Butlin’s Has Muzzled the Redcoats – Not So Much Hi-De-Hi as Low-De-Low
A reader has got in touch to tell us about his recent experience at Butlin’s. It was ruined by the company’s insistence that all members of staff, including the Redcoats, wear masks at all times.
As the summer holiday season draws to a close, I thought it was worth sharing my experience at Butlin’s – the classic U.K. resort. Unfortunately, it was anything but the post-Step 4 ‘freedom experience’ we expected.
I visited Butlin’s last year in August 2020 and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Here was a business clearly struggling to squeeze whatever it could out of the ludicrous Government-mandated situation. Shows were outside and we were restricted to tables only – you’d see more dancing in present day Afghanistan. So I was keen to enjoy a fully unrestricted experience when we returned in 2021. But I was wrong.
Butlin’s has hit a new Low-de-Low and has mandated facemasks for all staff – seemingly forever. By all staff, I mean all staff – including Redcoats. For those unfamiliar with the holiday camp experience, the Redcoats are the entertainment team. Multi-talented, relentlessly joyous and an intrinsic part of the Butlin’s experience. Except in 2021 they wear grey rags across their faces – the mask has become an official part of the uniform. So there are no smiles, no laughter and little communication.
Butlin’s has just opened ‘Studio 36’ at their Bognor Regis resort. A huge aircraft-hangar sized entertainment space with a ceiling so high you could stack double-decker buses in it. What’s more, the building has more air conditioning units than a Dubai hotel – I counted over 20 inverters lining the walls. It’s better ventilated than the beach. Studio 36 is a massive and impressive area. But here’s the punch line: the loony mask edict leads to a ludicrous situation whereby you can have 1000 unmasked guests dancing, singing and laughing; a six-piece band playing and…wait for it…two Redcoats either side of the band swaying from side to side – all with masks on! What possible ‘safety’ is this? How does forcing two people (the key entertainers) to wear masks, ‘protect’ a room of over a thousand? It is a ridiculous scenario. I feel genuinely sorry for the Redcoats who are forced to facelessly bob along to the music like castrated fluffers.
An even better illustration of this utter nonsense is the Redcoat DJ. The result is a night club scenario with hundreds of holidaymakers disco-dancing away, and the DJ is masked. Masked! The staff member is allowed to take their mask off to introduce the next song, and then they must put it back on!
I would love to have been a fly on the wall when the Butlin’s senior management clowns came up with this. Utter lunacy. Enter a shop, a restaurant, a bar, children’s activity and there are no smiles – just a dark and groaning greyness.
To add a further portion of twisted wokery, Butlin’s have announced that they will be demanding vaccine passports in the Autumn for all their over-18 party events.
Butlin’s have lost it, and they have lost me.
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I don’t think that this is unusual in the hospitality sector.
It’s not that the wearers necessarily believe in masks – businesses are terrified that the brainwashed hysterical hypochondriacs who form a significant part of their revenue will desert them. It’s a real self-perpetuating Catch-22, courtesy of SPI-B.
More likely it’s yet another case of Health and Safety gone mad. They have to been seen to be protecting their staff and by making them wear masks they can claim that they are.
Like so much else to do with covid it’s a case of “we have to do something, and this is something so we have to do it”.
Businesses love to virtue signal which is all BS. They’re businesses, they should be proud of making money provided they work within the law. If they’re a rip off in a well regulated country, market forces will see them go bust.
The way things are headed I’d rather give patronage to a business proud of making money and willing to go outside certain laws.
They will be the same Virtue Signalling tossers who drive Teslas and other electric cars with a green bar on the side of their number plates
I am a postie and the ‘NHS Stay Safe Rainbow’ regularly matches up with the Tesla on the drive ! Both are a feature of well off neighbourhoods, with comfortable retirees (some old folk terrified by gogglebox propaganda) and WFH chumps cooking sourdough ! Often an EU flag too !
They will have been required to perform a risk assessment and that was the outcome. Our community centre has a 6 page manual about dos and don’ts. Making a brew is forbidden, and all surfaces and handles are to be wiped down before and after use, and all user groups are also required to perform their own Covid risk assessment for their activities and ensure all members get a copy. The world has gone mad.
Our local area is some 200 square miles and there were 9 positves in the entire area for the last 7 days.
Which kind of “positives” were they anyway I wonder?
If PCR test “positives” then meaningless anyway, until otherwise verified.
I must admit I realised that the rules you mentioned for using the centre were ridiculous, when you said they wouldn’t allow anyone to make tea! Perhaps that’s in case they scald themselves rather than catch “Covid” – who knows these days?
As you say the world has gone mad.
I fear our local choir will have to do the same when we restart next month in our local community centre.
The only risk assessment needed is ‘come at your own risk”.
Then it’s not a very good risk assessment as they really haven’t assessed the risks that matter. Just the usual bunch of assumptions without common sense or evidence.
The ‘olds’ and the virtue signalling ‘yummy mummies’ with ‘cash to splash’ demand it.
Hi-De-Face! Welcome to Naplins!
