A recent amendment made to the Bank Holidays Act 1989 on the 4th of May 2020 by Mr Cannan, states that the due to the cancellation of the 2020 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy that the public holiday associated with the last day of the festival also be cancelled. 

I believe this amendment should be revoked. Just because we have cancelled the Tourist Trophy due to very real health concerns raised by Covid-19 doesn't mean that the national holiday also associated with event should also be cancelled. 

When the Tourist Trophy was similarly cancelled in 2001 due to concerns over Foot and Mouth disease, the national holiday was still honoured. Further more, take for example Good Friday, Easter Monday and Christmas, many people on the Island are not religious but still observe these religious holidays for the sake of tradition. Despite cancelling the event this year for the sake of tradition Senior Race Day should remain a public holiday in the same way as these other public holidays. 

The government should be held accountable as to why have chosen to cancel this years national holiday given that a precedence that has already been set in 2001 and the argument that this is a traditional to the island and should be celebrated in the same way as other traditional public holidays.