to ask why we still change the times on the clocks

[auntiepicklebottom2]

as the title says.

Because if they don't put the clocks back in the autumn it would be after 9 before it was daylight in Scotland even later up in the highlands.

That doesn't explain, really, what the purpose is. It made sense before there was electricity. We no longer rely on daylight to work.

So why do we still do it?

And I hardly think the rest of the word who change their clocks do it due to Scotland.

To torture parents of small children

I thought it was about farming. As farming is one of our biggest industries and historically the biggest. The changes maximise the light available to farmers.

To maximise the time available to farmers in the summer, and to stop children having to walk to school in the dark in the winter.

I went to sweden in December once. It was weird. It was dark till 10am and then dark again at 2pm.

History of Clock Change

But Scotland is one of the main arguments of doing this, as a previous poster said it would be 10am in some parts before it gets light in the morning, more accidents happen etc!

Statistically, more accidents happen because the clocks change and its darker in the evenings. If the clocks didn't change and it was darker in the mornings there would be less accidents.

From Dotty's link "Farmers generally don't like it".

I have no idea where they got their data, but I can believe it!

It's an outdated and old fashion thing that we cling to for no reason at all. It's dark? Turn on a friggin' light! In a part of the world that doesn't have street lights? Use a flash!

If it's for Scotland's benefit, I don't see why Scotland can't do their own/preferred thing with regards to the clocks and then in England we do our own thing. Scotland have their own rules about many things; tuition fees and prescription fees to name two, don't see why this should be any different really.

If it was lighter in the evenings we'd save money on electricity too.

I understand why it might be a good idea for Scotland. But they are a devolved country - why on earth can't we be in different time zones. Plenty of single nations manage with multiple time zones.

Although I do not agree with time changes, putting Scotland in it's own timezone isn't really an option as timezones are north/south. Scotland is north of England. Granted there are exceptions for small islands and things but for the most part timezones are vertical.

Scotland is welcome to change their clocks and the rest of not do it, however! Plenty of states in the US never change their clocks. People manage.

Can't be arsed to find it now but there's lots of data on how much households wod save on fuel bills (lighting and heating) if we didn't bother and stayed on summer-time all year round.

Technically putting the clocks back puts us back in the geographically correct time zone of GMT.

they could start school later where it is light later?

Bit of bitterness about prescription charges and tuition fees creeping in I see.

'they get free prescriptions, let em suffer'

But we wouldn't stay on summertime all year round we would stay on GMT all year round so it would get dark earlier on summer evenings and winter would stay as it always is.

And as for allowing Scotland to change and england not to...how ridiculous.so someone from berwick would just drive along the road and have to put their clock forward/back an hour?

Petty

Yes, hauntedlittlelunatic: I'm always surprised that everyone in these discussions forgets that it is shifting from GMT to BST that messes us all up in the first place. The shift back to GMT is better because you get an extra hour in bed.

Can we stop blaming the scots too? BST came about so people in the south could enjoy more of the summer sunshine (or work longer in it).

Yes, good point.

Fanjo but that's what happens when you cross a border on the continent.

Why can't we just have BST all year round? It's surely arbitrary what time it is, as long as everyone is at the same time IYSWIM!

I'm not blaming the Scots, I'm suggesting a solution that would work for them. And yes, I am suggesting changing your watch if you drive to Berwick.
Plenty of people in the US and Australia seem to manage with doing t when they cross state lines.

how ridiculous saying scotland and england should have different summer times, do these posters ever come to scotland??

we're not that far away you know