Another Easter holiday, four days freezing to death, with temperatures on Easter Monday (in our parts) of 2°. Never mind global warming, early Easters or the next ice age, what (controversial question coming up) is the point of Easter?

Yes, it’s a religious celebration (of sorts, celebrating death?), and the public get an extra two days off from work, but why? Most of those who enjoy the time off couldn’t frankly give a damn (or know why)  what Easter stands for. Admittedly there are those who vehemently defend their right to glory in the death of Jesus, but 88% (a figure I made up) couldn’t give a fig. So here’s something radical to consider: move the Good Friday and Easter Monday holidays to a warmer part of the year (not April anyway) to celebrate, oh I don’t know the Queen’s birthday and the start of summer, leaving Easter Sunday for those who wish to worship this event free to do so, on a Sunday; the normal day of Christian worship, just like Epiphany and Psalm Sunday. Now if this sounds like heresy it’s not supposed to, merely pragmatic. This country is not that religious. Not many people go to church, fewer take up a career in it, so what relevance has it got with most people, except those that want to believe? I’m not being heathen, just realistic. There is no physical God, it’s a state of mind. Those who believe in God do so because they want to believe in a higher being. Well, I believe in a higher being, or fate, that is all.

So what do you say? Would you rather keep the two days off and have them later in the year, between say, the Whitsun bank holiday and the August bank holiday; or keep the Easter days off and huddle together for warmth and battle snow and ice on the roads, visiting relatives or freeing sheep from snow drifts (that’s for you Neil)? The juries out, but I know what my views are, are they yours? And before anyone says look at the beautiful weather last Easter, my view is that was a glitch and my argument still stands: its too early in the year and too cold for public holidays.  Just don’t get me started on Christmas.