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Labour's plan for new Bank Holidays

(109 Posts)
kittylester Mon 23-Apr-18 17:18:58

Whilst I agree that there are not enough Bank Holidays (National Holidays?) this plan to make the 4 National Patron Saints' Days Bank holidays seems a bit daft considering that three of the Saints are in the first part of the year when we also have Easter and the Spring Bank holiday. I think we need some in the autumn and maybe February.

What does anyone else think?

paddyann Tue 24-Apr-18 16:07:58

Scotland doesn't have a bank holiday for St Andrews day ,never has .There were plans to make it a holiday but nothing came of them .We do however have a holiday in September ,instead of your August bank holiday .In recent years we've had a winter festival from St Andrews day at the end of November until 25th January ,Burns night .Then in the west we have our Celtic Connection music festival which carries through to February .But no official bank holidays included

mostlyharmless Tue 24-Apr-18 16:02:11

Yes my granddaughters celebrated St David’s Day a week late this year too.

mostlyharmless Tue 24-Apr-18 16:00:21

I can’t see why Wales couldn’t have a Bank Holiday for St David’s day on March 1st anyway Annie, as Scotland and Northern Ireland already have their national Saints days off. Probably a devolved Powers decision?
Not sure whether England would even want St George’s Day as a holiday. Call it Shakespeare’s birthday (the same day) and you’ve got a whole new tourist industry! Little Shakespeare performances everywhere - lovely.

Jalima1108 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:56:51

It was bad enough this year Anniebach when the school Eisteddfod had to be postponed because of the snow - they had to dress up a week later.

I'm not sure how Chas is (he has been ill) but we could invite them both along on our charabanc outing.

Anniebach Tue 24-Apr-18 15:53:31

I will not celebrate St.Davids Day in October, no daffodils . children can't trot off to school in national costume for an Eisteddfod in October , the schools would be closed

GillT57 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:53:09

All sung to the sound of a thumping piano, a la Chas n Dave, eh Jalima?

I do hope that a young, soon to be disillusioned keen researcher from the Labour Party reads this thread, do you think they will realise that we do not wish to be patronised/treated like fools/taken back to the 1950s\?

mostlyharmless Tue 24-Apr-18 15:51:50

I like your World Peace Day idea Jalima.

Jalima1108 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:42:20

Harvest? Not really appropriate perhaps for our urban society
I've been thinking about that, mostlyharmless and wondering if that could be a good idea - encouraging urban children to visit the countryside on that BH, although harvest would be over by the end of October.

Jalima1108 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:40:02

You can keep the Costa Brava and all that palava, going no farther, me I'd rather have me a day down Margate with all me family

Actually, I've never been to Margate, it's on my bucket (and spade) list.

I have been to Bangor. All for under a pound.

Jalima1108 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:36:37

Perhaps not so much Empire as wars with the French - and we're friends now (I think).

We still have harvest festivals but the time varies!

Autumn Equinox? No, that's too soon after August BH.

16 October (Tuesday) to 23 October (Tuesday) INTER FAITH WEEK OF PRAYER FOR WORLD PEACE
One day in this week?

GillT57 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:34:28

lemon and jalima......if you bring the crates of ale, I will bring the song sheets for the coach trip to Margate! Whelks anyone?

loopyloo Tue 24-Apr-18 15:27:09

Autumn holiday sounds great to me. And yes you wait months for a Bank Holiday then 3 come at once.

VIOLETTE Tue 24-Apr-18 15:24:35

Sarkozy here tried to ban Saints days from being French national holidays, as he rightly said ' France is now a secular country, and these religious fete days are in the past as hardly anyone uses the day for its original purpose ...i.e. going to Church .......so you do not need a holiday on a Saints Day ! Needless to say, that didn't go down well with the French ! The only thing I would say is that if a national holiday occurs on a weekend, or a day off, there is no day in lieu as in the UK (I used to like a day in lieu when I was at work !)

mostlyharmless Tue 24-Apr-18 15:22:19

Trafalgar Day (21st October) would be a good time of year for a holiday, but it sounds like a throwback to the days of the British Empire! How about something more appropriate for the 21st century? Can’t think what though.
Harvest? Not really appropriate perhaps for our urban society. End of British summer time? Winter drawers on? Just Autumn Holiday?

lemongrove Tue 24-Apr-18 15:18:38

When’s the next charabanc outing? grin Bognor?

Haha gilly no monkey business there then!?

Jalima1108 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:15:52

sorry, missed out your name GillT57 blush

and I agree with your post!!

Jalima1108 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:15:15

There is a lot of wilful ignorance on here about what the impact of additional bank holidays will be
I don't think there is wilful ignorance as much as mickey-taking out of a daft idea for all the reasons you mention in your post.
Staff bus trips to the seaside like in On The Buses
'Day Trip to Bangor' or 'Margate' anyone?

Jalima1108 Tue 24-Apr-18 15:12:12

Chewbacca Trafalgar Day would be appropriate for the 21st October.
I know - DH thinks that is a good idea (RN) but we wouldn'twant to upset our friends the French would we!

All Saints Day? - instead of having four separate Saints' Bank Holidays?
I know it is 1st November but it is between the August BH and Christmas.

gillybob Tue 24-Apr-18 15:10:49

Geriatric not geratic ! confused

gillybob Tue 24-Apr-18 15:09:14

Yes I did check lemon but sadly no monkey’s standing, Just the same old geratric “have beens”.

Anniebach Tue 24-Apr-18 14:42:31

Well said GILL

GillT57 Tue 24-Apr-18 14:13:37

There is a lot of wilful ignorance on here about what the impact of additional bank holidays will be. This is HMRC regulations on holiday pay, as Gillybob (and me until recently) apply ^Almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday per year (known as statutory leave entitlement or annual leave). An employer can include bank holidays as part of statutory annual leave^.

the result is that either (a) the employer has to absorb the cost of additional holiday pay or (b) the employee has the time off as part of their annual leave allowance and thus has 4 less days (in England) to use as they wish.

So, in no way does this benefit anyone, just a load of hassle, a load more crappy bank holiday sales in the shops, and a frightening insight into how JC and the current militant part of the Labour party view the working population.

I am no Tory, but this 1950s attitude to 'bosses' and 'workers' is a retrograde step for everyone, what's next? Staff bus trips to the seaside like in On The Buses? Give me strength.

Chewbacca Tue 24-Apr-18 13:20:17

Any ideas for a name for an October Bank Holiday anyone?

Trafalgar Day would be appropriate for the 21st October.

JenniferEccles Tue 24-Apr-18 13:19:45

I'm with quizqueen - a bank holiday when we are finally free of the EU shackles would be wonderful.

JenniferEccles Tue 24-Apr-18 13:15:34

Direne3 grin

What's particularly irksome about this proposal is the presumption that voters are too stupid to immediately realise that it's just a shameless vote catcher.

Well it didn't work did it, if the majority opinion on here is anything to go by?

Back to the drawing board Corbyn!