Battle Bonfire prepares to explode Sarah Palin

[struggle4progress]

Published Date:
01 November 2008
By Laura Button

... The creation is less than flattering to the proud 'hockey mom', depicting her with bulging muscles and a machine gun - a dig at the mother-of-five's pro-gun stance. And under the sneering Alaskan governor the Boyes pose the question - 'Too hot to handle?'

The effigy also features Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama, cowering in a tin hat, peppered with bullet holes, with 'O Blimey' written across the front ...

Sarah will be ceremoniously blown up at Britain's oldest bonfire celebrations which will see crowds of people from Battle, Hastings and beyond enjoy the world-famous event ...

This traditional event involves loud noises, flaming torches and large numbers of people and is not recommended for infants or those of a nervous disposition ...

http://www.bexhillobserver.net/479/All-set-for-Battle-Bonfire.4648676.jp

This is apparently a commemoration of William the Bastard's defeat of Harold

[flamingdem]

1. The British must be observing all of this laughing

They loved Dallas and got the real thing with Bush, but who could have EVER imagined Palin!

[struggle4progress]

2. "Drop-out Englishmen! Serves ya right!"

[English Republican]

3. Bill the B******d.

Diabolical weather here which is likely to rain off tonight's burning, in which case it'll be postponed until next week. If so you can make the best of the $-pound exchange rate and hop on the plane and join us.

Historical note: the bonfire has nothing to do with William & Harold. The traditional town bonfires in Sussex are rooted in the conflict between Protestant & Catholic Christians, and the clampdown that followed the foiled Christian fundamentalist terrorist bomb attack on the English parliament on Novemeber 5, 1605.

Traditionally the bonfire burns a effigy of the Catholic Pope (considered the Osama bin Laden of his day by the Sussex Protestants), but those were the days when the divide between Protestant & Catholic in England was as extreme and violent as the Sunni-Shia split in Iraq today.

Also Sussex is on the south coast and thus then was expected to be the likely landing place for pro-Catholic foreign insurgent fighters, or worse, an all-out invasion by the then military superpowers France & Spain (both Catholic) seeking regime change in England after the death of feared kick-butt Queen Elizabeth I.

Nowadays the effigy is of a person of ridicule or contempt, hence the tribute to Sarah this year. Osama got his spot in 2002.

[Demeter]

4. Thank You for The Explanation

We may be two nations divided by a single language, as Shaw said, but as long as we can talk and clear up misunderstandings, there is hope.

And we forgive you Thatcher, if you forgive us Reagan. I know there won't be any forgiveness for Bush, but hopefully there will be justice and compensation in the near future!

[flamingdem]

5. wonder who it will be next time.

Please keep us posted, thanks!

[struggle4progress]

6. My apologies for mangling Guy Fawkes stuff: the article references to 1066 & Senlac Hill

too easily confused me

[A-Long-Little-Doggie]

7. Very interesting!

And welcome to DU from across the pond! :hi: