The Holidays

Looking back over what has happened over this years holiday period around the world is as depressing as ever, Java in Indonesia provided the traditional natural disaster with floods and landslides, Pakistan and Gaza had the appalling although not shocking political violence while the nomination races in the US presidential election predictably turned to mud slinging (I suppose given the Iowan weather that should be muddy ice ball slinging).
Of course back home the news was mostly about the exciting ways people had to kill their children. Firstly we had the story of the Quad Bike accident in Essex which got worse with every update. Firstly we heard a child had died on a Quad bike, tragic, then we heard she was on the public highway, stupid, the next additional fact was that she was riding behind her father's car, idiotic, lastly we were told it was seven o'clock at night! I was at this point apoplectic with incredulity, given how dark it is at that time during the English Winter.
Then a couple of days later an old favourite, the dangerous dog attack on a small child; this time not a pit bull but a rottweiler (I know they don't fall under the terms of the Dangerous Dogs Act, but they are dogs that are dangerous). I really do think that if you have a dog that is considered not suitable to be in the house, it is not suitable to have children anywhere near. Some people have suggested that the 16 year old aunt was too young to be looking after those children, I don't automatically agree, she may well be responsible enough for the job, but there is no doubt that a viciously beteethed guard dog doesn't play well with others. Perhaps it is time for another look at the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Off with a bang

Whenever one of those polls come along that asks what you would like enshrined in law (the Today programme now even lines up someone who has won a slot the Private Members Bill ballot to put the winner forward) there are three subjects that I have to choose between. One, reversing the burden of responsibility on the public to opt-out of organ donation rather than having to opt-in came up recently. The second is public funding of the RNLI and rest assured that will come up in this blog eventually. The last is fireworks, in the last ten years the injury rate has varied, but not by much. It has stayed between just over 900 to almost 1250 people receiving medical attention each year in a four week period, mid October to mid November and of these people about 100 have been hurt badly enough to require an overnight stay in hospital or a coffin.

I was going to put forward the thesis that England, Wales and Scotland should follow Northern Ireland's model of formal licensing of all firework displays whether in a public park or a domestic back garden. I was sure that this, combined with it being a requirement that someone produce said permit when buying fireworks, would have reduced the body count. I was a little shocked to find out that with almost 70 reported fireworks injuries for 2006 NI has about a two and a half times bigger problem than the rest of the United Kingdom (when corrected for relative population size). I'm quite glad I did some research before I started spouting off on the internet about it. So that leaves me having to harden my position, on this subject, so I would like now that the rules are:

1. No fireworks should be sold to anyone who hasn't done a formal training course in handling them.
2. There should also be mandatory record keeping of all firework sales.
3. Research in to forensic science methods of tracing fireworks back to the suppliers when they cause injury should be undertaken.

Perhaps this will stop kids in the street throwing lit fireworks at people and drunk blokes blowing up their mates.