Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Max Johnson
Date: 10 Mar 11 - 06:26 AM

I suppose I could look this up, but it's more interesting to ask here.

I though St George's day used to be a holiday? I remember (in Yorkshire) St George's Day fetes and maypole dancing when I was very young.

Also, interestingly, there was always a local holiday declared here at harvest time. This was a fishing village, so presumably they all went off for a couple of day's casual pay. They declared the holiday because everyone would have gone anyway and it saved the administrative hassle of people being absent from work snd school.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST,FloraG
Date: 10 Mar 11 - 04:25 AM

To VirginiaT

Was talking to a man in maderia and asked about the wildlife.

Any snakes?

Only the ones in parliament.

Perhaps thats where our dragons have gone.
FloraG.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: East Texas Red
Date: 09 Mar 11 - 08:16 AM

@tattie bogle

Thanks for putting that song up, it's just what I've been looking for to add to my repertoire. Particularly like the verse about the bosses making millions and squeezing the workers' pay - nothing ever changes unless we make it change and stop giving in once we've been offered concessions.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 09 Mar 11 - 04:02 AM

Really I don't care what they do with it. It's great for people with young families who need time together but if you haven't got young children it isn't that beneficial. The other bugbear is the Sunday service buses and Sunday shop opening times on Bank Holidays. This and the last Christmas for example Bank Holidays fell on the Christmas weekend which was so confusing as far as bus travel or shop opening times were concerned because what normally would have been Boxing Day was the day after on the Monday followed by a Bank Holiday Tuesday and as my Christmas was spent out in the sticks had to attempt to get a bus back which was very few and far between that day. I was glad that it was back to being a 'normal' day by Wednesday and started to enjoy the Christmas break a bit more.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 09 Mar 11 - 02:48 AM

@ FloraG

I think we have enough dragons already.

grin

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Marc Bernier
Date: 08 Mar 11 - 12:30 PM

I didn't mourn when when Reagan died and I won't when Maggie does.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Snuffy
Date: 08 Mar 11 - 08:29 AM

Royal Wedding merchandise

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 08 Mar 11 - 12:02 AM

"I am constantly astonished, on this forum & in general, by what peculiarly nasty people so many on the left are ~~ notionally full of love for their fellow-man; but in fact overwhelmingly full of hate & spite towards anyone who won't accept their overwhelmingly jejune & discredited assumptions."

... but it's ok for members of the 'Right' to behave this way, apparently ... because they are not full of love for their fellow man, just fiscal greed ... ?

I'm not astonished - I suppose, at least, that attitude is not inconsistent ... :-)

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 07:52 PM

First day of Girvan Folk Festival so maybe we'll have a right royal (or even anti-royal!) session! "Confound their fiddlesticks"!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 04:52 PM

Seeing 29 April is a Friday, I'll probably go to Tesc while the wedding is on.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 12:45 PM

Jon Dudley: Regret can find no 'contact us' section on family website. Hope you will read this nevertheless to follow up. My e-address, which is not secret, is

mgmyer [at] keme [dot] co [dot] uk

Hope this what you need.

All best to you all

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST,Maurice Mann
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 12:28 PM

I for one have a bottle of Babycham on ice ready for Maggie's great day.
As a republican, should I refuse a day off on 29 April?

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST,Jon Dudley
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 11:50 AM

Hope this is ok Mr Moderator...Sorry to use this as a contact board...MG-M...may I have your email address please? Contact me via the Family website.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 09:53 AM

Dave, Oh I think he already celebrated Murdoch's birthday by using cable's ousting to change the decision re SKY!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 06:23 AM

I would rather a personal choice of whether to take a Bank Holiday or not especially if it has to be taken out of a yearly entitlement of holidays earned. I resent being forced to take holiday that I don't want.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Will Fly
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 04:59 AM

Bring back Wakes Week is what I say. All the mills in the town closed at the same time and off we went - mainly to Blackpool. It wasn't unusual for the next-door neighbours to be in the boarding house next door to your own!

