Dear McDuff – I presume you think provincialism is a bad thing? Anyway, I am from The North, which no doubt you regard as deeply provincial, so take a ‘belt up’ attitude to life. Reading your comments, I was reminded of a Victoria Wood sketch which went along the following lines: ‘There was no such thing as hysterectomies in my day. You just crossed your legs and switched the radio up.’

And, of course, anyone can go Church whatever their religious affilitation, if any. Perhaps if people of different faiths did occasionally attend one another’s services the world would be a better place.

Howridiculous.

It was indeed a musing commentary rather than a vociferous disagreement. The cut and thrust of swashbuckling internet debate is all well and good, but it is also sometimes relevant to talk about things even if we don’t strictly disagree.

You support the rights to take Christmas and Sundays, I assume it goes without saying that you support Saturdays (the Jewish Sabbath) and other religious holy days too. We are too concerned with squeezing productivity out of our populations in this country, and if religion can provide some respite by allowing us to enforce idleness then all the better for it.

That being said…

Howridiculous

I’m afraid you may want to button your fly, your provincialism is showing. “They can always go to Church,” indeed – even the Jews, Muslims and atheists? And as for the “luxury” of time to feel lonely, my dear sir, you could not show yourself more tone deaf to the concerns of loneliness and social atomisation if you had hired a PR firm specifically to put across that exact image. As alluded to by Lord Norton, sometimes those who are lonely and those who are needy at Christmas are the same people! Should they volunteer to bring themselves a hot mince pie?

As someone who has worked in the retail sector and knowing how employers work, I am sure opening shops is not the answer.

If people feel lonely at Christmas, and on Sundays, and are in need of social interaction they can always go to Church. Failing that, they can always do voluntary work for people less fortunate than themselves, people who do not have the luxury of time to feel lonely.

Howridiculous.

I fear that the true solution to the problem would be a shift of our economic and social priorities to reflect that many people would rather be gainfully employed than slavishly devoted to an employer. In the meantime, while we are still somewhat abusive and broken, favouring one religion over another and inconveniencing a minority of people on one day of the year is probably a fair price to pay for the general protections for labour such measures provide.