Act of Union
May Day, (International Labour Day), is a holiday in over 80 countries around the world, including Kyrgyzstan which inherited the holiday from the former Soviet Union. In many other countries where it is not a holiday it is still commemorated by socialist organizations and trade unions.
In the United States, of course, they have a different holiday, Labor Day, which is held on the first Monday in September. It is conventionally seen as the end of the summer, (the end of the tourist, vacation, season), and marks the start of the build up to the Christmas and New Year holidays. Like the International Labour Day, the holiday owes its origin to a labour dispute which resulted in the deaths of several of those involved. As a result, President Cleveland promoted labour relations to the top of his political agenda and the proposal for establishing a public was rushed through Congress. The date was chosen to commemorate the first parade by organized labour in New York by the Knights of Labor.
In the United Kingdom, we have a tradition of commemorating public holidays on a Monday, creating a long weekend and so we celebrate the May Day Bank Holiday on the first Monday in the month, (so this year it happens to fall on May 2nd). Ever since 1978, that is, when the holiday was introduced by the, then, Labour government. When Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979 there was a lot of discussion about whether the holiday would be abandoned, but it wasn’t to be.
The debate has continued ever since and, earlier this year, the newly elected Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government mooted the idea of moving the holiday as part of a plan to boost tourism by extending the season. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced in March that they were looking at several alternatives including creating National Days by moving the holiday to April 23rd, (St. George’s Day), in England and March 1st, (St. David’s Day) in Wales, to match those already existing in Scotland, (St. Andrew’s on November 30th), and Ireland (St. Patrick’s on March 17th). Another suggestion is to create a “Britain Day”, perhaps in October and the date being suggested is October 21st, to commemorate Nelson’s victory over Napoleon’s combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar on that day in 1805.
In the past there have been other suggestions including moving the day to Commonwealth Day, (formerly Empire Day) which is held on the second Sunday of March, and even the Sovereign’s Official Birthday in June, (the date changes every year, and could be on the first, second or even third Saturday in the month).
Needless to say, there are many on the “left-wing” who are not happy about the change. Brendan Barber, the General Secretary of the Trade Unions Congress, (TUC), is reported as saying the proposals were “all about satisfying Tory backwoodsmen who have a bee in their bonnet because of May Day’s association with International Labour Day”. He maintains that is had little, if anything, to do with extending the holiday season which tends to start at Easter anyway. He doesn’t say this, at least I didn’t see this point reported, but the season tends to end when the schools start the new academic year at the beginning of September … and picks up for a week in October when the schools have their half term break. So moving the holiday to October 21st, which usually falls in that half term week, wouldn’t have much effect in extended the end of the season, either.
As it happens, May Day has a long history and colourful history, much of which predates the Haymarket Massacre when workers were striking for an eight hour day back in 1886, which led to the establishment of the holiday.
Of course, as I often say, every day is a special day … for someone. If the “Tory backwoodsmen” that Brendan Barber refers to want a particularly “British” holiday, then they don’t really need to look any further than May 1st for a suitable event to celebrate.
May 1st, 1707, saw the Act of Union, by which the two kingdoms of England and Scotland were united into a single kingdom called “Great Britain”, come into force. Even though, since 1603 when James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I to become also King James I of England, the two kingdoms had been separate states, with separate parliaments but a single monarch. James seems to have seen his two kingdoms as a united country, but not everyone did. Although there were several attempts to bring about a formal union between the two, it was only at the beginning of the eighteenth century that the situation was such that the two reluctant parties finally agreed to a merger.
Oh, I appreciate that it wouldn’t necessarily be a popular choice for a holiday, especially in Scotland where people have long regretted the loss of the Scottish independence, but what could be a more suitable occasion for a “national” holiday that celebrating the origin of the nation? … and what could be a more suitable occasion for a “British” holiday that celebrating the origin of Great Britain?
Of course, it wouldn’t be popular amongst the “left wing” and trade unions, either.
Personally, I would keep May Day … even with, (or perhaps, even, because of), its association with, International Labour Day:
- as I said, May Day has a long and venerable history as a holiday;
- abolishing the holiday would align Britain with former “fascist” regimes in countries like Portugal, Italy, Germany and Spain;
- as Brendan Barber suggests, it is unlikely to have a major effect on the tourist season;
- I am not a “nationalist” and am not convinced of the need for “nationalist” holidays – and even if it was decided that they are desirable, it would still be possible to create an additional day for England and Wales;
- it is a truly international holiday;
- it is good to recognize the work and efforts of the workforce, (even the Roman Catholic Church has dedicated May 1st to “Saint Joseph The Worker” – Saint Joseph is the patron saint of (among others) workers, craftsmen, immigrants and, ironically, “people fighting communism”).
Bishkek