That clocks should not go back in winter

[nosswith]

This weekend the clocks go back. Something I object to and would like to see end, at least in England.

Three arguments for doing so used to be made

• dark mornings in Scotland- fair point, now there is a Scottish Parliament and they can decide, there are enough places with two time zones.
• Farming- less people affected now with more mechanisation
• Guy Fawkes Night- I cannot see how one day a year starting with the few celebrations a bit later is an issue.

Since mines, shipyards and factories closed, fewer people start work early, whereas longer retail hours mean more working in the evening. If wfh at least some of the week continues post Covid 19, the numbers going out in the dark mornings will be fewer than before.

AIBU?

I love the clocks going back, having a bit more light in the morning and the feeling of winter coming as the evenings are darker, and above all that one blessed hour of extra time in bed that first morning!

@dottiedodah - "Spring Forward Fall back" is how I remember the dates!

My SIL told me that one recently and i thought great! Even an idiot can remember that! Then last week DH was asking about the clocks and i confidently chanted ''Fall forwards and spring ... erm. no wait ... ??''

plenty of people cope with daily commutes across time zones when crossing internal borders (e.g. USA , Oz, plenty of others)..

Those are usually East / West when it makes sense, otherwise Russians in Vladivostok would be eating lunch in the middle of the night if they were on Moscow time.

As for Oz, well Broken Hill ignores the time zone it is in and Eucla , well if you don't like the local time zone, make your own.

I love it when the clocks go back.

I much prefer GMT to BST. It feels way better when it's lighter in the morning and darker in the evening.

It'd be great if this change was the last and time remains in GMT all year round.

I think we should stay on GMT and not go forward in the summer.

Too dark on winter mornings (I live in the SE England so one of the least affected) otherwise.

@MusicMan65

GMT all year would be the best option IMO, which would mean an end to BST. I wouldn't want to keep BST through the winter! But then I'm an early riser. BST isn't supported by any evidence and was a panic measure introduced in 1916 - the only reason for doing it then was because the Germans had just done the same. After a century it's about time for a review!

Yip they also had Double Summer time during WW2, ie moved the clocks two hours. Tbh I don't know why we bother with BST but that seems to be the thing people want to keep

I'd be happy with GMT in winter for the dark mornings, and BST being 2 hours ahead in summer, again because it's darker during the hours I want to sleep.

I actually have a blackout blind and sleep with an eye mask on because I need it pitch black to sleep properly.

Laiste LOL! Its on of those things like Christmas when I always think "oh thats ages away! Then upon us once again! .

I hate it. So miserable those first dark evenings. I've never understood the argument about farmers. Surely they get up with the light/cows and that's the same whether you call it 5am or 6am.

I love it , so cosy and Wintery. Keep it like that , it’s only for a few months

I always feel people who advocate not putting the clocks back so we can have "lighter evenings" are imagining some strange alternate Britain where it would stay light until 7 or 8pm and we could all have BBQs and stay out in the park playing. When in actual fact it would be more like instead of getting dark at 4pm in the dead of winter, it would get dark at 5pm. Big wow!

Britain is a bit cold and dark in winter - happens every year, probably best to get over it, I think.

Given the choice between it being light between 7am and 8 am or 4pm and 5pm I would far, far rather have the latter. I'm not getting up at 6.30am on weekdays to go out and make the most of our amazing extra hour of light, but I almost certainly would make use of it if it were at the other end of the day.

There are some interesting arguments made by road safety campaigners in support of ending the twice yearly clock change and having read them it's quite hard to disagree with them.

I’d prefer to stay on GMT all year, I don’t like the changing about.

*There's not a straight line across though is there? With Scotland above it and England below?

Also isn't there an East / West issue also?*

Yes the West / East thing is the biggest issue. If you look at the UK on a globe it leans much more to the West than it appears on the weather maps.
I remember someone dividing Scotland West / East from a line due south of Inverness. Parts of the Solway coast ended up in the East of the country.

