[Metrobeans]

B439 - Equalisation of Bank Holidays Bill, Labour

Equalisation of Bank Holidays Bill - Labour
This bill intends to ensure that each of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland receive their fair dues in regards to bank holidays.

BE IT ENACTED by The Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-


1. Amendment of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971

(1) The following changes are to be made under Schedule 1, Part 1;

(a) insert "1st March, or the following Monday be it a Saturday or a Sunday. This bank holiday is to be known as the Dewi Sant bank holiday. This applies to Wales alone."
(b) insert: "23rd April, or the following Monday be it a Saturday or a Sunday. This bank holiday is to be known as the St. George bank holiday. This applies to England alone."
(c) insert: "21st October, or the following Monday be it a Saturday or a Sunday. This bank holiday is to be known as the Trafalgar bank holiday."

(2) The following changes are to be made under Schedule 1, Part 2 ;

(a) insert: "21st October, or the following Monday be it a Saturday or a Sunday. This bank holiday is to be known as the Trafalgar bank holiday."

2. Commencement, short title and extent

(1) This Act may be cited as the Holidays Act 2012
(2) This bill shall extend to the relevant nations mentioned within the amended Schedules; and
(3) Shall come into force one year following Royal Assent.

Notes

This is the Act being amended: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/80/contents

[MacDaddi]

Getting the priorities right ....

[toronto353]

Superb Bill. Aye from me.

[Stiff Little Fingers]

So, St. Andrews day would not be classed as a bank holiday?

[TopHat]

St. Andrew's Day already is a bank holiday. Has been since 2007.

[Stiff Little Fingers]

(Original post by TopHat)
St. Andrew's Day already is a bank holiday. Has been since 2007.

I did think it was, but it's not mentioned at all in the act linked:

The following are to be bank holidays in Scotland:—

New Year’s Day, if it be not a Sunday or, if it be a Sunday, 3rd January.

2nd January, if it be not a Sunday or, if it be a Sunday, 3rd January.

Good Friday.

The first Monday in May.

The first Monday in August.

Christmas Day, if it be not a Sunday or, if it be a Sunday, 26th December.

[TheCrackInTime]

Nay. Instead of fiddling around with the dates, why not just scrap bank holidays altogether and give people a few extra days holiday entitlement? Let people choose for themselves when they take time off, rather than having the government mandating arbitrary dates.

[TopHat]

That's because it was changed by an Act passed by Scottish Parliament, so it is kept separate from the original legislature of Westminster.

[TopHat]

(Original post by TheCrackInTime)
Nay. Instead of fiddling around with the dates, why not just scrap bank holidays altogether and give people a few extra days holiday entitlement? Let people choose for themselves when they take time off, rather than having the government mandating arbitrary dates.

I think these things are excellent as communal time. It's nice to have a set date when essentially everyone in the country is released from work together. It helps national unity by giving everyone a chance to interact a little more than they would without it.

[Rakas21]

Broadly in favour, well done.

[Birchington]

A good idea. Aye.

[TheCrackInTime]

(Original post by TopHat)
I think these things are excellent as communal time. It's nice to have a set date when essentially everyone in the country is released from work together.

Really? What does someone in Newcastle care if someone in Surrey is having the same day off?

It helps national unity by giving everyone a chance to interact a little more than they would without it.

And why can't people interact on a day of their choosing, rather than one that's been arbitrarily decided for them?

[CyclopsRock]

I agree entirely with TheCrackInTime. I don't need the government telling me when to have days off and when not to. I'd rather make that choice myself.

National unity is for people with nothing to be proud of themselves, hanging on to the coat tails of others.

[JPKC]

Costing the economy for the sake of emotive yet meaningless 'national identities'. I consider the concept of a bank holiday for the sake of some Syrian mercenary strange, the same goes for the state glorifying an ancient bishop (an occupation that I'd consider akin to mercenary, in the 6th Century AD at least). This Bill is further evidence of TSR Labour being nothing more than petty nationalists.

