ONE of the quirks which makes Jersey pleasantly different from most of the rest of Britain is the continuing absence of all-out seven-day shopping.

Travel to a UK town of any size on any Sunday and it can be hard to tell what day of the week it is in high streets and shopping centres thronged with consumers doggedly fulfilling their economic duty to consume. It is a trend which may keep the tills ringing longer, but seems to offer little in the way of relaxation, reflection, sport and exercise, precious time with family and friends or any of the other ingredients of a more traditional day off.

What a society does on a Sunday may no longer be primarily a religious question, but it certainly remains a spiritual one and, as the States prepare for yet another look at the age-old Sunday trading conundrum, issues of personal well-being and quality of life must take precedence over material considerations.

Fortunately, it seems that this time, the authorities may have come up with an approach sufficiently measured and nuanced to be able to protect the day’s special character while also relaxing some unhelpful restrictions and resolving current anomalies such as, famously, the legal right to buy a porn magazine but not a Bible on the Sabbath.

The question for the States to answer when they debate Economic Development’s new proposals for reforming the trading law is: Can Jersey have the best of both worlds?

Few, if any, Islanders want a stress-generating commercial free-for-all on Sundays, but equally, the requirements of a resurgent holiday industry must be met. Economic stimulus of any kind is welcome in today’s tough times, but often for that very reason, most private-sector employees are working quite hard enough already.

Continuing redundancies and an ageing population combine to suggest that more part-time jobs and flexible working should be welcomed, but can they be achieved without either personal exploitation or damage to family life, with all the social ills that might store up? The prospect of packed supermarkets on Sundays may jar both aesthetically and environmentally, but who, on the other hand, would object to a leisurely stroll around a garden centre?

These are just a few of the circles which the States must square as they set about renewing rules which have been uncomfortably in place for very nearly 50 years. The proposed expedient of giving parish Constables local discretion within a clearer, more consistent framework of what can and cannot be sold offers, at last, a promising glimpse of a pragmatic modern solution to an old problem.