If it was sunny, we went on the beach, played in the sea, got covered in sand and rode the donkeys. It wet, up to the Tower to see Reg Dixon rise up through the floor on his Mighty Wurlitzer. Highlight of the week was the Tower Circus on the Saturday night.

By... them were't days!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Snuffy
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 03:11 AM

TB

Queen Victoria's birthday was 24th May,and in 1902 it was designated "Empire Day". Apparently Victoria Day is still celebrated in Canada on the Monday before the 24th.

I remember in the 1950s in England we used to have a half-holiday from school on that day. In the morning we had to sing a song

We have come to school this morning
On the twenty-fourth of May
[Can't remember this line]
Because it's Empire Day

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 07:44 PM

It doesn't in Scotland, Kitty: most education authorities here have autumn half-term a week earlier!
Waterloo is probably better known than Trafalgar, thanks to Jim Malcolm's song!
We also have a "Victoria Day" holiday in Edinburgh (for some folk anyway) - 3rd weekend in May, but nobody seems to know why or how it came about!!
And different towns/cities have different "trades holidays" (early July for Edinburgh, later for Glasgow, etc).

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 05:29 PM

Am I being unduly cynical to suggest that the proposal of a Trafalgar bank holiday (presumably close to 21 October) is just a way of getting a bank holiday that coincides with Autumn half term, to reduce the number of days that working parents will need to take off work to look after school age children?

Kity

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Crowhugger
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 04:22 PM

Mr. Red or anyone, do you know of somewhere on the web where the uninformed can hear local pronunciation(s) of 'Trafalgar'?

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 03:53 PM

Not talking about your VIEWS; but about the way your original post above suggesting a "Hip-hooray Maggie's Dead" bank holiday presupposes that we must all share them because they are so self-evidently right-on. We don't: because they are not.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 03:16 PM

I'm happy not to repeat my views, but they are genuinely held and I'm not going to apologise for them.

End of thread creep...

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Thompson
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 03:00 PM

Thread creep...

I would have to agree that there's no need to be abusive about people, mind, even if you don't like them. Even if you regard them with contempt.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 02:54 PM

Despising someone is one thing, sfmans. You are perfectly entitled to your opinions as to anyone's deeds and activities. But I do genuinely consider an expression of intention to celebrate and rejoice at anyone's death unacceptably and hyperbolically ill-natured and altogether unacceptable as part of decent, civilised discourse; and particularly, as in this instance, to suggest that it should be recognised as a suitable occasion for public celebration, just because the great sfmans takes it on himself to 'despise' that person ~~

~~ to put it no more strongly than that.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 02:42 PM

No I'm not, as it happens.

I'm not at all ashamed of despising the woman who quite deliberately put herself at the head of the forces that the 1980s Conservate government unleashed, to the great and bitter cost that we all bear to this day.

Thanks for asking!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 06:12 AM

'Can't we just wait until Margaret Bloody Thatcher dies, and then have a bank holiday to celebrate that?' sfmans
===
What a peculiarly ill-natured & spiteful remark; not the words of a gentleman; or even of a human being with any pretensions to decency.

I am constantly astonished, on this forum & in general, by what peculiarly nasty people so many on the left are ~~ notionally full of love for their fellow-man; but in fact overwhelmingly full of hate & spite towards anyone who won't accept their overwhelmingly jejune & discredited assumptions.

sfmans should be absolutely ashamed of such a post: but I don't for a second imagine that he is.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST,FloraG
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 04:32 AM

I dont think we should celibrate St George. If it was not for him we might have a few more dragons in the world.
FloraG.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Thompson
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 02:16 AM

Leadfingers has a point, mind. Maybe the thing to do is look for *both* holidays: St George's Day/Shakespeare's birthday (which could be a big cultural festival when Tory dragons were killed), and May Day.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 08:55 PM

The "Bank Holiday" in August is more than enough.




No one, (except the local working poor) attempts to travel within Western Europe during most of August anyway.



