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?

@AlfonsoTheUnrepetant

I don't have strong feelings one way or the other but I want to do what's best for farmers.

🤣🤣🤣

As I think someone has already said, the obvious thing to do is for schools to operate different times during the year

Wouldn't that mess up even more things than simply changing the clocks? People who have organised specific work hours, shops, transport, childcare facilities...

@blink1eight2 - what was so funny about my post?

Please someone explain to me: does it REALLY make that much of a difference to farmers? it doesn't change the daylight hours! I honestly don't understand it

The EU was supposed to sort this out once and for all for Europe and allow individual nations to decide - but guess what?! No one can agree which way to go.

It seems wherever you go, there will always be a group of people (or a whole nation) that wants it one way, or the other.

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-11/will-daylight-saving-time-ever-end

Ireland and Portugal have the same timezone as the UK. Spain has arguments about their timezone.

I am well aware of this, and aware that the Spanish have considered going back to what should be their normal time zone. I believed that it was a hangover from Franco's regime, but I may be wrong there.

But in practice with countries that have more than one time zone, those people who live in the areas bordering the place where the zone changes get used to knowing that the clock is an hour different on the other side. Or two hours if you are on the Russian/Norwegian border.

Unless you are in India of course, where they are five and a half hours ahead of the UK in wintertime, don't bother with Summer Time, and could well make a case for three time zones. As for China, which is officially 8 hours ahead of UTC, and only have one time zone - do people in districts far away from Beijing have some sort of local time?

[quote AlfonsoTheUnrepetant]@blink1eight2 - what was so funny about my post?[/quote]
Just so ridiculous

I don’t know how to change the car clock either - still, it is correct for six months of the year!

Most annoyingly yesterday I had just worked out how to change the clock on the oven, when we had a power cut, and I then had to reset it when the power came on. But still, I knew how to do it the second time.

My concern is be careful what you wish for. If the clocks were left at BST I'd be happy; permanent GMT, not so much!

The kids would be going to school in the pitch dark in Scotland if we didn’t change to GMT. I’m not hugely sure that BST really benefits us.

I read the EU will be dropping it next year but we wont

I've been thinking what time structure I'd choose if I were dictator, assuming the clock was always set to GMT. At the moment, I think I'd want the school/working day recommended start at 9am in December and January and 7.45am in June and July, with other months being shifted 15 minutes from the one before. So February and November 8.45am, March and October 8.30am, April and September 8.15am, May and August 8am.

(I think this means in June and July school/work would be starting 15 minutes earlier than our current BST, but not sure about that.)

(I would be a gentle dictator, so the times would only be recommendations. People and schools and businesses could settle on something else mutually agreeable, if they preferred.)

@Peregrina

Ireland and Portugal have the same timezone as the UK. Spain has arguments about their timezone.

I am well aware of this, and aware that the Spanish have considered going back to what should be their normal time zone. I believed that it was a hangover from Franco's regime, but I may be wrong there.

But in practice with countries that have more than one time zone, those people who live in the areas bordering the place where the zone changes get used to knowing that the clock is an hour different on the other side. Or two hours if you are on the Russian/Norwegian border.

Unless you are in India of course, where they are five and a half hours ahead of the UK in wintertime, don't bother with Summer Time, and could well make a case for three time zones. As for China, which is officially 8 hours ahead of UTC, and only have one time zone - do people in districts far away from Beijing have some sort of local time?

As you say plenty of places have odd half hour time zones- India certainly, I think South Australia is half an hour out from some neighboring states, and even the Falklands at one point, maybe still does, had a time difference between Port Stanley and the rest of the islands…..

Ultimately it’s just time on a display/dial so I expect in reality people learn to work with what they have rather than worrying what the clock says.

I wonder in the case of the Chinese set up you mentioned if those in the west just accept working with their day/night skewed across the day differently to those in the East, or do they just start and finish work later on the clock?

Same here. We'd just got over weeks of disruption due to teething and now she's awake at 5 like clockwork. My son was always a rubbish sleeper and no good with routine but she's got an internal clock that is bang on every day so this is hard. Plus by the time she gets to nursery she's asleep as she's been up playing for hours!

I'm totally with you. My son woke up at 4:30am Sunday and 5am today and I'm exhausted!!

I read the EU will be dropping it next year but we wont

So what do we do with N Ireland? Play silly buggers and have a different time zone than the Republic? Or insist that the Republic falls into line with the UK?

I mentioned how the Norwegian border is two hours or one hour in summer behind Russia - but the border is very short, and not all that may people live there, and I doubt whether all that many cross the border regularly (except to buy petrol in Russia because it's cheaper) but NI/RoI is a very different kettle of fish.

Throws us all off at work, as there are two tasks that have to be done at very specific times which we don't/change change when the clocks change (so will do at, eg 9am instead of 10 now).
Hate it.

I'm in the North of Scotland and even with the time change it can still be quite dark when my son goes to school at 8.30 in Winter. If they didn't change it would be pitch black.

@Walkingthedog46

I don’t know how to change the car clock either - still, it is correct for six months of the year!

Set it to BST and it will be right for 7 months April, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct. GMT is only 5 mths

Wouldn't it be better to move Scotland school hours to 9.30 start in the winter.

@Peregrina

I read the EU will be dropping it next year but we wont

So what do we do with N Ireland? Play silly buggers and have a different time zone than the Republic? Or insist that the Republic falls into line with the UK?

I mentioned how the Norwegian border is two hours or one hour in summer behind Russia - but the border is very short, and not all that may people live there, and I doubt whether all that many cross the border regularly (except to buy petrol in Russia because it's cheaper) but NI/RoI is a very different kettle of fish.

Ireland and Portugal are with Western European Time same as UK if Central Time doesn't change their clocks then the time difference will be 2hrs instead on 1hr.

We're a nation with an obesity problem, a lack of exercise problem, and a female safety problem. All of these would be better addressed by lighter afternoons and evenings.

Going to school or work in the dark is not great but is a safer time of day and will be largely on lit roads. Playing or socialising simply isn't possible in dark parks and playgrounds, and walking home at 5pm in the dark is less safe than walking to work or school at 8.30am in the same darkness.

@jontyl

Wouldn't it be better to move Scotland school hours to 9.30 start in the winter.

Then kids won't be coming home until half hour later and in dark at night.

Messing with school start times is stupid because then parents say I can't start until later, so everything else becomes later.

And places opening at different times and stuff.

@blink1eight2 - What is so ridiculous about my post? You're still not answering the question.