Don’t pretend you wouldn’t love an extra day off this year…
Proving once again that we should never doubt the swift and whimsical opportunism of the nation who once produced “Boaty McBoatface”, there’s already a petition to make June 21 a bank holiday. As I’m sure you’re all acutely aware, June 21 is the first possible day that Step 4 of England’s roadmap out of lockdown can begin; the step in which all legal limits on social contacts will be lifted, all sectors of the economy (including nightclubs) can reopen, and large events can resume. So naturally, the vox populi believes it’s the perfect opportunity to give everyone a well-earned day off.
Now whilst I’d love to tell you the petition was launched in the immediate aftermath of the Prime Minister’s speech, it actually appears to be an amazing coincidence. It seems as though the petition began back in October, and yet in a happenstance that can only have been written in the stars, the petitioner chose the exact same day that life could finally return to something resembling normal: June 21. The rationale for the one-off bank holiday – which would be dubbed Merriweather Day – is to allow friends and family to gather together and celebrate, and since it falls on the longest day of the year, it would give us the “most opportunities to be outdoors in a COVID19 safe way”.
At the time of writing, the petition has gained nearly 20,000 signatures or almost a fifth of the required number. If it gets to 100,000 signatures, the petition must be considered for debate in Parliament – so I think you know what civic duty impels you to do next…