This may be one of the few times where I find myself dare I
say it, agreeing with the Conservatives on policy reform and oddly enough
disagreeing with the opposition for lobbying the SNP to block the reform of
trading hours on Sunday.
In this day in age should Sunday still be considered sacrosanct?
Christian charities and the Church of England have resisted the move, claiming
that Sunday is for families, whilst unions argue that it would erode worker’s
rights.
I personally don’t see an issue with extending trading hours
on Sundays. It would perhaps be a move away from draconian policy based on
religious ideology. A deal could easily hammered out to ensure workers get
regular days off. Just like all those who already do shift work or are on call.
Living in a semi-rural location myself, I find it incredibly
frustrating that the world seems to shut down on a Sunday. There are reduced
public transport services, in some cases no Sunday service at all.
It’s obscenely old fashioned to have industry grind to a
halt for no other reason apart from stubborn tradition. I am assuming anyone
who couldn’t work Sundays for religious reasons would be allowed that freedom
just as people of other faiths who observe a different Sabbath day should be
allowed to maintain their individual beliefs.
Having extended trading hours on Sunday would mean more
flexibility and individual freedom for the worker. I personally have never been
fortunate enough to have had a job that paid time and a half on Sundays. But I
am aware of some systems which have a policy of paying employees a weekend
premium. Whereby from midnight on Friday till midnight on Sunday, employees are
paid at a slightly higher rate. If a policy like that was rolled out nationwide,
I am sure it would get much support from the public.
It is in my opinion the mistake of every government to wilfully
presume it knows what is best for the people it governs whilst neglecting to
consult directly with those same people. Why can’t the public decide what hours
they want to work? It is pretty shameful that reality shows like the X-Factor
offer more community engagement then Prime Ministers Question Time.
We have the technology to conduct live surveys and generate audience
responses in real time. Why can’t we ask the public about how they feel about
the matters that are important to them? I feel that in this instance the opposition
was wrong to lobby the SNP to block this reform without giving it full public
consideration.
I
think all of us are sick of the stagnant politics of previous generations. The
political bear baiting between parties only serves to side-line important
issues and hinders any real long lasting progress. My personal experience of
being homeless at the age of sixteen has led to my development of a long
standing resentment towards the blasé “blairesque” Labour party who presided
over a period of such great difficulty in my young life.
I am
too young to recall the desperation of the Thatcher era, but over the past few
years I have grown bitter towards our Conservative leaders. George Osborne has
already sold off more state assets then his Thatcher era counterparts, with
another four years to go virtually unopposed with their 36.9% “majority”. Iain
Duncan Smith’s is quite rightly vilified in the disabled community, having been
responsible for mindless cuts which have had an untold effect on the public
health, literally costing human lives in the name of austerity.
I have
always felt that any government that leans too far right or left is doomed to
fail because it does not represent a balanced view of the peoples will. With
that being said, the Left in Britain is rising for a reason. Jeremy Corbyn
seems to be a truly righteous politician. This jaded political underdog has become
the champion of the common man. People believe in him, I believe in him because
he speaks his mind and for the most part listens to the public. Even though I
disagree with how he has handled this Sunday trading reform, I still think many
has-been and would-be politicians could learn a lot from him.
Passionate
individuals like Corbyn capture the hearts and minds of people because they
aren’t spewing the same cut and paste rhetoric that we are all sick and tired
of. The same can be said for the colossal douchebag Donald Trump and his
campaign bid to become the Republican candidate in November’s presidential
election but alas that shall be a central topic for a future blog in the run up
to the election, if he wins the nomination I will write a blog post critiquing
him and consider the international ramifications if this egomaniacal turd
rolled in glitter ever becomes president of the USA.
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