“Remember, remember the 5th November. Gunpowder,
treason and plot”
Okay, it’s not the most original way to start a piece of
writing, but I do like its ominous-sounding dramatic emphasis. The day the
British changed a part of the Halloween celebration to celebrate the downfall
of a Catholic terrorist attack against a Protestant King and his establishment
has long since lost most of its significance. The oldest living generations in
Britain have lived under the shadow of terrorism for a long time now. Many of
us were alive when there was another attempt to blow up the head of our
country. More of us were alive when various far larger scale terrorist attacks
occurred, which rocked the global community in so many ways as to define post
2001 cultural ideas. This has led us to look at the broader view of terrorism
and its many complexities. History also tells us that although the Catholics in
question were fanatical, James I and his regime were far from a magnanimous example
of religious tolerance.
