Holding back the years

:: On the menu in the Assembly canteen today - North American Hash.

:: Not a day, week, month or year goes by without at least one special interest laying claim to it. You know the sort. April is National Paint Your House Red Month. June 11 is International Take Your Cat to Work Day.

Sadly, there are now so many of these well-intentioned "awareness raising" initiatives that I fear they struggle to raise the awareness they were intended to raise.

Unless you work in the Assembly Government, where such days/weeks/months/years hold extraordinary importance. WAG loves to match its publicity activities to them.

Today we were informed that ministers will this week be making announcements or attending events that in some way relate to the following units of time: Tourism Week, Science and Engineering Week, World Kidney Day, UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the National Year of Reading and, my favourite, Wales Innovation Week.

Something about dental health is also going to happen, which is odd, given that National Smile Month isn't until May.

I want to meet the civil servant responsible for keeping track of what day it is.