General Chat

Here's another political effigy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29917779

(Edenbridge Bonfire Society)
An effigy of outgoing president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso is to be burnt as part of a Kent bonfire society's annual celebrations.

The society picked him because of the demand that the UK pays an extra £1.7bn towards the European Union's budget.

Edenbridge Bonfire Society member Jon Mitchell said: "We do try very hard to pick somebody who's absolutely current in the news.

Some of our odd traditions have a historical basis. We just have to look for them :-)

aka Bloody Mary

thank you for that very interesting

"...........but also commemorates the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs from the town burned at the stake for their faith during the Marian Persecutions."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_Bonfire

Added
http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=364.0
http://publicsculpturesofsussex.co.uk/object?id=73

(copied and pasted from publicsculptures link)
The seventeen martyrs named on the memorial are:
Dirick Carver, of Brighton; date of martyrdom July 22nd. 1555
Thomas Harland and John Oswald, both of Woodmancote; date of martyrdom June 6th 1556
Thomas Avington, and Thomas Reed, both of Ardingly; date of martyrdom June 6th 1556
Thomas Wood (a Minister of the Gospel), of Lewes; date of martyrdom about June 20th 1556
Thomas Myles, of Hellingly; date of martyrdom about June 20th 1556
Richard Woodman, and George Stevens, both of Warbleton; date of martyrdom June 22nd 1557
Alexander Hosman, William Mainard, and Thomasina Wood, all of Mayfield; date of martyrdom June 22nd 1557
Margery Morris and James Morris (her son), both of Heathfield; date of martyrdom June 22nd 1557
Denis Burgess, of Buxted; date of martyrdom June 22nd 1557
Ann Ashdon, of Rotherfield; date of martyrdom June 22nd 1557
Mary Groves, of Lewes; date of martyrdom June 22nd 1557
(spellings from inscription on monument)

What are those burning crosses all about? :-S

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/lewes-bonfire-night-celebrations/ss-BBddeyP?ocid=mailsignout

They intended also to sing this:

Lord, grant that Marshal Wade
May by thy mighty aid
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the Queen.

och

The Waterloo Bonfire society chose and built it - after complaints the effigy was withdrawn.

I think the people [added - not the people on GR!] who complained are being a bit 'precious'. Many celebrities, politicians etc are subject to derogatory cartoons in the media. This is a 3D version of that.

I AM a fan of Alex Salmond but I guess one can see both sides of this as long as it was intended to be humorous rather than malicious. Without being closer to events most of us are unable to tell. If the idea was that he was a threat to Parliament just like Guy himself then that's clever. If it's based on the fact that he's supposed to be anti-English then that's to totally misread him and recent events in Scotland.

Don't think East Sussex council has any say in it.

I once lived in a little place called East Hoathley not far from Lewes. Lewes is a strange place so far as one counts the families who have lived there since the year dot, just as dark as any Cornish or Welsh fishing village.

They have always had this huge saturnalia at the beginning of November long before Guy Fawkes was grafted on. Part of it seems to be to lampoon some fallen idol as an effigy to be burnt along with Mr Fawkes. Well why not worse things happen at sea and there is scant respect for Mr Salmond south of the Tweed.

Let them be they are more or less normal the rest of the year.

:-D

Personally I find it juvenile to burn the effigy of a living person ( or a dead one come to that), Apparently Edenbridge burnt an effigy of Katie Hopkins last year, Lance Armstrong the year before, and other celebrities & politicians at other bonfires ( seems to be a South East thing mainly?).More money than sense clearly.

edit to add

I remember this one in 2003 hitting the headlines

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/3222321.stm


I wouldn't even shove an effigy of Farage on a bonfire, so you can tell just how silly i think it all is ;-)

why ?

I am not a fan of Alex Salmond but I am appalled.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/alex-salmond-effigy-to-be-burned-at-lewes-bonfire.1415202044