From Nathan Jordan.
I HAVE been following with interest the arguments of those who seem to feel they are entitled to drain the public purse of £1.5m on 10 May. It would seem that we cannot fully appreciate the significance of liberty without an extra day’s holiday.

In accordance with the rather abstruse notion that our cherished principles apply only in our leisure time, I move that all Jersey folk should lobby for the creation of yet more holidays.

What public calendar could be complete without lazing around every 8 January in memory of King Alfred’s defeat of the Danes in 871, after all? Holidaymakers could also benefit from an extra August bank holiday to commemorate England’s gain of the Channel Islands after the Battle of Sandwich.

If my Oxford book of British History is anything to go by, through following this principle, holidays would in fact last for several months at a time, as our history is replete with military victories. These include a number of occasions when Britain has been the aggressor, placing countries under military rule.

However, should any Islanders feel that they truly need a set day to reaffirm their commitment to freedom, I would suggest that they make use of the 104 days of holiday that they already enjoy each year, known as ‘weekends’.

I have had an e-mail from a fellow German teacher who asked me to remind readers that 9 May is also the day that West Germany joined NATO in 1955, thus becoming our ally.Perhaps it is time to move with the Zeitgeist.