EASTER, WEDDINGS AND PARADES.

So Easter 2011 is almost over and we can all go back to normal, except we can't. This year, we have the added 'bonuses' of an additional bank holiday for a royal wedding and the fact that Easter has been so late that next Monday is the May Day bank holiday.

All of this is very disruptive to normal everyday living. Businesses have to cope with 3 weeks of disruption as last week, this week and next week are all interrupted by national holidays; on Friday, we're all expected to be ever so excited by the wedding and to sit glued to our televisions. In direct contrast and contrary to the way things were in the past, shops and other attractions are expected to be open to provide for those of us who find ourselves bored and with nothing else to do.

There was a time when Bank Holidays served a purpose. That was a time when workers had little respite from the daily grind and the State decreed that certain days would, in effect, be national days of rest. There was also a time when Royal occasions were a rare opportunity for the public to get close to their Monarch, to see them in their regalia and to be awed by the experience. Sadly, Bank Holidays are now something enjoyed by only some of the population and the ubiquitous media coverage of the daily activities of the Royal Family has totally removed the element of mystique from their more significant occasions.

I well remember watching previous royal weddings, but I doubt that I shall watch this one. The magic has gone, to be replaced by nothing more than 'celebrity'; we might as well be watching the Beckhams or any other 'celebrity couple'. It's a sad indictment of our modern culture that the Royal Family are so prepared to prostitute themselves in this way; in order to maintain their position, they seek popularity through celebrity. Queen Victoria must be turning in her grave.

Of course, Friday being a Bank Holiday means that there'll be almost no public transport; being a royal wedding day also means that there'll be nothing worth watching on television. The alternative is to go to the local pub, but they'll no doubt have the wedding coverage on their TV and will see it as serving a public need. In the end, we're trapped by those who pander to wholly outdated nonsense and escaping it all becomes a genuine problem. Perhaps I'll just stay in bed and look forward to Saturday morning ........ and the newspaper coverage of what happened on Friday, God Help Us !

And then I can look forward to Monday and another Bank Holiday, this one, of course, dedicated to the working man and in celebration of the Communist 'May Day' which the Russians traditionally mark with huge military parades. Four Bank Holidays in 11 days - does that make any sense ? Will any of us ever be the same again ? Will chocolate still taste the same next year ?

Who knows.