Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

EASTER

On Easter Sunday we wanted to buy a shed. But we couldn’t because Parliament had voted some years ago to keep that Sunday special, and I had forgotten. It provoked a lively debate in our household about whether it was right to still have days on which we cannot shop.

Sunday used to be the day that most people went to church and one of the commandments teaches us to keep the Sabbath holy. In the 1980s the House of Commons rebelled against the government’s plans for a free-for-all and voted to keep Sunday Special. By the nineties societal change had gathered pace, the sea wall cracked and then collapsed, leaving only a few sandcastles standing. But as only 8% of our population currently go to church, is it right to bother with this any longer? Many argue for total liberalisation – providing choice for all and let the consumer decide.

The arguments in favour of protection are not just religious of course. Many are concerned about the exploitation of workers. A significant percentage of married adults with children now work both Saturdays and Sundays, leaving me to wonder when the family ever spends leisure time together.

But I think the arguments go even deeper than that. This country could no longer realistically be described as a Christian country, even though 72% of us ticked that box in the recent Census, when there were alternatives, including atheist or Jedi! Yet our cultural framework was built upon our ancient Judeo-Christian heritage.

The values that flowed from that faith gave us a foundation of law and custom that combined both respect for human life and the rule of law; taught both individual responsibility and the importance of strong families; both compassion for the needy with a robust work ethic. All of these are vital ingredients in producing a stable, safe and coherent society.

It has always been far from perfect, but our essential freedoms compare favourably with the outcomes in many societies in the world that were not built on these principles. Would you want to live anywhere else?

My worry is that if we allow our foundations to crumble underneath us, it won’t be long before the walls will crack and the roof will come tumbling down. Keeping Easter day special may achieve little in itself, but it sends a signal to all: our country was not built on consumerism alone. We bought our shed on Monday, and somehow we survived.

posted by Nigel on Tuesday, April 29, 2003