🍀 St Patrick’s Day: UK Bank Holiday

Commons Chamber

🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

Jim Shannon passionately argued for making St Patrick’s Day a UK-wide bank holiday, emphasizing its unifying potential across all nations and its deep cultural and religious significance. Despite the lively debate and support from various MPs, the Minister, Justin Madders, declined the proposal citing significant economic costs and disruptions to public services. The discussion also highlighted St Patrick’s message of unity and the strong ties between the UK and Ireland, with MPs sharing personal connections and celebrating the contributions of the Irish diaspora. Ultimately, while the holiday remains in Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK will not see it extended due to economic considerations.

Summary

  • Jim Shannon, a Member of Parliament from the Democratic Unionist Party, led a debate proposing that St Patrick’s Day be made a UK-wide bank holiday, emphasizing its significance beyond political boundaries and celebrating its unifying message.

  • Shannon shared personal anecdotes about St Patrick’s Day, highlighting his pride in being a Unionist and the universal appeal of St Patrick as a symbol for all communities.

  • Several MPs intervened, expressing various sentiments:
    • Gavin Robinson supported the idea of giving greater official recognition to the St Patrick’s cross in the UK flag.
    • Liam Conlon shared a tribute to a community member, Graham Murray, linking it to the positive spirit of St Patrick’s Day.
    • Patricia Ferguson and others engaged in light-hearted debate over St Patrick’s birthplace, showcasing national pride but also unity.

  • The discussion touched on the importance of St Patrick’s message of Christianity and its potential to bring people together, with Shannon and others emphasizing its religious and cultural significance.

  • Economic benefits of making St Patrick’s Day a bank holiday were discussed, including potential boosts to sectors like tourism, hospitality, and local businesses.

  • Concerns were raised about the economic costs of an additional bank holiday, estimated at £2 billion by government analyses, and its potential impact on public services such as schools and healthcare.

  • Justin Madders, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, responded by acknowledging the cultural and religious importance of St Patrick’s Day but stated that there are no plans to extend it as a bank holiday across the UK outside Northern Ireland.

  • The debate also explored the broader implications of recognizing bank holidays, with some MPs suggesting similar recognition for other national saints’ days like St Andrew’s and St George’s Day.

  • The session concluded with a message of unity from both Shannon and Madders, encouraging employers to be flexible with requests for leave to celebrate cultural and religious events.

Divisiveness

The disagreement displayed during the session was minimal and mostly respectful. Most of the discourse centered around the unifying nature of St Patrick and the potential benefits of making St Patrick’s day a UK-wide bank holiday. Specific instances of disagreement were largely playful or incidental, rather than confrontational.

  • Playful Disagreement on the Origin of St Patrick: There were light-hearted claims over the birthplace of St Patrick, with humorous interventions from members like Patricia Ferguson from Scotland and Douglas McAllister from West Dunbartonshire, who suggested Kilpatrick in Clydebank. These were met with humorous responses, and Jim Shannon maintained a friendly and respectful tone, acknowledging the different claims without any sense of hostility. For example, when Douglas McAllister made his humorous claim about St Patrick’s birth and his wife’s birthday, Jim Shannon responded with jest and kindness, wishing her well without turning it into a dispute.

  • Subtle Disagreement on Political Aspirations: A minor disagreement surfaced when Seamus Logan from the SNP commented on the appropriateness of national holidays and suggested that such decisions should be devolved to regional assemblies. This was a statement of principle rather than a direct criticism of the motion, and Jim Shannon responded in a congenial manner, effectively diffusing any potential tension by proposing a friendly suggestion for a future debate on the topic. Their political differences were acknowledged in a respectful manner, emphasizing their friendship despite divergent aspirations.

  • Disagreement on the Feasibility of the Proposal: The Minister, Justin Madders, clearly stated the government’s position against extending St Patrick’s day to a UK-wide bank holiday due to economic and logistical concerns. While this was a factual disagreement on policy implementation, it was presented in a manner that respected the cultural significance of the day, and Jim Shannon accepted the response graciously without any signs of contention.

Overall, these instances highlight a session characterized by a high degree of collegiality, with disagreements remaining minor, respectful, and largely about factual or playful matters rather than being rooted in deep policy or ideological divisions.