General Chat

For some unfathomable reason we will soon be required to change our clocks back from British Summer Time to GMT.
This will give us an extra hour of daylight during the time when most sensible people are still in bed. And longer dark evenings.
Fortunately there are proposals to change us to Double Summer Time in the summer months and then go back to British Summer Time during the winter ie. lighter winter evenings.
There is a bill before parliament on the 3rd December requiring the government to look at the evidence and make the neccesary changes. David Cameron has already said he would be sympathetic towards these changes but it is vital that all our MP's support this bill as it is being opposed by a number of Scottish Nationalists who think the rest of Britain should do as they wish.
Lighter Later.org has all the evidence and a facility to message your MP.

Sorry, but I'd rather have dark evenings than dark mornings. And some people have to get up early!

I never understand why, as I have always noticed that the mornings are as dark as the afternoons.
It used to be a worry to me when my children went off to school in the dark, and came home in the dark.
That left them no outdoor play time..... unless it snowed of course, in which case I would be out there with them 'chucking snowballs...
Deanna X

I think the Scottish Nationalist are opposing any change as it would affect them more in Scotland than us down in England. I hate any change as getting used to the altered time I find a nuisance. I hated it more when I worked and had children to get ready for school. Some of my shifts when I was working meant getting up at 05-30hrs and whilst I don't get out of bed for anyone nowaday I do remember what it was like. As for Double Summer Time which happened in the war I would think that would be a nightmare. If I were introducing a bill I would ask for it to be left alone.
Its interesting to note that the first guy who moaned about introducing Summer Time back in the early 1900s was a southerner living south of the river. He thought because he got up in the morning, everyone else should. Perhaps he ought to have spent his summers in Scotland and then he might have had a different thought.-Jle

There was something about this on our local radio this morning. But did they not have Double Summer Time, during the war, or something similar.
Julia in Derbyshire

Probably just eat more carrots- Jle

I would rather it stay as it is...

Jules x

..But then it would be lighter until later. ie when people were up and about instead of in bed. There is not one single benefit to be gained by putting our clocks back to GMT.
And there is no good reason why those in scotland, by far the minority, should dictate the time to the rest of the (dis)united kingdom either.
A simple answer would be a separate time zone for scotland.

As a Scot it baffles me also but I thought it was for farmers
and crofters and for school childrens benefit. By your
remarks of late Eddieisagrandad I get the feeling you
would like us to stand on our own and not live off the
backs of the English tax payers (your words I believe) I worked for 50 odd years,paid my taxes to my country(Britain) and still am off my works pension. I am not a Scottish Nationalist I do not want independence nor do
any of my family and friends. Yes I am a proud Scot but am also proud to be British.

Hi
If we changed it would also save an awful lot of energy.
Scotland could have it's own time zone. It doesn't make sense for Scottish children suffering unnecessarily.
After all our ancestors got up when it was light and went to bed when it got dark!!!
Take care
Von

where do you get "EXTRA" daylight??

there is only so much daylight in a day........messing around with clocks will never alter that,

making best use of the available daylight, now,
thats another thing!!
but regarding the farmers...........animals dont wear watches.....they take their time from the folk looking after them....
re saving energy.......

how? if you choose to be up and around in the dark you will need light??

goto bed when its dark and getup when its dawn.......LOL

Bob

Eddieisgrandad, its not only some of the Scottish people who don't want change there are lots of English who don't .As Bob pointed out there is no'extra' daylight.
Just to put things in context,on the day with the least daylight, somewhere like Penzance gets just under 8 hours daylight, London 7hrs - 45 minutes of daylight and Glasgow just under 7 hours so before the clocks are messed around Cornwall is getting the lion's share of the light so why should the South dictate how it should be monitored.......When British Summer time was first introduced it was all about Summer and nothing to do with Winter. -Jle

Roll on Spring 2011, I say - I hate all this darkness!

If you had different time zones for Scotland and the rest of UK it would be confusing for businesses. Goodness knows how the USA manages from that point of view. There is one place near Lake Powell (I assume there still is) where half the town is in one time zone and the other half in another, we found it very confusing moving around there.

Have to agree with Wend...Jle.

As with most things, you are not going to please all of the people all of the time.
There are always going to be winners and losers.
As there is quite a difference with Scottish and English re how people are affected, possibly have different hours. This for practical reasons, not political.
Have to agree with Bob, its how we maximise it thats important, we cant change the amount of daylight however hard we try !!
Sue

I can't see why Scotland and England can't have different time zones - it will only be an hour.
Most children get a lift to school and make their own way home- so it would be better to have light in the evening.
I loved it when they stopped altering the time - my body clock adjusted to the light/dark much easier.
I lived in Shetland for 2 years - in the winter it didn't get light until 10am and was dark at 3pm - so the hour made no difference!
In fact - altering the clocks only 'benefits' a minority in the lowlands of Scotland!

we could of course alter the clocks so that its light from midnight to 6 am
that way the night workers wont be in the dark?

Bob

What a good idea Bob. ....... have just read a piece in my local rag regarding the opinion of a Dr Mayer Hillman and his take on not putting the clocks back. I have never read such a load of twaddle in my life. I quote" Many chronic illnesses are caused by a lack of physical activity and extending the hours of daylight would lead to an increase in outdoor leisure activities and more exercise" he is described as senior fellow emeritus at the Policy Studies Institute. So if the clocks don't return to GMT look out for flying OAP's doing their exercises about 4 in the afternoon. It seems this magical 'extra' hour is going to motivate the whole of Britain into doing all manner of positive exercise, a panacea for all the obese children and the older people with chronic illnesses. As for me I shall be thinking about making a meal, in between watching Pointless, or Deal or No Deal which won't be exercising anything. -Jle

I didnt catch all the story but,somebody on TV this am thought it would be good to have it change 1 hr in winter and 2 in summer or vice versa..
He thought it would be ok for it to start getting light about.....9am.
Obviously he doesnt have kids going to school or has any farmers in his family. The cows would need torches lol.

Marion