“How does forcing two people (the key entertainers) to wear masks, ‘protect’ a room of over a thousand? It is a ridiculous scenario.“
“Covid theatre”, much like the post-9/11 “security theatre”.
Not my problem in this case – Butlins was always pretty close to my idea of Hell. But you have my sympathy, fwiw, nevertheless
I just suspect the entertainers were just as “relentlessly joyous” before the muzzling as they are now.
Edit: they may actually be relieved they no longer have to fake smile at their dumb guests.
The whole idea of holiday camps has always sounded far too much like the Nazi “strength through joy” pre-war programme to me. Doesn’t surprise me that those involved in the authoritarian idea of a managed holiday would be on the side of tyranny.
They could be afraid of being sued. With sick muppets like Jolyon around, who is safe?
The whole Covid Theatre thing is increasingly surreal.
I was in a hotel last night in Yorkshire. The staff did not seem to wear masks when they were with each other but then put them on specifically to interact with guests. Except at reception where they did not bother.
At reception they then proudly displayed bottles marked Anti Bacterial Handwash. In big letters, turned to face you. I could not resist asking what they think that does against a virus. There were three of them at the desk and it was obvious that not one of them had even thought of that question.
I increasingly feel that most people do like to be told what to do and do not want to think for themselves. Following the herd and doing as you are told makes for an easier life.
Of course, this is how seemingly ordinary people have been induced to do great evil right through history. We do not change. The Covid hysteria in principle is no different to witch and heresy hysterias of the past: with similar behaviours by similar types of people.
Bang on !
Thank you for this angle on the hospitality industry as it is right now.
It just so happens that a few weeks ago, I watched several Hi-de-Hi episodes for the first time in years, so this insight has had extra piquancy.
(Additional context: in the last two years I’ve had one very quiet, isolated and dull weekend away from home, and it was only an hour’s drive away).
I think the world has truly become insane.
Well worth a watch. This guy is a hero.
A Message From Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. One Year After the Historic Rally in Berlin: “It’s Time For (peaceful) Civil Disobedience!”
https://childrenshealthdefense.eu/covid-19/a-special-message-from-robert-f-kennedy-jr-a-year-ago-after-historical-rally-in-berlin-we-must-resist-this-coup-detat/
Well folks for my sins I play saxophone in a disco tribute band, and after over a year we are due to play a few dates at the various Butlins sites. We have been informed that all the band have to arrive together at a special entrance and prove either vaccination status or a negative test – I did warn everyone that they may need a dep if Butlins insist on a vaccine passport.In the past we could rock up anytime in separate cars (the trumpet players like to get there as late as possible and leave as soon as they can) and just make our way to centre stage or reds.
These Soul Weekenders and adult events in the past have been like a scene in a Breughel painting, with debauchery and drunkenness everywhere. I can’t see the punters taking much notice of any restrictions.
My wife went to a painting demonstration in a local village hall during the week. The organiser asked for a show of hands about mask wearing and they voted to wear them.
We’re fucked.
Bet it would have dropped if the ballot were secret.
Make a point of using the heavily muzzle-compliant businesses MORE often. They need our help. Personally, I always ask (politely) for the staff member to remove their mask (hard of hearing). I then complain to head office if any further issues. FIGHT. BACK. BETTER. Template letters, information, resources, positive news and useful links: https://www.LCAHub.org/
Why is this https://videopress.com/v/4egEyh2b
demonstration of the impossibility of masks stopping the virus not more widely published ?
Back when the first lockdown made cycling a joy again (no traffic) I was passed by a van and could smell tobacco smoke as I travelled in its wake. Got home a checked out the size of smoke particles vs virus – finding that the latter was smaller, I realised that nothing was going to prevent the spread of the virus. NB I was wearing a snood at the time (a.k.a. cloth mask) to prevent breathing in flies – if only viruses were fly sized then we might have a chance of stopping spread (think of the HMG advice in the infamous post-nuclear what to do then booklet that identified all the dead bodies being a source of disease, “a vigorous fly swatting programme would need to be implemented”).
Surprised ‘they’ haven’t published and sent to every household a booklet like the Cold War nuclear apocalypse survival guide ‘Protect and Survive’ but for Covid !
Love the ‘you’d see more dancing in present day Afghanistan’ and ‘castrated fluffers’ comments. I feel for staff in retail, hospitality and elsewhere. It is mentioned nowhere that the muzzled and visored that ‘greet’ you at the door (usually, young and on minimum wage) have been FORCED to muzzle. Trust me, I know ! After ‘Freedom Day’ I thought that the bosses would not be able us to force us, but they forced other staff at the shop to sign a contract making them continue the charade. As I was not directly employed by the store I was in a grey area but was still told to muzzle up. I handed my notice in as soon as I could.
I’ve just been to Glenridding in the Lake District. A cafe in the village centre refused to serve anyone who didn’t wear a face nappy. I watched for about half an hour and the cafe turned away 5 groups (couples / families). All of the groups walked about 20 yards into the cafe opposite and were welcomed in!
Business suicide.
Guess where I ate…….no nappies necessary!