A proposal was put to Cornwall Council’s Corporate Resources Committee today that the council should support a Public Holiday for Cornwall on St Pirans Day which is 5th March.
This has come about because the Government is consulting on moving one of our May Public Holidays to another time of the year. One suggestion is for a Public Holiday on St George’s Day. There are some, however, who think that we should lobby the Government to make St Piran’s Day a holiday in Cornwall instead, while the rest of the country has a holiday on another day. The argument for this is that it will promote Cornwall and be a boost to tourism.
Now let me say that there are few people who are more proud to be Cornish than I am. I have a tattoo on my arm of the Cornish flag with the words ‘Cornish and Proud’ to demonstrate this. I am all for promoting our Cornish heritage, culture and the beautiful land we live in. I am also very happy to celebrate the Irish monk who travelled to these shores hundred of years ago and first brought the Christian faith to Cornwall (something many of those promoting St Piran’s Day seem to conveniently overlook).
However, I really am not sure this suggestion is a workable way of achieving this. Having a Public Holiday just for Cornwall sounds lovely, and it may score a few Brownie points, with some people, to be seen to be promoting this idea. But how would it really work in practice? Would national companies like banks be happy for their staff to take the day off in Cornwall and then be at work when the rest of the country is off? How could they operate when there is no one in the head office to process payments? What about businesses like mine who do a lot of work with businesses in the rest of the country? They will be trying to contact us to do some business when we are not there. Then when they have a Public Holiday, we are at work and want to do business with them, but they won’t be in. I wonder how much business Cornwall would miss out on?
I am also not sure the tourist argument stands up either. It may be a holiday here and we can put on lots of events to celebrate – but if the rest of the country is at work they won’t be able to come along and join us. One person at the committee even argued that there are a lot Cornish people who live in Plymouth who would love to come on a day trip and celebrate St Piran’s Day – seemingly missing the point that if they live and work across the Tamar in Plymouth they won’t be getting the day off!
To me this is a lovely romantic idea that is simply impractical and far from boosting our local economy, is actually likely to be detrimental to local businesses.
The committee actually voted in favour of putting this proposal back to the Full Council (by the Chairman’s casting vote). When it comes to council I am sure there will be lots of posturing to show who is more truly Cornish than the others – maybe I should just suggest we all get our tattoos out!
Interesting points, I wil forgoe the pro- Cornish debate for fear or being trumped by your tattoo.
I do think that you overlook the fact that many people still do work on bank holidays, businesses still trade, regrettable as this, it is a fact. My point is that I do not see how your argument stands up, there are many bank holidays whereby authorities have the day off and businesses still trade. So, I do not understood how the 5th of March be any different?
Also councils and businesses taking the day of for St Piran’s are still surely contactable via email or answerphone, as I am sure your business is. So I do not believe this would be such a great hinderance. Again if it would be comapnies and organisations could tempt employees to forgo this day in lieu of another as already happens.
I am also interested by your point about a bank holiday being determinental to the economy? care to expand especially in the light of this being a replacement -as I understand it- of an existing bank holiday.
By: RobSimmons on July 21, 2011
at 3:21 pm
My main concern is that I believe it would be very disruptive to business and I really do not think it would be the boost to tourism people are claiming. It is not so much that we would have a day off when the rest of the country is working – although I do think there would be issues, it is us trying to work whent he rest fo the country would be off. Much of my company’s business if done with big businesses out of the county and if they were shut for a day there would be little point in us being open. Many businesses would in effect be losing 2 days business.
I think all of these issues need to be carefully considered and answered before we take this any further.
By: doublespeaks on July 24, 2011
at 5:36 am
You’re right. The rest of the UK is in chaos every time Scotland takes St Andrew’s Day off, or Northern Ireland takes St Patrick’s Day off. And the world financial markets nosedive every time the NYSE is closed for a public holiday. It’s sheer pandemonium.
By: truru on July 23, 2011
at 10:14 pm
You have somewhat missed the point. The other countries have these days in addition to the rest of the UK. Plus their banking systems do have a degree of autonomy. The proposal is for us to have 5th March as an alternative so there will be a day when the rest of the UK will be on a day off and banks etc will be closed yet they will be open in Cornwall. Please expplain to be how a bank (and other national businesses) in Cornwall would operate when their head office in London is closed.
By: doublespeaks on July 24, 2011
at 5:28 am
They would operate in the same way that the world financial system continues to operate whenever the NYSE or the LSE is closed for a bank holiday. Or how multinational businesses (like Santander) operate when there’s a bank holiday in the HQ nation. Or how business near the international date line manage when it’s Sunday in their biggest trading country. These business develop their own mechanisms for managing.
It’s likely that there’ll be a St George’s Day bank holiday soon enough, yet Scottish and Welsh banks aren’t quaking in their boots at the idea.
Your concern is really more about you not knowing how Cornish banks would deal with the situation, rather than the banks themselves having a problem with it. Perhaps you could ask them if they actually see it as a potential problem?
By: truru on July 24, 2011
at 6:06 pm
I suggest those proposing this move should be the ones who ask the banks and other businesses how it would work. To date I am not aware they have been consulted and the only answers seem to be based on assumptions like yours.
By: doublespeaks on July 25, 2011
at 6:08 am