The Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales West is arguing that while many people will want to mark the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, many more have no interest in the royal family and would instead prefer to take March 1 off, particularly as it has been the focus of a campaign in Wales for several years now.So, "many more" would want to take 1st March off rather than April 29th and Bethan has the statistics to prove it.....
Leaving those "statistics" quietly to the side, in the letter to David Cameron, Bethan says:
While I respect the fact that many people across the UK will want to mark the wedding, I would ask you to consider that those people who will not want to mark the wedding, or who are republicans for various reasons, can be allowed to instead take a bank holiday on St David’s Day, the day that we mark our patron saint here in Wales?So, if I understand her correctly, people in Wales should be given the choice of which date they want their Bank Holiday on?
“Research has shown that many Welsh local authorities would like to allow their staff the day off on March 1, but current legislation makes it difficult to do so, given that St David’s Day is not an official bank holiday. I believe this suggestion would offer a compromise, and allow those in Wales to decide on which day they wish to take their bank holiday.”
So let's, for the sake of argument, assume she is correct and say that the breakdown on the 1st March- 29 April question is 60-40; on 1st March we will have 40% of the public sector attempting to serve the public and on the latter date 60%? Apparently so:
I’m not asking for an additional day off – I’m asking the Prime Minister to let people in Wales have the choice.In practical terms, you are asking for another day off then, which theoretically (even as someone self-employed and thus paying with my taxes the salary of those who would gain most from that extra day off) I wouldn't have a problem with. I do have a problem though with lazy politicians who rely on populist and nonsensical soundbytes, rather than concentrating on the correct way to achieve their object, ie that "difficult" "current legislation".
6 comments:
A bank holiday on St David's Day has been the policy of the Welsh Conservatives since 1999. In the absence of its inclusion in the coalition agreement Bethan Jenkins is just giving the Tories a little prod.
I am guessing though she would like it on an annual and not a just one-off basis.
What about 23rd April (St. George's day) as a bank holiday for the English?
If the Welsh Nationalists would then put on some dragon suits and allow themselves to be squirted with water canons, it might make the festival all the more enjoyable.
Best to abolish New Year's Day and the May Day holiday which are both far to close to other holidays. It would boost national productivity too.
Just joking or maybe not...
Very droll, Seymour Major. It's strange but the English just can't seem to celebrate Englishness unless it involves denigrating someone else.
Anonymous@January 17, 2011 9:26 PM
No need to abolish them, just give people the choice, 25/12 or 1/1.
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