Lighter Later: 10:10 calls for UK to switch to Central European Time

[RowanMumsnet]

As some of you will know, 10:10 - along with some tourist and road safety organisations - is calling for the UK to make a permanent switch to Central European Time (GMT+2 in the summer, and GMT+1 in the winter). Some studies suggest that this would save on carbon emissions, reduce road deaths, provide a boost to tourism revenue, and increase general wellbeing by providing more opportunities for social activities and outdoor pursuits during the winter evenings.

In the past, opposition to this suggestion has focused on its impact on people in Scotland, but a recent report by the Policy Studies Institute argues that the move would be beneficial for Scotland overall.

On 3 December the Daylight Saving Bill will receive its second reading in Parliament. The bill calls for the government to conduct a cross-departmental cost-benefit analysis of the clock change. If the benefits are confirmed, it calls for a three-year trial to be enacted. Click here if you'd like to ask your MP to support the bill.

And as ever, do let us know your thoughts.

I'm confused, so would we be on this time or an hour earlier again?

There was a thread from MNHQ about 6 months ago asking whether MNers supported the Lighter Later campaign, and I think the answer was a decisive "No. Yes. Huh?"

So it is a bit coinfusing to see MNHQ supporting it now really.

so is MN actually supporting this? Jeezo it crap enough living in Scotland in the winter as it is without it being dark til 10am

So instead of it being 4pm now it would be 5pm? If I say I'll support it can I go home now?

I'm really confused with all the too'ing and fro'ing, putting the clocks forwards and backwards really affects my dd's bodyclocks and mine. I can't see why we can't just keep the same throughout the year?

"If the scandinavians can manage their limited daylight, so can the scots, surely"

They do manage it. It isn't the Scots that are asking for change. Can't the English manage it?

And remember it isn't just the Scottish that would suffer the dark mornings -- though it would be worse for them. It is us lot in the north of England too.

I think it would benefit more people in the british isles if the clocks didn't change. Scotland has a comparitive low population. It would save 100s of lives on the roads every year - because of this I don't think the clocks should go back in the winter

Hello Eleison and mozette (and anyone else wondering): MNHQ isn't signing up to Lighter Later. But as you may know we are signed up to 10:10 (which is supporting the Lighter Later campaign), and because this issue has had so much media attention over the last week and we all like a good bitch about the clocks going back we thought we'd open it up for discussion again.

I'm in the North. DD wanted to go to the playground which we did, but couldn't stay long now the clocks have changed.

I don't like dark mornings either but I think they are the lesser of two evils.

The proposal is basically to have CET in the winter and CET +1 in the summer (GMT + 1 and GMT+2) so the people who don't like the clocks changing twice a year would not be served. Daylight Saving itself (the changing of clocks) is a practice that itself should be looked at as it is more than a century old and the way we run our lives has changed.

There is much more to be considered in this issue than 'let's have more sunshine' (and every would want that as I say)

But an OP that publicises Lighter Later, gives a click-through to endorse the campaign is supporting it in effect, surely.

Difficult, because it is a regionally divisive issue, and MN already gets it in the neck for being London-centric

If you want more sunshine go and live in Florida. Pillocking around with timezones won't help. Will everyone else then jump ahead an hour or will we be some strange little micro zone all of our own because we think we can dictate the night and the day. Total bollocks.

Oh and I'm in Surrey so potentially stand to gain from the huge and miraculous extra rays of sunshine, and it's still a prattish idea.

I don't think its that regionally divisive - I'm in the North, have to get up 6:30 to get DD on school bus for 7:30 so if the clocks hadn't changed it'd be dark for us by now - but I can see the benefits.

Its dark here now

But of course it is, it's dark here too in central London. It's called winter. Well autumn but you know what I mean :o Can you tell that I have a real bee in my bonnet about this?

I do too Rockbird and it didn't help to hear the man who had formulated the report, on the radio this morning.........

I am right with you on the bee in the bonnet thing, Rockbird.

The whole idea is just ridiculous.

And I live in Northern Ireland.

I live in Scotland and hate the fact that we go back to GMT in winter. :(

The daylight hours are limited - so it seems a shame to waste them in the mornings, when all you are doing is going to school and/or work. I'd much rather have them in the late afternoon so that you can actually do something about them.

I am old enough to remember the trial in the late 60s when we stayed on Summer Time for three years. I can remember walking to school with light reflecting jackets (on our own even though I was at primary school).

The fact that staying on GST would save children's lives because people are less likley to have accidents early in the morning when they are more alert than in the twighligt of late afternoon to me makes it a no-brainer.

Ds (10) had an after-school club today which meant he only finished at 4.15. becasue it was raining, it was already dark by the time dh picked him up (he's cycling at the moment, hence needing to be accompanied - unlike last year when he walked so was allowed to do so on his own)

The dark evenings also cost us much more in electricity: in the morning only one or two lights are on but by the evening there are more lights on around the house. The electrcity companies must love the move back to GMT.

Interesting, Iceland, which is significantly further West than us stays on GMT all year round: the equivalent of "double summer time" in summer and "summer time" in winter. Yes, it only get light between 10 and ll in winter and the sun barely rises in Reykjavik in mid inter - but you feel like it is lighter for more of the day, as it is light until about 4.

Mumsnet - thanks!!!! was delighted to find that my MP supports this so have written to him to thank him.DS has just astarted cycling to and from school, and so I really hope this comes off.

...and starting to think emigration to Iceland might be a go-er... - thanks prettybird

Bah.

Can we devolve daylight to Scotland and have our own time zone (eleison, you can join us, as honorary northerner)? We live in a big city in Scotland, and lots of the older primary children at ds1's school walk to school at the moment. I certainly wouldn't let my child do that in the pitch dark in winter if we adopted the change.

But hey, what's a few squashed Scottish children if it suits Londoners to go out to play for half an hour after school?

And as for the summer benefits, at the moment it's light at about 4am in midsummer, so pushing it forward to 5 really isn't going to make that big a difference to me. I'm afraid I'll still be using the blackouts.

ME, don't you find it a drag having to wind up your BBQ by 4 am?

Seriously, aside from not reishing a morning dog walk in the dark, my real cause for doubt is the way that this is being promoted as offering growth for tourism and more opportunities for the leisure industry. Do we want its employees to be pressured to work an extra hour in the evening serving drinks in the beer garden, or whatever? And is it certain that the extra energy costs of relevant business growth won't outweigh the benefits of fewer evening hours that need illuminating?

The safety argument is that it will either be dark in morning or evening and it is safer for it to be darker in morning than evening, based on road safety statistics

Ah yes the tourist angle "Come to Scotland! Not only will it be raining but pitch dark too!"

Bet the wee weasel Salmond will have something to say on this