The Mowbray Park Walrus, Sunderland
WEDNESDAY 2 JANUARY 2008
NEW YEAR’S DAY HOLIDAY
Regular listeners to BBC Radio Newcastle - and regular readers of this blog, come to think of it - will know that I am an extremely well-balanced person. And that’s mostly because I have several chips on both shoulders which enable me to grind my axes with perfect poise. You know the sort of thing......why is the statue in Durham Market Place of such a hateful personage as the Marquis of Londonderry allowed to remain there? Why do we continue to let Nexus get away with providing such lousy public transport in Tyne and Wear? Over the years, dozens of bees like these have been buzzing round my bonnet with no discernible positive outcomes whatsoever. Well, we’ve just had a Bank Holiday so prepare yourselves for yet another Ian Robinson onslaught. Bank Holidays in the UK....
France, Norway and Spain each award themselves 12 Bank Holidays. The Germans and Italians reckon they deserve 16. Sixteen. We only have eight. But the lack of parity doesn’t end there. Of our eight Bank Holidays, three - almost half - occur within a week of each other (Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day). That leaves five. Of those five, two fall over the same weekend - Good Friday and Easter Monday. That leaves three. Of those three, two occur in the same month - May Day Monday and Spring Bank Holiday. Which leaves only one paltry isolated day - Late Summer Bank Holiday at the end of August. That we get so few days off is bad enough; that they are spread so preposterously unevenly is - well, preposterous.
You will be aware that this blog - and the Nightshift programme with which it is associated - are not without influence. Collectively, we truckshunters have friends in extremely high places (Consett, Tow Law, Kielder) and are led by Grosvenor, a black rat of awesome proportions who is not afraid to show his mettle when angry. Together, we can change things. We can have the number of Bank Holidays increased to, say, 12 - one of which should be our birthday (as in Germany). And we can insist that they are spread more evenly through the year. I am not, of course, encouraging you to write to the national or local press about this, or to contact your MP or the Home Office. That would be far too political......
Axe ground. End of harangue.
AND FINALLY.....
A very, very big thankyou - from me and my partner John - for all the wonderful cards and other messages we received over Christmas. I’m not kidding - we were both genuinely moved by your affection and good wishes. I hope you realise that you are held at the same level of affection by us as we are by you. Thanks again. One way or another, it was an unforgettable festive season.
CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN
NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.
NEW YEAR’S DAY HOLIDAY
Regular listeners to BBC Radio Newcastle - and regular readers of this blog, come to think of it - will know that I am an extremely well-balanced person. And that’s mostly because I have several chips on both shoulders which enable me to grind my axes with perfect poise. You know the sort of thing......why is the statue in Durham Market Place of such a hateful personage as the Marquis of Londonderry allowed to remain there? Why do we continue to let Nexus get away with providing such lousy public transport in Tyne and Wear? Over the years, dozens of bees like these have been buzzing round my bonnet with no discernible positive outcomes whatsoever. Well, we’ve just had a Bank Holiday so prepare yourselves for yet another Ian Robinson onslaught. Bank Holidays in the UK....
France, Norway and Spain each award themselves 12 Bank Holidays. The Germans and Italians reckon they deserve 16. Sixteen. We only have eight. But the lack of parity doesn’t end there. Of our eight Bank Holidays, three - almost half - occur within a week of each other (Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day). That leaves five. Of those five, two fall over the same weekend - Good Friday and Easter Monday. That leaves three. Of those three, two occur in the same month - May Day Monday and Spring Bank Holiday. Which leaves only one paltry isolated day - Late Summer Bank Holiday at the end of August. That we get so few days off is bad enough; that they are spread so preposterously unevenly is - well, preposterous.
You will be aware that this blog - and the Nightshift programme with which it is associated - are not without influence. Collectively, we truckshunters have friends in extremely high places (Consett, Tow Law, Kielder) and are led by Grosvenor, a black rat of awesome proportions who is not afraid to show his mettle when angry. Together, we can change things. We can have the number of Bank Holidays increased to, say, 12 - one of which should be our birthday (as in Germany). And we can insist that they are spread more evenly through the year. I am not, of course, encouraging you to write to the national or local press about this, or to contact your MP or the Home Office. That would be far too political......
Axe ground. End of harangue.
AND FINALLY.....
A very, very big thankyou - from me and my partner John - for all the wonderful cards and other messages we received over Christmas. I’m not kidding - we were both genuinely moved by your affection and good wishes. I hope you realise that you are held at the same level of affection by us as we are by you. Thanks again. One way or another, it was an unforgettable festive season.
CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN
NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.
3 comments:
Ian, I know you were a mere child in the 60's and 70's but oh how I wish your thoughts on bank holidays could have been raised then.
I worked for Parsons, we produced steam turbines for power stations all around the world. Apart from the measerly bank holidays our actual annual holiday consisted of two weeks off in August. Being skint by the end of the first week was the norm.But we could have done with more time off.
It seems nowadays that holiday or leave entitlement is about 20/25 days per year. Wouldn't it be nice if the extra bank holidays you mentioned could be added to the existing entitlement, and taken off as and when you want. This would avoid the widespread traffic disruption that is so often prevalent on these occasions.
Now whose my MP...
Well said young Sid!
PS A 'mere child'? In 1970 I was 22!!
ru ga
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