Out of interest, what is the significance of Saint Dewiweiue?

A UK-wide bank holiday costs the economy around £2bn, I reckon that the provisions here would frivolously burn an extra £4.1bn, taking into account the relative GDP of Wales to England and England to the UK as a whole. Nice. It just strikes me as thoughtless. I'd oppose this Bill as a secular atheist irregardless of it being soooo expensive.

If this passes I'll propose a fully-costed bill to scrap bank holidays altogether, save the economy £19bn.

[TopHat]

(Original post by JPKC)
Costing the economy for the sake of emotive yet meaningless 'national identities'. I consider the concept of a bank holiday for the sake of some Syrian mercenary strange, the same goes for the state glorifying an ancient bishop (an occupation that I'd consider akin to mercenary, in the 6th Century AD at least). This Bill is further evidence of TSR Labour being nothing more than petty nationalists.

Not really. We could have had a nondescript one like the first Monday of October or some such. Just seemed a little more cultural this way.

Out of interest, what is the significance of Saint Dewiweiue?

A UK-wide bank holiday costs the economy around £2bn, I reckon that the provisions here would frivolously burn an extra £4.1bn, taking into account the relative GDP of Wales to England and England to the UK as a whole. Nice. It just strikes me as thoughtless. I'd oppose this Bill as a secular atheist irregardless of it being soooo expensive.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. We don't work for the sake of work, we work for the sake of leisure.

If this passes I'll propose a fully-costed bill to scrap bank holidays altogether, save the economy £19bn.

Good luck with that.

[CyclopsRock]

If I didn't have the government to tell me when to have fun, I don't know what I'd do.

[JPKC]

(Original post by TopHat)
Not really. We could have had a nondescript one like the first Monday of October or some such. Just seemed a little more cultural this way.

I generally don't think the state should have much to do with culture in the sense that you're meaning. If people want to celebrate the holy significance of Saint David of the Dark Ages then they should just take a day off, not force businesses to lose money for no rational purpose.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. We don't work for the sake of work, we work for the sake of leisure.

So here's the problem here. Firstly you're saying that everyone enjoys bank holidays. Personally, I hate them. My birthday was on one this month and thus it was impossible to do anything to celebrate on the day itself since every other dope in town was doing stuff too! It's a fundamentally flawed idea - everyone goes to the same fun event at the same time and nobody has any fun. Besides, people may like working. Secondly, this Bill stops people working no matter what they're working for.

And finally, how is this forced leisure a justification for the loss of c.£4bn?

[TopHat]

(Original post by JPKC)
I generally don't think the state should have much to do with culture in the sense that you're meaning. If people want to celebrate the holy significance of Saint David of the Dark Ages then they should just take a day off, not force businesses to lose money for no rational purpose.

You would have a point if the entire point of this day was solely to celebrate Dewi Sant. It's not, that just happens to be a nice bonus.

So here's the problem here. Firstly you're saying that everyone enjoys bank holidays. Personally, I hate them. My birthday was on one this month and thus it was impossible to do anything to celebrate on the day itself since every other dope in town was doing stuff too! It's a fundamentally flawed idea - everyone goes to the same fun event at the same time and nobody has any fun. Besides, people may like working. Secondly, this Bill stops people working no matter what they're working for.

Just sounds to me like you had a **** birthday. Knowing you, that doesn't surprise me.

[JPKC]

(Original post by TopHat)
You would have a point if the entire point of this day was solely to celebrate Dewi Sant. It's not, that just happens to be a nice bonus.

Well what is the entire point of the day? Community spirit? Social cohesion? Both those things should be worked at all year round rather than just on some Catholic feast day, and no-one should be forced out of work for them.

Just sounds to me like you had a **** birthday. Knowing you, that doesn't surprise me.

Well my actual birthday was crap - I couldn't get any reservations. Being a sensible individual I switched it and had a great time on a non-holiday day. Knowing me? One does presume.

[jesusandtequila]

This just adds more holidays, as far as I can tell. Am I correct?