Bank holiday special
The debate about whether or not we ought to have another bank holiday has come up again recently – see for example. Sometimes the case for another bank holiday is proposed on the basis of raising our number of holidays to the level of other counties. Often it is raised by those with a desire to use the day to celebrate a particular person or institution. Some have suggested a Diana Bank Holiday or a NHS Bank Holiday, as well as the national day idea discussed in the Guardian article.
If we are to have another bank holiday, we ought to have a better debate about the purpose of the day. We would suggest it is not simply introduced on the basis of giving us a comparable number of holidays to others. Germany may have more holidays, but the country somehow manages to achieve levels of industrial productivity that the UK has not matched in the past (in Germany it is also the case that if the holiday falls on a weekend no extra day off is given on the Monday). Another bank holiday for its own sake would be wasted to bad television, commercialised sport, sitting in traffic jams, dodging rain and other current bank holiday traditions.
If there has to be another Bank Holiday we suggest it is specifically targeted as a way of bringing communities closer together. Communities are a major part of the glue that holds our society together. Good community cohesion provides connections and resilience to some of the toxic effects of modern life. For each of us, our small cluster of streets around our homes is our little village, even if we live in city centres or suburbs. But communities are too often forgotten in the drive to modernise our society and we forget our own villages.
A bank holiday built around communities would be an opportunity to encourage people to engage with those around them, perhaps rebuilding the stronger connections that existed in the past. Events such as street parties, litter collecting groups (perhaps after the street party!), park pride days, and walking groups could provide a range of immediate and longer terms social, environmental and health gains, as well as bringing people closer together
Commercial organisations could be encouraged to support these days, for example through sponsorship for particular events, as a way of demonstrating the important role that business plays in the community. Public sector organisations could also provide for information and support for activities to encourage better health. Voluntary organisations could use the day as a focal point for raising awareness and levels of involvement across the locality.
Considering this idea of a community day, it is striking to us how much it resembles the traditional idea of May Day. That is, of course, before May Day was hijacked in the name of one sterile ideology, before becoming a moving target in service to another. If at all possible we would like to see the traditions of the day restored and once more offering an opportunity to bring localities together. If, shamefully, that can no longer be done, then an Our Village Day might provide the chance to revive the spirit of the old celebration.
If we are to have another bank holiday, we ought to have a better debate about the purpose of the day. We would suggest it is not simply introduced on the basis of giving us a comparable number of holidays to others. Germany may have more holidays, but the country somehow manages to achieve levels of industrial productivity that the UK has not matched in the past (in Germany it is also the case that if the holiday falls on a weekend no extra day off is given on the Monday). Another bank holiday for its own sake would be wasted to bad television, commercialised sport, sitting in traffic jams, dodging rain and other current bank holiday traditions.
If there has to be another Bank Holiday we suggest it is specifically targeted as a way of bringing communities closer together. Communities are a major part of the glue that holds our society together. Good community cohesion provides connections and resilience to some of the toxic effects of modern life. For each of us, our small cluster of streets around our homes is our little village, even if we live in city centres or suburbs. But communities are too often forgotten in the drive to modernise our society and we forget our own villages.
A bank holiday built around communities would be an opportunity to encourage people to engage with those around them, perhaps rebuilding the stronger connections that existed in the past. Events such as street parties, litter collecting groups (perhaps after the street party!), park pride days, and walking groups could provide a range of immediate and longer terms social, environmental and health gains, as well as bringing people closer together
Commercial organisations could be encouraged to support these days, for example through sponsorship for particular events, as a way of demonstrating the important role that business plays in the community. Public sector organisations could also provide for information and support for activities to encourage better health. Voluntary organisations could use the day as a focal point for raising awareness and levels of involvement across the locality.
Considering this idea of a community day, it is striking to us how much it resembles the traditional idea of May Day. That is, of course, before May Day was hijacked in the name of one sterile ideology, before becoming a moving target in service to another. If at all possible we would like to see the traditions of the day restored and once more offering an opportunity to bring localities together. If, shamefully, that can no longer be done, then an Our Village Day might provide the chance to revive the spirit of the old celebration.
