To ask if we can stop dicking about with the clocks?

[ThirdElephant]

Just that, really. I'm up at 4:30 for the second day in a row because of this clock nonsense. Changing bedtime is not adjusting wake-up time, just resulting in a tired infant. Can we all just leave the clocks where they are from now on?

I remember a year or two ago hearing we were going to stop this nonsense

No idea what happened to that

I hate it too!

I'm in the North West and I'm so glad the clocks went back!

I left for work at just after 8am on Friday and it was still dark outside. It's been light now since around 6.30am which is so much nicer.

I'm a dog walker and don't work in the dark for safety reasons - I love winter as it means I'm finished work by 3pm most days

I remember being annoyed when I had toddlers, but now I have school age children I’m so glad. In a few weeks it will be just getting light at 8am, so if the clocks hadn’t gone back it would still be dark until 9am.
I don’t want my 12 yr old walking along dangerous roads alone in the dark and I don’t want to walk my 9 year old across a dark park in the morning for 3/4 months.

In retrospect I’d rather have a toddler out of routine for a few days than worry about my older kids in the dark for a few months.

I like it. I work indoors this morning is the first time i have seen daylight on a week day in weeks.

I do feel for you with little ones though

I seem to be in a minority but I was very happy the clocks went back over the weekend. I was getting sick of dark mornings, and they made getting the DC up and ready for school harder too. I bloody hate getting up when it’s pitch black!

Now I get up and it’s so much lighter. This makes things easier. Yes, it will get dark earlier, but I find that easier to cope with because I’m already awake, and the evenings are wetter and colder anyway.

The petition I saw was about double Summer-time - ie being two hours ahead of GMT in Summer, then one hour in Winter. I prefer how we have it now. Many, many countries change the clocks. It’s not a weird British thing. The fact they do, and the fact it’s so popular (despite this thread) shows it will hopefully stay.

If I remember correctly, there was an experiment many years ago where they left them the same, but there was outrage. Can’t remember when that was but I seem to remember my Dad explaining to me.

Why can't we manage a dark morning? We would all get used to it after a few days and then wouldn't really notice it in the following years I don't think!

The few people who are affected by the change get used to it after a few days. I bet more people benefit from it than are affected - children grow up for example!

I agree, it’s a pita. I’m in Scotland so do appreciate the lighter mornings, but it takes me weeks to adjust and it seems to take longer the older I get. I feel hungover this morning without having had a drop for weeks!

No real issue when I lived in the South. Now can't wait for the clocks to go back. Live in the north west and the winter days are much shorter. If they did not go back it does not get light in December until close to nine. With them going back, children can go to school and come home in the daylight.as it is light until a little after four. Much prefer the extra light in the morning as up early and the days are so short.

@Moaningturtle do your 9 year old and 12 year old walk to school alone?

But this is the actual real time isn’t it? British summer time is the one that is changes. And I do like the late light evenings in the summer. Apparently the guy that changed it wanted to play golf later. I’m with him ( not actually playing golf).

I’m in Scotland and much prefer the lighter mornings.

@Moaningturtle do your 9 year old and 12 year old walk to school alone?

I can't speak for Moaningturtle but where I live there's no way a 12 year old would be accompanied by a parent when walking to school. And most 9 year olds walk on their own too.

@Itsnotgreatlike

If the clocks don't change, my kids would be going to school in the dark, and I'm understandably not that keen on them walking to school, waiting for buses and crossing roads in the dark.

But they will come home in the dark? Depending on how long the journey is, likely if they Get buses, after school activities, etc and surely that is just as dangerous. It is bright light here at 7.30 does it need to be this bright now but dark at 4?

Just for a different perspective, I was walking the kids to nursery in total darkness last week. Quite glad it's lighter now. I'm not even that far North!

If we stop moving them we should stick with GMT, when the sun is at its highest midday.

Why have kids going to school in the pitch black, not getting daylight until 10am doesn't only affect farmers it affects construction workers too, the option of running lights of diesel generators isn't exactly environmentally friendly.

I take your point, but there's nowhere near as much traffic on the roads at 4pm as at 8am, so on balance it seems safer.

Stick with BST I say.

I'd much rather have daylight at 4.30pm than 6.45am.

The sun setting mid-afternoon is just depressing and constricts what you can do in the day. No outdoor activities when it's not even the evening yet is ridiculous.

No one needs it to be light before 7am. Winter mornings are cold and miserable anyway, they may as well be dark too.

@LoislovesStewie

I'm with you! The reasons why we did this just aren't applicable in the 21st Century. We have technology, we aren't all farmworkers, we have a 24/7 society. If anyone wants to see more daylight then just get up/go to bed when the sun does (IYSWIM). There are countries that don't do this stupidity for goodness’ sake!

The origins of the clock changes may be to do with farming but these days it's safety reasons. Not wanting school children to go to school in the dark.

It's too simplistic to say well just change when we get up. I can't go into work later just because it's dark, and without reverting back to gmt it would be dark in mid winter until 9.30/10 am here. Worse further north.

These few weeks of lighter mornings make a huge difference.

[quote Justheretoaskaquestion91]@Moaningturtle do your 9 year old and 12 year old walk to school alone?[/quote]
Of course my 12 year old does, he’s in year 8 and gets 2 buses and a 15 minute walk!

I walk my 9 year old, like I said - “ Idon’t want to walk my 9 year old across a dark park in the morning for 3/4 months”

We should stay on GMT year round. These lighter mornings are so much better.

No one needs it to be light before 7am. Winter mornings are cold and miserable anyway, they may as well be dark too.

But it's not light before 7am in a lot of places. It's 7.45 and it's not really fully light yet here.

@Moaningturtle

I’m just curious! People don’t do that where I live but I think from MN I’ve learnt other parts of the UK do things v differently. Wonder if it’s to do with amount of people in the area etc

Do you get paid for the extra hour?
If not I think I would go home when I worked my paid hours!

BTW I notice that no-one in the far north of the country ever complains when the sun sets really late! The point is that you can't have it all; if you live where the nights are very short in high summer then the winter nights will be correspondingly long.

I like the clocks going back, but hate them going forward! So I'd be happy to stop it too, but not the summer version please.

Mine are later risers by nature, so this makes it easier to get to school tbh!