McGillicuddy Chief calls for Guy Fawkes to be extended
The Laird McGillicuddy, Graeme Cairns, today condemned proposals to ban the sale and domestic use of fireworks as
"patronising over-protective wowserism".
"I also strongly oppose the current move to wrest the Guy Fawkes Festival out of the hands of the citizenry, and turn it
into yet another piece of passive entertainment performed for us, by experts," he said.
The Laird went on to predict that, were this to happen, Guy Fawkes would soon disappear entirely, most likely to be
replaced in popular affections by Halloween, a ghastly Disney-style ritual, enacted out of season in the wrong
hemisphere.
"Instead I propose the opposite. That New Zealand whole-heartedly embraces the do-it-yourself Guy Fawkes Festival.
Futhermore that it be extended so that it runs for an entire working week: Beginning as usual on 5.11 and continuing on
until 9.11."
ENDS