How Patriotic Are You?

Just chatting in the office about the forthcoming long weekend and someone made the point that given the state of the countries finances currently surely it would have been more patriotic for the royals to have their Wedding on a weekend, and for everyone to give up a Bank holiday or two and work for nothing to help boost the economy, rather than have an extra one.

I know its not that simple, but with approximately 232 working days per annum an extra day off is presumably a 0.43% reduction in GDP for the year, which is actually really significant.

Yes. A few days lost due to snow in December caused a big drop in GDP I seem to remember.

the overall effect will be much higher as many people have taken tues-wed-thurs off to create a longer break inbetween the 2 bank holiday weekends

in our office i am one of only six folk in and thats an office of 40

it worked out as take 3 days leave and be off for 11 because of the bank holidays

Very patriotic. I will not be taking the bank holiday, I will not be watching the wedding and I have a tattoo which contains the national flag. Patriotic enough?

I’d love someone to be able to calculate and publish the cost to taxpayer-funded public services of an extra public holiday. Both in ‘real’ money (ie I am working but getting time and two thirds instead of basic pay because it is a public holday, so I am more expensive for same rate and quality of work) and in lost productivity for non-emergency services, ie social services visits, outpatients in hospitals, routine non-emergency surgery and so on. None would be an issue without a public holiday and if they just did it on a saturday like normal folk seem to like to do.

Usually cheer on British sportspeople and delighted to live in one of the most tolerant countries in the world.

Basically, like most people I suspect, I’m happy about the good bits and unhappy about the rest.

However, unthinking patriotism for it’s own sake is at best pathetic and at worst dangerous.

We do have the best breakfasts in the world though, with the possible exception of India. Nehari anyone?

Working on Friday, BTW.

I’m having Kate and Andrew tattooed on my eyelids as I type this. Is that patriotic enough?

Don’t we spend more money on our days off though, so maybe it’s a net gain to the economy? And there’ll be a boost from tourism for the royal wedding I imagine.

Just guessing like…

I feel I’m patriotic but I’m not a Royalist as I find the whole idea an anochronism. I’ve therefore got zero interest in the Royal Wedding so have decided to work on Friday.

All of our management team, including myself, voted in favour of giving staff the extra days holiday (despite it costing us perhaps £50K) but we’ve given it as a floating day so they can choose to take Friday off or take it off sometime later.

What has GDP got to do with patriotism?

Did patriotism not exist before the coining of the term GDP?

It’s not just an extra holiday, though – the amount of publicity it’s providing Britain PLC is enormous, at least if Spain is anything to go by. I’m guessing there’ll be a significant amount of extra tourism (compared to a normal weekend in April), too.

the overall effect will be much higher as many people have taken tues-wed-thurs off to create a longer break inbetween the 2 bank holiday weekends

When you say many I take it you mean, some.

It’s not just an extra holiday, though – the amount of publicity it’s providing Britain PLC is enormous

Doesn’t help me as a small business owner. Staff not motivated, phone not ringing…

When you say many I take it you mean, some.

Estimated as 1/3 of the UK working population. I’m happy to go with ‘many’ on that number. Certainly reflected in my workplace.

Not patriotic, definitely not a Royalist. I love my country but I could love others just as much.

All of our management team, including myself, voted in favour of giving staff the extra days holiday (despite it costing us perhaps £50K)

I suspect increased productivity from better morale and commitment to the company from your staff will pay that back easily 🙂

Estimated as 1/3 of the UK working population. I’m happy to go with ‘many’ on that number. Certainly reflected in my workplace.

It’s school holidays in many parts of the country, so as well as Teachers, Care taker and other school staff being off there’s those that would have to take time off to look after their kids. Of course we can’t take this into consideration as it wouldn’t make a rant look very good at all.

Speaking as director of an SME, my business died a death about Wednesday last week after a fairly obvious decline for about a week to ten days before that and has yet to recover. Up until now we’d been holding our own pretty well in a very difficult market place, but this shennanigans has absolutely killed it. In financial terms I’ll be going substantially into my overdraft for the first time in 10 years to pay the wages. Currently turnover for the month is about 45% down on the same time last year, whereas overall up until now we have maintained about a 5% growth year on year for the last 18 months or so. Probably exacerbated by the excellent holiday weather to be fair.

allegedly will cost the uk 30bn

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=530900&in_page_id=2

royal family = ultimate benefit scroungers

Not very patriotic at all – feel lucky to have been born into a fairly wealthy nation but there you go; it’s stuck with me and I’m pretty much stuck with it. Suits me. Not at all sure I’d willingly die or risk my wellbeing for what the government thinks is important (might’ve been different in 1914 or 1939), ambivalent about national sports teams and embarrassed by those in my country who most obviously display/proclaim their “patriotism”

I’d be surprised if, overall, national productivity was down much. People who make things, fair enough, but there’s very few of them and I reckon all the rest will get caught up soon enough. It’s not the royal wedding that’ll stop people from buying anyhting new this year.