For most of the sckifflers...my bet is...they lose half a quater's booty...if they give Socialist May Day the boot.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 08:22 PM

Hmmm, well when I was working, my partners decided we should not take any of these holidays(except maybe Christmas Day and NYD) as it just made for more work when we went back after the holiday!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Leadfingers
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 08:04 PM

Apart from all that , does ANYWHERE have fewer Bank/National Holidays
in a year ? England has EIGHT ! New Years day , Good Friday , Easter Monday , May Bank Holiay , Spring Bank Holiday , August Bank Holiday , and Christmas day and Boxing day !

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 07:54 PM

Can't resist re-posting this which was on another thread (thanks to Suzanne (skw), but I should add that I'm just home after a wonderful Matt McGinn tribute night, attended by several of Matt's family, in Linlithgow. One we DIDN'T do tonight. Some of it seems as topical as ever!

WE'LL HAVE A MAY DAY
(Matt McGinn)

Chorus:
We'll have a May Day My O My O we'll have a May Day then
We'll have a May Day My O My O we'll have a May Day then

I have friends in London town, the finest ever seen
And I have some in Swansea and I've some in Aberdeen
We're all Labour good and true, and I'll tell you what we're going to do
We're going to fight this fight right through and we'll have a May Day then

Back in '45 they marched, from barrack room and mill
Determined they would make a change, for they had had their fill
From the kitchen sink and coal they came, every Labour man and dame
And shortly we'll be doing the same and we'll have a May Day then

Our faithers fought this fight before, and thought that they had won
You should have seen the boss turn green and how the man could run
But when our faithers turned their backs, the boss came again to dodge his tax
But the next time we'll no be so lax and we'll have a May Day then

They're never ever satisfied, though millions they have made
But still they think that you and I are grossly overpaid
There's nothing that they widnae steal, they even grudge your kids a meal
But very soon you'll hear them squeal and we'll have a May Day then

We'll join in jubilation and the big brass band you'll hear
As we march on in triumph to the future with a cheer
But as we greet the newborn day, the piper he'll have a tune to play
A lament for the sharks that are on their way and we'll have a May Day then

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 07:32 PM

Just had a thought. Maybe Trafalgar Day might not be such a bad idea. Imagine all the primary school children learning 'Right Said She'. You know the verse:

Well, some say Nelson had one eye,
And others say he had one arm;
But you'll have to ask Lady Hamilton
If his other features suffered harm.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 07:23 PM

I suppose we should be grateful that Cameron isn't prposing a holiday to celebrate Rupert Murdoch's birthday.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: millfloss
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 07:01 PM

I'm not keen on the idea of celebrating a battle. Remembering them, yes, but trying to turn it into a tourist attraction...? Mayday has much more of a welcoming vibe, to my mind.

Even without the Bank Holiday, I don't think the may traditions will fade away; but perhaps those trying to "promote tourism" would be better off nurturing the cultural heritage we have managed to maintain, rather than trying to generate something new for reasons which are less than transparent.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: danensis
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 06:32 PM

If we were going to have an autumn bank-holiday then it ought to be on November 4th to celebrate the last person to enter parliament with honest intentions.

John

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 05:57 PM

I don't see why we should pronounce Trafalgar as the locals do - any more than they should stop pronouncing London as 'Londrace'.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Thompson
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 05:41 PM

I kind of see the Tories' point in a way - St Patrick's Day is such a delightful celebration for us in Ireland - and Irish people and the descendants of Irish people abroad - that it might be nice to have St George's Day as a festival too. And isn't it Shakespeare's birthday?

On the other hand, it's an awful pity to lose Mayday, such a traditional English festival, with Maypole dancing and all the pagan fun entailing.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 04:20 PM

Spelling...

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Tootler
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 02:23 PM

I'm sure Cameron will arrange for the amount of daylight to be extended!!!!!

A Modern Cnut?