You also have to take into account Ireland, further to the West. The divide between NI and ROI isn't exactly a nice clean line. It crosses farmers fields. How practical is it for the poor farmer to have half his farm in one time zone and half in another?

Edinburgh is on the East coast of Scotland is actually further West than Bristol, on the West coast of England.

PuppyMonkey I am not imagining it being other than 6pm or so this week and 4.30-4.45pm in mid-December. Instead of 3.30-3.45pm.

Bikingbear I would be happy for it to be a devolved matter so Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland can make up their own mind.

OP - Do you really think the getting dark at 4.30-4.45 instead of 3.30-3.45 thing will make that much difference with your points above on road accidents, tourism etc?

I love the clocks going back (to the correct time) and hate them going forward! I was just thinking this week that I wished they’d bin BST and keep us on GMT all year.

I thought this when I lived in Essex, but now that I’m on the west coast of Scotland (in a farming community) I think it doubly!

@Bikingbear

*There's not a straight line across though is there? With Scotland above it and England below?

Also isn't there an East / West issue also?*

Yes the West / East thing is the biggest issue. If you look at the UK on a globe it leans much more to the West than it appears on the weather maps.
I remember someone dividing Scotland West / East from a line due south of Inverness. Parts of the Solway coast ended up in the East of the country.

You also have to take into account Ireland, further to the West. The divide between NI and ROI isn't exactly a nice clean line. It crosses farmers fields. How practical is it for the poor farmer to have half his farm in one time zone and half in another?

I don't think the cows would mind all that much, to be honest.

YABU. I love the clocks going back, hate it in March when they go forward. And once they go back I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark and love it. I detest the long light days, they make me so depressed.

@sashh

plenty of people cope with daily commutes across time zones when crossing internal borders (e.g. USA , Oz, plenty of others)..

Those are usually East / West when it makes sense, otherwise Russians in Vladivostok would be eating lunch in the middle of the night if they were on Moscow time.

As for Oz, well Broken Hill ignores the time zone it is in and Eucla , well if you don't like the local time zone, make your own.

Yep, I know time zones are normally a function of East/West.. for obvious reasons..

The point I was making (obviously badly) is it's possible to live in one timezone and commute a short distance to work in another.

It should stay in GMT. I hate the clocks going forwards/backwards.

To those saying it's nice in the summer to get the extra daylight, its only ok if its nice enough to sit out. Most of the time its not.

Winter is winter, it gets dark. And we have a responsibility to be seen so wear hi-viz.

@PuppyMonkey

I always feel people who advocate not putting the clocks back so we can have "lighter evenings" are imagining some strange alternate Britain where it would stay light until 7 or 8pm and we could all have BBQs and stay out in the park playing. When in actual fact it would be more like instead of getting dark at 4pm in the dead of winter, it would get dark at 5pm. Big wow!

Britain is a bit cold and dark in winter - happens every year, probably best to get over it, I think.

I totally agree.

Also, GMT was our original time zone. That’s why it’s Greenwich Mean Time. BST was introduced in the early 20th century so southern England could have light for longer in the evenings.

As with everything, these kind of proposals (and the really stupid one of keeping daylight savings but doing it all in Central European time) are usually made by people who’ve never been to Northern Ireland or scotland, and who don’t care about issues of consistency on the island of Ireland.

No amount of fiddling with the clocks is going to change the fact that British winters are really quite gloomy.

@Sheknowsaboutme

It should stay in GMT. I hate the clocks going forwards/backwards.

To those saying it's nice in the summer to get the extra daylight, its only ok if its nice enough to sit out. Most of the time its not.

Winter is winter, it gets dark. And we have a responsibility to be seen so wear hi-viz.

It’s mostly just annoying for those in this country who live where it gets light way before they wake up and doesn’t get dark til near midnight (or later). Lighter evenings really only helps people in the south.

@WooMaWang i live rural (not semi, proper rural with no mains gas/sewage, nearest shop 3 miles away, no direct neighbours and no lighting. Gets dark early, and its proper dark and i LOVE it!

Still doesn’t bother me. And im in Snowdonia .