Comment on Is time up for backyard fireworks? UK ministers weigh partial ban over noise concerns
whatthey@feddit.uk 1 week ago
There are places all over Europe that manage to successfully host and allow people to throw fireworks.
The parents teach their kids how to handle them properly, there’s age limits like here, the police crack down hard on people who don’t abide, - and it’s not even that the rules are really strict. Little ones kids can use on the pavement, big ones are thrown in the road, really big ones - do it away from people altogether.
And EVERYONE throws them, from grannys to toddlers.
Not even just for a night…some are a week long!
How come they can manage the responsibility and yet England can’t?
In Germany on New Year’s eve they literally have a fog of war all across the streets.
You touched on the reason England sucks with it: enforcement. We set the punishment excessively high, in a bid for “deterrence”, and then don’t actually enforce it (because if we did the level and amount of people being punished would be extreme).
The severity of the punishment is meaningless if you don’t think you’ll get caught.
MouldyCat@feddit.uk 1 week ago
Where is this fabled golden land of responsible firework use you speak of? I know you’re not talking about Germany, where the streets transform into a warzone every New Year’s Eve. It is the most irresponsible and reckless thing I have ever experienced. Fireworks careen over the street at head height, bounce off buildings, smash through windows. They have special hospital tents set up for all the casualties and the fire service is stretched to its limits.
whatthey@feddit.uk 1 week ago
I’m reluctant to say too much for fear of the place filling up with English tourists on boozy trips getting burnt and just plain ruining it for everyone else.
What I will say is they have fireworks during the day and in the evening for consecutive days and very rarely are there accidents that makes the news cycle.
MouldyCat@feddit.uk 1 week ago
That sounds like you’re talking about one small place that’s not well known, which is fine and everything, but you said “places all over Europe manage to successfully allow people to throw fireworks”. That was just an exaggeration then?
whatthey@feddit.uk 1 week ago
I wouldn’t called France, Spain (numerous festivals), Germany, Malta small (well, maybe Malta).
I was talking about one specific festival as it’s one of the worlds largest and because I’ve been there quite a few times so know it better than the others but there are others which allow people to throw fireworks without too much reported incidents or complaints.