This summer will see Scotland’s men’s football team participate in their first World Cup since 1998, and First Minister John Swinney has marked the occasion by proposing a bank holiday.
Monday 15 June has been proposed as a national bank holiday in Scotland by Swinney, the day after Scotland play their opening match against Haiti in Boston on Sunday 14 June at 2am BST.
The First Minister described Scotland’s feat of qualifying for the World Cup as “a remarkable achievement and a landmark moment,” and explained how he wants the nation to “all come together to share the occasion.”
The public holiday will boost sales in hospitality venues, and the announcement comes after Swinney’s previous comments that he would work with local authorities to extend pub opening hours during the tournament.
While public sector employees who are managed by the Scottish Government would be guaranteed a day off, Holyrood doesn’t have the power to give the majority of Scots an extra bank holiday, with the decision instead left to the discretion of employers.
The bank holiday is also not guaranteed for schools, with term dates and holidays already set by local councils, although some may consider the extra day off.
Some critics have also argued that Swinney’s announcement is a vote-winning tactic, with the date less than six weeks away from May’s Scottish Parliament elections.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay described Swinney’s announcement as an “expensive electoral bribe.”
However, the announcement has been well-received by many Scottish students at the University of Edinburgh.
A second-year student from the Highlands told The Student that he would “be celebrating Scotland’s first game by staying up all night to watch it with family.”
Another student from Queensferry will be “celebrating in a pub with some mates and a pint of Tennents” and optimistically “reckon[s] Scotland can make it to the round of 32.”
Illustration by Jessica Bolevin for The Student