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.

Rather unimpartial OP there MNHQ. I gave my comments last you debated this - against it. BTW the guy behind that report you cite was on Radio Scotland this morning and he was a bit of a twat.

I thought so too PThistle. He dismissed out of hand someone who actually came up with a suggestion about aligning the clock changes to the equinoxes (I didn't quite understand it but Dr Hillman rejected the idea as it did not match His Plan.

Do you remember when the drinks industry said that later pub opening times would make us all sip drinks in a civilised way until the wee small hours and not get so pissed?

Is this a bit the same? A lovely rosy image of late-evening daylight jollity that will just turn into more vomit at night?

this article explains some of the difficulties.

There does seem to be an emphasis on 'evening leisure pursuits' Eleison. I

Eleison - it also reminds me of the salt shakers in chippys being forced to have smaller holes so we had less salt on our chips.

They never reckoned that they would just shake it for longer

So who would be on GMT? No one? That's completely daft. Why do we even move the clocks at all? Why not stay on GMT all year?

no I dont' like it - I struggle in the mornings as it is, having it dark until the kids are at school would be sheer hell.

I agree with whoever said get up earlier, I find the dark mornings awful , at least we are used to the long dark evenings. I quite like it makes me feel christmasy. The evenings draw out again by the end of January anyway. Who wants more freezing cold daylight in the afternoon ? Id much rather have light mornings when the quality of light is better. What evidence is there that this would significantly reduce the number of accidents ?

They had double summer time in ww2. Meant black out was later.

Wasn't it during ww1 that clock changing started? Did clocks start changing all over the world at once or was it brought in gradually?

Here's some things about it

Seems that from 1968-71 there was permanent summer time. Are there any more mature mumsnetters who remember rhis? What was it like? Might ask my mum.

And Germany did summer time before the UK.

It was during my first year at school, so the fact that I went to school in the dark was just one of the odd things that happened.

We were issued with orange arm bands - green luminescence hadn't been invented yet. I remember being jealous of someone who had an orange school bag.

I think I've said the opposite of this previously, but why does the whole UK need to be the same? It just occurred to me that certain States in the US, Arizona specifically, does not change their clocks at all. Ever. There are a few other States that do the same.

So why doesn't Scotland just not change their clocks even though the rest of the UK does? Or change their clocks in a way that makes sense to the people living there?

Also, don't most people complain about the change at all? I know it's messed up my baby's sleep for this week. Why do they need to change at all? Never mind so drastically as this is suggesting.

I think that UK is too small as a geographical entity to have different time zones although I am sure more ardent seperatists on both sides of the border would probably like the idea

I am one of those more mature MNers that can remember it as I mentioned in my first post on the subject.

I liked it. Back then, school finished at 4pm, so the extra hour of day light in the afternoon made a difference in having some time to play outside. We were given high viz jackets to wear to school to compensate for the fact that it was darker in the morning.

It also felt like there was more time to play outside at the weekends (I was never, and am still not, a morning person ).

Too small, Tee, and what do people who live in Lockerbie but work in Carlisle do, or people who live in Berwick but work in Eyemouth? Change their watches twice a day?

Does anyone really care about Scotland?

Only those in the know, Hully. Seems you were missed out when the memo went round.

It gives you the impression that we are some sort of inconvenient backwater.
I think that if it was implemented, the Scots would go down a similar route to the Poll tax fiasco and merely ignore it. You know what we are like..

(BTW: I'm in Scotland too )

Apparently, during the trial back in the 60s, the head master at my primary school threatened to report my parents to Social Services because they supported the experiment

....but then, he also demanded that some American friends, who had just moved over to Scotland on secondment, remove their children immediately because he found out they were catholic and "he wasn't going to have Papist bastards at his school" (this was an ordinary state primary school)

Fortunately, he (was?) retired the following year.

Ds likes playing out in the rain. Strange boy

Can't say I was so keen on it myself - but for example, it was a beautiful day on Sunday but it was dark before 5 (I was out in the garden clearing up fallen leaves and had to give up)

Yesterday, when it was raining, it was dark at 4.15, so ds had to cycle home in the dark. :(

Surely this is a non issue - Scotland has a devolved parliament and could set their time zone to suit themselves. People all over the world cope with doing business across different time zones, surely this is no biggy??