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 01:43 PM

They could always move Christmas to October as well I suppose.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 01:36 PM

I'm sure Cameron will arrange for the amount of daylight to be extended!!!!!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Snuffy
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 01:18 PM

If the Bank Holiday were actually on May Day (May 1st) then it would be worth keeping. There's not much point moving it only a week or so back to St George's Day, and the weather's usually cold and the nights drawing in by Trafalgar Day.

If we're going to celebrate beating Boney, the ideal commemoration is surely Waterloo (June 18th): it was not just an important victory like Trafalgar - it was the final victory, and Boney was there in person to taste defeat. Anyway the days are longer in June and we're likely to get better weather then.

And it's as near the solstice as the current May Bank Holiday is to May Day.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: JohnH
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 09:13 AM

May Day is inclusive but St. George's Day is purely English and we've virtually ignored it for generations!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 08:48 AM

It's yet another piece of Tory nonsense designed to give the illusion they believe in 'Britain' I think the English will observe St George's Day in the traditional way and ignore it! Also it's another cut, as the 23rd april is a Saturday this year so no one is getting a day off. And of course typical of this Condem Govt we're not allowed to vote for a different day, may as well be in Lybia!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Edthefolkie
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 08:28 AM

At the Restoration in 1660, the Royalists dug up poor old Oliver Cromwell and stuck his head on a pike over London Bridge.

Now Dave Cameron, as an ex PR man, wouldn't try that on with the late Michael Foot, but at least his lot can get rid of Michael's bank holiday! God, what a joyless lot of bean counters they are.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Mr Red
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 07:09 AM

It's déjà vu all over again.

now how many Tory MP's can place Trafalgar let alone pronounce it as the locals do

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Leadfingers
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 06:27 AM

The Tory line seems to be that , despite all the traditional elements of May Day it is purely a 'Socialist' institution ! They really DO need educating !!

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 06:10 AM

I don't have any problem with the date being moved especially since it is a very recently introduced holiday and nothing to do with any traditions. However if we have a holiday for St Georges Day it will be very close to Easter. I'd rather it was moved to July when there might actually be some decent weather.

Subject: RE: Plans to scrap the May Day bank holiday
From: Will Fly
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 04:49 AM

I think it's worth separating the concept of official, government-designated public/bank holidays - something around 140 years old - from that of the seasonal, traditional celebrations which have carried on in the various parts of the UK for centuries. If you look at the historical development of bank holidays below, you can see that the actual days have changed quite a bit certainly since the 1970s.

Celebrating seasonal events is not dependent on the whims of government. The First of May, for example, has had rites and traditions associated with it long before any Act designated it as a formal bank holiday - and those rites and traditions will continue in the 'rite' circles (ho ho) if the holiday is moved elsewhere.

Let's not forget that the concept of the Bank Holiday - revolutionary in its day - was to give everyone, rich and poor a formal day of rest from their everyday toil. That's the spirit of the Bank Holidays. When they occur may be inconvenient or convenient, depending on your point of view and circumstances, but they don't spring from any fountain of seasonal celebrations.

============
The 1871 Act designated four holidays in England, Wales and Ireland (then wholly part of the UK), and five in Scotland:

England, Wales and Northern Ireland
    * Easter Monday
    * Whit Monday (which could fall anywhere between 11 May and 14 June)
    * The first Monday in August (later changed to the last Monday)
    * Boxing Day (26th December)
Scotland
    * New Year's Day
    * Good Friday
    * The first Monday in May
    * The first Monday in August
    * Christmas Day

1903

St Patrick's Day (17 March) became a bank holiday for Ireland only.

1971 Act
The Whitsun bank holiday (Whit Monday) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (which could fall anywhere between 11 May and 14 June) was formally replaced by a fixed spring holiday on the last Monday in May. The last Monday in August was formally made a bank holiday in place of the first Monday in August in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1973 Act
2 January became an additional bank holiday in Scotland.

1974 Act
New Year's Day became an additional bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Boxing Day became an additional bank holiday in Scotland.

1978 Act
The first Monday in May in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the last Monday in May in Scotland, became additional bank holidays.