When you’re living in a big city, it’s often easy to forget that not everybody craves the 24/7 existence which operates in these places.
In Aberdeen or Inverness, it might be the case that supermarkets, restaurants, online delivery drivers and taxi companies are working throughout the weekend to lay on everything from fast food to the latest Taylor Swift vinyl or Ian Rankin release.
But, in the Western Isles, many people still observe the Sabbath and businesses have adapted to the maxim that retail therapy and ceilidhs aren’t required seven days a week.
Now, though, an almighty ruckus has erupted over Tesco’s plans to open their store in Stornoway tomorrow for the first time in a controversial break with tradition…
This has caused trouble in store
More than 2,000 people – from a population of 20,000 – have signed a petition, criticising the company’s decision and it has sparked an angry response from many locals.
In some quarters, this has lazily been portrayed as a battle between the “Wee Frees” and a big multinational firm, yet the reality is more complex and finely nuanced.
Yes, it might once have been true that park facilities such as swings were chained up on Sundays in the Hebrides and the idea of going out for a pub lunch was frowned upon….
The rules have eased in some areas
However, many of the restrictions have relaxed over recent decades, with the first Sunday commercial flight landing at Stornoway airport in 2002, while ferry sailings have operated – at least when they have been functional – on the Sabbath since 2009.
And although the majority of shops have been closed, including the two supermarkets in Stornoway, Tesco and the Co-op, there haven’t been too many complaints.
Until now.
The petition was drawn up by Alasdair Macleod, who argues that “work-free Sundays” have made Lewis dwellers the “envy” of their counterparts in mainland Scotland.
He said: “Many of us hold cherished memories of island Sundays as a guaranteed day of rest, relaxation and no work – a precious day of family time and worship.”
We are respectful of tradition
Tesco, for its part, denies any charge of sacrilege. Christian Davies, store director for Tesco in the Highlands and Islands, said: “We are confident we can balance the demand for seven-day opening while remaining respectful to local traditions and culture.
“While shopping on a Sunday is not for everyone, a store that is open seven days a week would significantly improve the shopping experience for all our customers.”
But does that mean the move is justified? Do people really need Sunday supermarkets?
Acclaimed Western Isles artist Margaret Maclean is among those who won’t frequent the store “for religious reasons”, but her opposition to the change stretches further.
She told me: “There are debates about people coming here on holiday and not many options of shops being available, but if they did their research before travelling, then they would know what was open and when.
“I feel that I have enough time through the week to shop at Tesco or anywhere else. I know people who are saying it is unnecessary – this has nothing to do with religion – and they are convinced that Tesco is not the place they want to be on a Sunday.
“People also like the way the island is more relaxed and different on a Sunday, but there are also those who want everything open just like it is on the mainland.
“It is a real shame that all this is splitting the island and causing contention.”
It’s not simply a question of religion and sticking with the status quo. Best-selling Hebridean author Donald S Murray recalls a parliamentary debate in 1986 when a Shop Bill, relating partly to the Sunday opening of supermarkets and stores, was discussed.
He said: “The most articulate and detailed response to the Bill undoubtedly came from Gerald Kaufman, the Labour MP for Manchester Gorton.
“As someone from a Jewish family background, he did not focus on a religious argument. Instead, he paid attention to the rights of workers who were employed in major stores throughout the country at that time.
“Aside from the right of religious people to enjoy the peace and sanctity of a day they hold sacred, this is undoubtedly an important question.
“Surely workers – particularly those of relatively low income in commercial stores – have a right to escape the demands of work on a day which not only provides them with rest, but is also central to their faith and sometimes, too, the care of their young families?
“On matters of conscience and religious belief, people, especially if they only obtain a low income, have a right to freedom of choice.
“The issue currently being focused on within Stornoway is a graphic example of a concern that has, for too long, been forgotten elsewhere.
“People have a right – and indeed a duty when they have young families – to escape one day a week from the rigorous regularities of work.”
Perhaps Tesco didn’t anticipate the acrimony which their proposal has sparked. And they have confirmed that no staff member will be forced to work on Sundays.
But, as Margaret Maclean said: “As an island, we have more pressing issues to deal with – the ferry situation, for instance.”
One can’t help feeling this is another vessel which has hit the rocks. And a reminder that it’s not always the case that every little helps.
Conversation