Oh, and I’d wind-up the monarchy tomorrow and repossess all the palaces for museums and the land (not just “the royal family” – all the hangers-on too) for public use

Patriotism: the unwavering belief that somewhere is superior simply by virtue of the fact you were born there.

Doesn’t make sense to me.

you want a poor pleb like me to give up holidays and stuff to help out GDP whilst those billionaiires scroungers get wed. MMMMM let me think about that for a minute
If we need more money can you not just get some rich folk to stop doing tax avoidance seems much easier tbh

As for patriotism I dont see the point at all. All humanity seems to be patroitic up to a point. Given this wherever you were born you would love it so it is not really a facet of the country but a facet of humanity and probably a defensive tribal reaction related to proetecting your own/kinshop etc IMHO.
I am not at all a queen and country person
Battle of beanfield Yunki??

PatriotismMonarchism: the unwavering belief that somewhereone is superior simply by virtue of the factfanny you were born therefrom.

Very – I worship the All Blacks as gods who walk the earth like every other Kiwi.

I know its not that simple, but with approximately 232 working days per annum an extra day off is presumably a 0.43% reduction in GDP for the year, which is actually really significant

That’s why we normally do so much better than places like Germany with all their extra bank holidays.

Yep how dare the workers have an extra day off to make it a long weekend. Them scum should be working – and they’ve used their meagre holidays to have a whole week of fun.

How very dare they…

They’ll start demanding a bank holiday in the Autumn next.

Battle of beanfield Yunki??

CJB protests if google is correct.. looks like too many press in the background for the beanfield..?

I’m patriotic to the liver bird, nothing else.

I’m patriotic to the liver bird, nothing else.

Which one?

That’s why we normally do so much better than places like Germany with all their extra bank holidays.

😆 😉

Patriotic to the peoples republic of Yorkshire. England as a whole? Its a bit of a fcking mess isn’t it so theres not a lot to feel patriotic about. As for the royals, don’t get me started on that bunch.

you want a poor pleb like me to give up holidays and stuff to help out GDP whilst those billionaiires scroungers get wed.

Not bothered to read the OP again then JY? MMMMM let me think about that for a minute

patriotism, the domain of w*nkers..

I’m having Kate and Andrew tattooed on my eyelids as I type this. Is that patriotic enough?

Or Kate and William even. Wouldn’t want you to get it wrong and end up looking like a complete pollock would we…. 😯

Berm Bandit – Member
Just chatting in the office about the forthcoming long weekend and someone made the point that given the state of the countries finances currently surely it would have been more patriotic for the royals to have their Wedding on a weekend, and for everyone to give up a Bank holiday or two and work for nothing to help boost the economy, rather than have an extra one.

I know its not that simple, but with approximately 232 working days per annum an extra day off is presumably a 0.43% reduction in GDP for the year, which is actually really significant.

and for everyone to give up a Bank holiday or two and work for nothing to help boost the economy, rather than have an extra one.

Forgotten what we said again 🙄
Yes do think about what you said for a minute and either apologise or post up a strong rebuttal. Prefer the later it’s a slow day in the office

You said:-

you want a poor pleb like me to give up holidays

But I said:-

someone made the point that given the state of the countries finances currently surely it would have been more patriotic ………. for everyone to give up a Bank holiday or two and work for nothing to help boost the economy, rather than have an extra one

So no, no I didn’t.

AND

You said:-

whilst those billionaiires scroungers get wed.

But my OP said:-

surely it would have been more patriotic for the royals to have their Wedding on a weekend,

Or in other words the exact opposite of what you are suggesting.

So that is, I would suggest, fairly conclusive as rebuttals go, so frankly theres as much chance of me enjoying the wedding as there is of you getting an apology.

PS: Totally irrelevant, but I did enjoy the report about the media village on Radio 5 this am, especially when they were discussing the number of big hitting anchormen which were there from the key US networks.

Reporter to studio: Whats the collective noun for Anchors?
Studio to reporter: A Bunch ?? 🙄

I support them fully