Sunday trade-off

IN TRYING to suspend Sunday-trading laws during the Olympics, the Government is less likely to be concerned about the relatively small amount of retail sales this will generate, than the image it will convey to hordes of foreign tourists.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Mar 2012, 09:36 BST

At a time when Britain will be the focus of world attention, Ministers will not want visitors setting off for the souvenir shops in the Olympic village, for example, only to find that their doors are closed because of what will be perceived as archaic trading laws.

That said, however, the concern that is raised about any relaxation of Sunday-trading restrictions is justified. If this were truly a temporary measure, as Ministers insist, then no one should be too concerned about a two-week period in honour of a very special, one-off event. The problem is that this is highly unlikely to be the case.

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Already the Treasury has said that it will be looking at what lessons can be learned from this suspension. And, at a time when the pressure for any move to boost retail sales is enormous, and with big business always looking to break free of its present Sunday-trading shackles, few would bet against this relaxation becoming permanent in the near future.

Yet there is no public clamour for more Sunday shopping and great worry among many employees that they will be pressed to work on the one day that they regard as sacred. As Jesus observed, man is made for the Sabbath and not the Sabbath for man. In other words, common sense and flexibility should be the order of the day on all sides of the debate, along with consideration for others’ beliefs.

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