WORK AND HOLIDAYS

I said earlier that the Danish Government would like to get rid of Store Bededag as a public holiday, as a way of making everybody work a bit longer. It turns out that they are in fact thinking of getting rid of two.

Which makes their attitude to tomorrow rather bizarre. Today is Ascension Day, which is a public holiday in Denmark. Tomorrow, a Friday, is in principle a normal working day; though people can take a day's holiday, if they want to have a 4-day weekend. What is bizarre is that although it is a normal working day, all Government offices and institutions, including kindergartens, will be closed. So too will the banks. And if access to officialdom, finance and childcare are all ruled out, it is highly likely that a lot of businesses and other organisations will decide to close, since their workers will take time off. Particularly since the weather tomorrow is supposed to be sunny.

Is this an example of the Government's giving out mixed messages?

Walter Blotscher