Guy fawkes just a bit of fun for kids?? You mean that national anti-catholic celebration where we burn the effigy of one of their freedom fighters?

@Flettie How many people actually realise that is what Guy Fawkes night is about? I would wager not too many.

@Marionville Perhaps not now, I expect that he doesn't feature on the National Curriculum in British schools anymore on the grounds that what he was caught doing would nowadays be considered terrorism.

@Marionville could that be an excuse for a cross burning then?

@Marionville perhaps an allegorical lynching then?

@Flettie No like a lot things that are celebrated today, the original reasons are lost over the centuries. The point I was trying to make was most children today will not connect religious persecution with bonfire night. I think, like a lot of other of triumphalist celebrations it is an anachronism in today’s society.

@Marionville "children today will not connect religious persecution with bonfire night"... I agree. That's sad.

Thing is that children today are fed a sanitised version of history. Children will not know about the events that occurred in Crowe Park Dublin by the Black and Tans, They won't be taught about the horrors of the partition of India, they won't be taught about the British concentration camps in the Boar war. Time legitimises everything it seems.

@Flettie I think this was meant as a lighthearted question and I answered in that vein. I didn’t think what I said would provoke such a determined attack by anyone.....life is really too short, I am moving on.

@Marionville its not an attack, and sorry if it is perceived as such - I point anyone to twitter and facebook for that style of debate. What I hope to provide is simply food for thought, and in my turn I look to others to help me re evaluate my position on a variety of issues, you know... healthy debate

@Flettie Yes, and we are actually in agreement about history, I don’t think our history is at all glorious, in fact it is downright shameful. Yes, children today are not being given a balanced view, in fact I think our educators are doing a pretty poor job of most aspects of education today. ?

@meister268 I actually think it is just that history is skimped over in general. I have a more comprehensive knowledge than my sons. They only seemed to be taught about the industrial revolution and WW1 and WW2. They know nothing about kings and queens or dates.