A while back I mentioned that they had burned a giant Osama bin Laden effigy in Suffolk for this past Guy Fawkes Day. Ben Sheriff provides a time-line of other popular villains burned in effigy in place of "the Guy." "Somewhat disturbingly," he writes, "they have a tendency to keep to tradition by using Catholic effigies relatively frequently. Though the Starr inquiry got one famous Baptist into the parade in 1998." That would be one Bill Clinton, or as he is known locally, "Viagra Man." It's a diverse list, with some usual suspects (Thatcher, Reagan, Saddam), and some curious choices. What the good people of Suffolk had against the Statue of Liberty in 1992 remains a mystery. The crusade against "motorway builders" seems a similarly lost cause. Once again, file under Their Island Story: Rich Tapestry of...
Posted by Dr. Frank at December 31, 2001 03:54 AM | TrackBack