Allen@Large.as the Bank Holiday ends.

[Allen]

Hi there Silversurfers;
I'm going to bore the pants off you I know, but if you get to the end of
my missive you may get my gist.
I'll say from the begining that some of my best friends were teachers
;-)
Banks were the first organisations to have regular holidays, Christmas,
Easter, Whitsun and one in August being a one day closing of businesses.
The trades unions as they grew stronger advocated these for their
members, as hours worked became shorter and holidays more in demand they
were usually doubled up to two days at each quarter.
In Europe the Saints days meant a holiday for workers many of whom were
named after several Saints, holidays followed the form of Holy days, red
letter days on the civil calendar and other special times.
For many though the holy bit is denied as supermarkets, often opening 24
hours a day, pushed for longer opening hours to boost their profits.
So we have Bank Holidays, I recall the other special days in the
calendar too, Palm Sunday where we were given a cross made from leaves
of that middle eastern tree. At Whitsuntide we looked on parades with
Queens to be crowned and bunfights held in sundayschool halls.
Boxing Day was more important for servants than Christmas Day itself a
time to go home with presents to exchange in the family.
Mothers Day too was special with apprentices allowed a day to visit
home, wayside flowers a gift for a loved mother.
The Churches had the first schools, the Holy Days marking the term times
the teachers being paid only for the time they worked.
To spread the wages evenly the unions negotiated an annual payment paid
in 12 equal amounts. This reduced the apparent value of the job so
teachers agitated for higher pay and indoctrinated former pupils gave
them it.
Other professionals saw the random earnings sporadically generated as
falling short in a league table. They instituted restrictive practices
to prevent others becoming qualified and collectively held society to
ransom.
Barristers, Solicitors, Doctors and the aforementioned Teachers boosted
their way along a league table of earnings.
The manual workers seeing this demanded payment for their skills, the
miners being a case where they pointed out the dangers as well as the
hardship of their trade.
So wages in general soared. You might think I am being a little naughty
this week criticising the professions and trades but there is a point.
As earnings grow the unwaged, the pensioners and disabled have no means
of maintaining a place other than bottom of the league table.
Governments tell those currently working that they must pay taxes to
support us drones.
Yet we paid, we paid all that was asked, it was to be a great future so
that we could retire in comfort and hold our heads high in society.
Graduated Contributions, Serps ( Whatever that might have been) and now
stakeholder pensions are brandished in turn to relieve the poverty of
the aged. None of them worked and if it had been a private industry
offering these there would have been government action.
But it's the government of every colour to blame for this.
The link with Earnings and the value of monetary awards to pensioners
must be restored.

How ? Well if I knew I'd tell you, but I'm sure you have some ideas of
your own.;-)

Allen@Large is illustrated @ http://www.outlane.co/page213.htm or
http://www.age-net.org.uk a site for silversurfing.

Got to go
See you on Sunday.
--
Allen
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.