Personally, I think that it should be illegal for under 18s to carry fireworks i.e. it is OK to have them on private land with the permission of the owner.

Stuart

[pyrotechnist]

I think they should increas the price of smaller fireworks because kids like 12, 13 ,14 , 18 ect would not have that type of money to by them. They only go for the cheap fireworks like air b**bs them s**tty wisiling rockets and small cheap barages of air b**bs and that type of stuff. so they should band them and the crap ones and put some up even dearer.

[Arthur Brown]

In London one can buy fireworks from man with van and posters advertise fireworks from a mobile phone only vendor. Clearly the wholesaling needs to be sorted and the storeage regs actually enforced. My local mobile tyre fitter was selling split boxes of fireworks from the van with spare petrol diesel around and him sitting smoking all day!!

[adamw]

I can't believe I'm reading this.

Do everyone a favour and shop him.

[Gor]

I was thinking the same as pyrotechnicist.

Put a tax on piddly little fireworks which do nothing much, and put the money into huge and wonderful free public displays. Then without hutring anyone you discourage the trouble and encourage excellence.

Having seen what has gone off around here tonight, most of it wasn't worth the effort, money or earth resources, and it only happens like this because we english are so anti social we would all sooner have our own damp squibs in our back gardens than share with someone elase.

Nothing like being provocative....

[pyrotechnist]

thanks gor i think that air b**bs are crap and should be band anyway and them whistling rockets and put more effort into the bigger consumer firework range and get these men done ho sell to kids on the black market hi hate kids ho chuk fireworks at people like it is fun they should all be done to.

[Stuart]

If I saw a kid chuck a firework at someone or me, he would come out far worse than what ever could happen to me or the other person. The way I see it, you are throwing an explosive device at someone and therefore you have the intention to kill so why should they diserve any less than lots of broken bones and massive amounts of pain

Stuart

[pyrotechnist]

yer i agree i hat them type of people ho do that type of thing like chucking fireworks at people b*st*rds.

[adamw]

Whats the big deal about throwing fireworks anyway? Dont these planks understand there is a 1 in 360 chance that the firework will land pointing at them and they will bear the brunt of it.

One more thing, and I've said it before - Journalists are scum!

Take the Daily Mail for example - 2 page article on 'Killer monster fireworks'. They call a rocket a roman candle and say it's as big as a football. They say cakes are mean for professionals only and judge the power of a firework on the size of the packaging. ie. a candle bundle (pretty pathetic) in a larger, thicker tube ('wider than a coke can' they proclaim) is a potential killer. All these legal devices they claim 'slip through the net' when it comes to the law. Do they not realise that fireworks are classified by their explosive weight, not by how much the manufacturer can physically pack it out. If I were Menshun or Devco I'd be filing a lawsuit right now. The article featured only their items (the most menacing sounding should I add) and branded them all 'dangerous'. How can you trust an article which does not know even the basics about fireworks?

If anyone here is a journalist then I will make no apologies, because I will always have a special place in my black book for you...!

[Richard H]

Adam, I agree. Tabloid Journalists really are complete idiots. In particular I would like to name and shame the Daily "diatribe" Mail. They have taken an unfair anti-fireworks stance; maybe we should have expected it.

These days I don't even bother reading newspapers at this time of the year because usually it just gets me in a fluster.

[PanMaster]

Only idiots would read the Mail anyways, clever people read the Guardian

[lord_dranack]

The guardian is just about the only good paper around

[Gor]

All papers have only one primary aim - to sell papers. The Mail writes what Mail readers want to read, the Guardian writes what Guardian readers want to read. I have had articles written about several things I have done and not one has ever reflected the facts.

All involve the production of vast quantities of ink and wood pulp that would be better off as Trees.

Try Radio 4.

Incidentally I bought a pack of commercial fireworks and opened a few up. Some were 90% air, with a 12mm tube packed inside a 50mm tube, some were 3/4 full of sawdust.