In other, more important news…. the government has just given the go ahead for two banks Lloyds TSB and Halifax Bank Of Scotland (HBOS) to merge.

The deal would create a mega-bank which would control around 35 per cent of UK personal bank accounts and around 28 per cent of the mortgage market. Lord (Peter) Mandelson, the Business Secretary, had announced in a statement that “…preserving the stability of the financial system outweighed any potential anti-competitive effects” of the deal and it would not have to be referred to the Competition Commission.

This is arguably the most shabbiest business deal any politician, particularly Mandelson, would allow. To allow the creation of a mega-bank which may be able to crush its potential rivals would certainly stifle competition. This merger would have never been considered if those in charge of HBOS managed their affairs properly.

The deal would be bad news for savers in both banks, as well as staff working in the branch network, many will now fear for their future. Surely this must be the time for some business commentators to start openly challenging this bad decision?

It seems that UK immigration minister Phil Woolas is having trouble trying to sell his controversial admissions policy to Sun newsreaders.

The United Kingdom’s already harsh immigration policy is going to get even harsher. Non-white people , particularly those from outside the European Union and the United States, will be targeted, and even those who have been approved before would certainly be subject to tougher checks. There also isn’t any guarantee that the new system would be fairer and cheaper to administer.

The government continually refuses to have a frank, honest, and open discussion on immigration. Woolas, in trying to explain this policy to Sun newsreaders, ends up insulting their- and the rest of our- intelligence.

The government has denied newspaper reports that plans for a national holiday to celebrate a mythical Britishness have been shelved.

Not surprisingly, the alleged delays in the plans have attracted the usual criticism from those commentators claiming to be patriots. But the real issue is that the United Kingdom has fewer national bank holidays than most European countries. We seem to be hard done by compared to our neighbours.

It would be better if the government created at least not one, but two national holidays, one between September and Christmas, the other between January and March, which at present have the largest gaps without a holiday.

Let’s all campaign for a proper national holiday where the divided people of these islands can really come together, but to celebrate the fact that we can have a(nother) decent day off work.