Political Powderkeg

November 4, 2004 6:49 AM

Politics, Terror and Religion -

‘Twas the year of our lord 1605, the King - James the 1st (God save the King!) will be opening parliament tomorrow. But lo! What is this? Conspiracy? Grab that fellow! Following on from last year’s post about Guy Fawkes here is some more edutainment about religion, terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction from nearly 400 years ago. Things just never change do they?

(More BritFilter for your delectation – and before you ask "Why not November the 5th?" Fawkes was arrested on the night of the 4th and with recent global events I thought some might be interested in the parallels).
posted by longbaugh (6 comments total)

1605: rabid, king-hating religious zealots.
2004: rabid, queen-hating religious zealots.

If someone had that micropayment thing worked out, I'd set up a Save Guy website begging pennies. Nov 5 only.
posted by putzface_dickman at 7:33 AM on November 4, 2004

I used to celebrate Bonfire Night with the rest, but then when I was 15 or so I realised that I was in fact celebrating the continuation of a monarchy that I don't actually support. No fireworks for me. Plus, kids are so fucking stupid with them, its not even funny.
posted by Orange Goblin at 8:57 AM on November 4, 2004

O.G. it wasn't the monarchy the conspirators where against - it was the king's religion. Fawkes & co were Catholics, they opposed James the 1st (son of the very Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots but raised by Protestants).

Sometimes I think the US needs a big religious war inside it's own borders so that it truly understands why religion is bad. Europe seems to be mostly over the whole religious situation simply because we spent a few hundred years kicking seven shades of shit out of each other because some monk stuck a note on a door. The fact that we shipped the god-squad reserves out to your beautiful country is probably no help in the current state of the nation either.

My apologies to you on behalf of my family circa 400 years ago.
posted by longbaugh at 9:43 AM on November 4, 2004

It doesn't matter what their intentions were - I've always hope that in an alternate universe, they succeeded, things went to shit, and we got a French style revolution.
posted by Orange Goblin at 10:08 AM on November 4, 2004

We had an English style revolution fifty years later. The Puritans we didn't kick out ended up taking over, hilarity ensued.

FWIW, fireworks seem much less of a problem this year. The running battles between kids firing explosives at each other outside my house only started this week. They'd normally have been going on for a month or so by now.
posted by vbfg at 10:40 AM on November 4, 2004

A penny for the old Guy.
posted by alex3005 at 5:05 PM on November 4, 2004