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"The time is now
to go for a ban on retail sales, and revive the
1998 measures for licensed firework displays, and
a National Training Scheme"
The large mailbag continues unabated. We met the
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Melanie Johnson on
19 December 2001. This was the first meeting the
Campaign has had with a Minister since 1997. Her
predecessor, Kim Howells, was not disposed to
meeting anybody on the subject until his last
months in Office, so while it was agreed a
meeting should take place, a date was never set.
I don't know who he thought we were. We had met
every Minister for Consumer Affairs for the
previous twenty seven years. I can only assume
that the firework industry put in the usual dirty
work against NCFS, and Dr Howells response was
"a plague on both your houses". Over
the years we have had to put up with black
propaganda from the DTI publicity machine
inspired by the firework industry. I know this
from my contacts.
We had an excellent meeting with Miss Johnson,
who gave us nearly and hour of her time to
discuss the whole issue in detail. We impressed
upon the Minister the need to change course after
four decades of minor legislation and voluntary
measures. The time is now to go for a ban on
retail sales, and revive the 1998 measures for
licensed firework displays, and a National
Training Scheme. Miss Johnson ruled nothing out
and said that she hoped that she would do better
than her predecessors. We, too, hope that she can.
We gave her twenty pages of evidence, and she was
so appalled by the evidence, that she asked for
even more so that she could do what needed to be
done. We asked that her department give equal
time to the Campaign so that the firework
industry never again monopolise the department,
by having free access and total control over DTI
policy, giving them a stranglehold over all
future legislation. We reminded her of the
firework industry's boast, put on their website,
"If you are not in before the consultative
process, then you have lost it."
We asked Miss Johnson to take the lead from her
colleague in Northern Ireland who has said
categorically she wanted rid of retail sales over
there. It would be a courageous act, but would
have the full support from the people in the
country, as they have made their own MP's aware
of this. Jim Dobbin MP who accompanied us to the
meeting told the Minister that if a straw poll
were carried out, the majority of MP's would be
in favour of a ban. We feel that this was a very
bad year for firework injury to both people and
animals, noise, fire damage to buildings, general
mayhem and nuisance, this was the time to push
legislation forward. Other Countries legislated
after having similar problems and dealt with it
by retail bans and licensed firework displays.
They cannot understand why we have not done the
same.
Last Saturday, 29 December 2001, there was a
terrible firework disaster in a shopping mall in
Lima, the capital city of Peru. A man selling
fireworks was demonstrating a firework when,
somehow, it set off of other fireworks causing a
huge fire which engulfed other premises and a
housing estate nearby. This disaster is what we
have feared here for many years. I have witnessed
the overkill of fireworks loaded onto shop floors
over the years, and despite prosecutions and
derisory fines of £25, fined shopkeepers have
been allowed to continue. 250 people have died in
Lima and the death toll is feared to go up to 300
with 115 injured. I was invited to broadcast on
the BBC World Service, with a listening audience
of 20 million, on the day after it happened.
While broadcasting, news came in of yet another 9
people killed by fireworks in a firework factory
in China.
This disaster added to Enschade, in the
Netherlands, and 41 children in China last March
shows the horrible dangers that exist where
firework regulations are non-existent, or too
weak and puny to make a difference.
For the firework industry's big talk about how
wonderful our regulations are, shops selling
fireworks do not need to be licensed. All that is
required to sell lethal explosives is an £11
registration fee. The Local Authorities are
powerless to stop a shop selling fireworks even
after conviction. This can go on time and time
again as I personally have witnessed. We must get
fireworks out of our shops NOW. If people want
fireworks, let them go to a training course, they
do exist. Let them get their licence to put on a
display, as they have to do in other countries,
including the US. Only then can we keep tabs on
safety. But NEVER, NEVER, NEVER let powerful
fireworks be sold to the general public. They can
not only injure themselves but others and
animals, as well as make peoples lives a
nightmare, by causing injury, noise, devastation
and nuisance.
This is the current situation.
Happy New Year, and best wishes to everybody for
2002
Noel
December 2001
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