Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

Gunpowder! Treason! and Plot 

November the 5th has always had a special meaning for me, and I thought it fitting to write about it in this particular Tuesday Tune-up. 

On one particular 5th of November, a group of would be insurrectionists plotted to blow up government and install a new monarch. They came very close to succeeding. Guy Fawkes was their explosives person and, just before lighting the fuse on the 36 barrels of gunpowder underneath the houses of parliament - he was caught.   

Guy Fawkes was consequently found guilty and executed, slowly. 

The infamous day from 1605 is marked (celebrated) throughout England every year. Bonfires are lit, fireworks set off and, somewhat to the dismay of my children when I replicated it here in Canada, an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned on top of the bonfire. It’s quite the spectacle. 

Insurrection is a fragile business. If it goes well for you, you can be seen as a revolutionary hero - for a time. If you get it wrong, school children will burn your effigy for hundreds of years… 

Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
For I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot. 

See you next time, 

Andrew