GMT / British Summer Time

[french frank]

Those were not 'representations', they were responses to the EU's public consultation, following representations, most notably from Finland - as I said earlier - and there was a public petition signed by the Finns. The Commission said that the matter of bi-annual alteration of the clocks had been brought up also on several other occasions. For that reason, the public consultation was held to sound out opinion, and the Council instructed the Commission to present proposals for decision by the Council and Parliament..

The fact that there was only a nugatory response to the consultation from the UK might have been because no steps were taken to publicise it in the UK.

.
... apparently most of the respondents to this "Consultation" came from Germany; there was a tiny number of replies from the UK. Not at all sure how 'representative' this consultation was ...
.

[Sir Velo]

JYet again you are trying to argue that one should agree with a majority view. There are still people who don't live in towns or cities. There are also villages which have dark skies policies. We don't all have to live in artificial environments just because so many people do already.

Of course we don't and as someone who lives in a rural area at the weekends I find the loss of our dark skies a cause for national shame. My point which I obviously didn't make sufficiently clear was in responding to your argument that statistically there would be fewer accidents with GMT as opposed to BST in the winter. Given the majority of the population live in towns and cities, and that street lighting has immeasurably improved since the 60s/70s, the evidence against year round BST seems sketchy to say the least.

[Lat-Literal]

Street lighting companies, non British, will love it as it is the perfect excuse at taxpayers' expense to place polluting lights on every rural road. There won't be a non urban area left in that sense. As for other comments, back in 1987-91, I was responsible for answering letters not only on speed limit policy but on this very issue specifically in relation to road safety. Readers might like to be aware that the third role in that particular post was to defend driving on the left so it is very much in that domain and if this goes through we will next have a change to driving on the right.

Notwithstanding the impacts on the North and Scotland over which there is much debate - animal loving pro-Europeans would argue for compulsory bullfighting in every country if it was a proposed Directive from Brussels - it wasn't that long ago when even the time in London and Bristol was different. In fact, east-west distinctions are if anything more relevant so Britain being in the west of Europe will be more affected than Sweden. The public should now set their own regional times and alter their watches accordingly. Better still, do what I do which is refuse to wear a watch.

[teamsaint]

Street lighting companies, non British, will love it as it is the perfect excuse at taxpayers' expense to place polluting lights on every rural road. There won't be a non urban area left in that sense. As for other comments, back in 1987-91, I was responsible for answering letters not only on speed limit policy but on this very issue specifically in relation to road safety. Readers might like to be aware that the third role in that particular post was to defend driving on the left so it is very much in that domain and if this goes through we will next have a change to driving on the right.

Notwithstanding the impacts on the North and Scotland over which there is much debate - animal loving pro-Europeans would argue for compulsory bullfighting in every country if it was a proposed Directive from Brussels - it wasn't that long ago when even the time in London and Bristol was different. In fact, east-west distinctions are if anything more relevant so Britain being in the west of Europe will be more affected than Sweden. The public should now set their own regional times and alter their watches accordingly. Better still, do what I do which is refuse to wear a watch.

Or do what I do when I am feeling a bit under pressure, and instead of a watch, wear a barometer instead .

[french frank]

Or do what I do when I am feeling a bit under pressure, and instead of a watch, wear a barometer instead .

Or what I do - I wear a night mask.

[Demetrius]

Allegedly putting the clocks back for the winter months reduces accidents - particularly RTAs.

On the other hand, there are arguments - also based on statistical evidence - that shortening the day by one hour in spring leads to more accidents by disturbing sleep patterns and inner rhythms etc., especially of people used to and dependent on a daily routine.

The purpose of lowering energy consumption has not been achieved in any significant way, what little positive result the switch has is at least partially offset by negative factors. When Indiana started using Summertime in 2006 private households ended up consuming 1 % more energy.

Personally, I dislike the time switch. Besides the health issues, it confuses public transportation time tables, provides problems for those working night shifts, adds another headache to things so diverse as continuous data collection and peace in the middle east (conflicts regarding prayer times). And it freaks out cows when they have to wait another hour before getting milked.

Buuuut: Taking that poll as a reason to act is bullshit. It is in no way representative of the make up of the EU if 2/3 of the respondents are Germans. The EU should act for practical reasons/a representative referendum or not at all.

[Lat-Literal]

All of this reminds me a little of a usually sensible friend who is an Arsenal supporter.

He persists in telling me he sits at the Clock End.

The Clock End - and any credibility associated with it - was demolished in 2005 as part of the New World Order.

Where he sits is merely underneath the random place to which they moved the clock.

[teamsaint]

All of this reminds me a little of a friend who is an Arsenal supporter.

He persists in telling me he sits at the Clock End. The Clock End - and any credibility associated with it - was demolished in 2005 as part of the New World Order.

Where he sits is merely underneath the random place to which they moved the clock.

As any good structuralist will tell you, the Clock End doesn't need to have a clock, or even be an end.
It just needs, ( potentially) not to be the North Bank, or the Sh**f, or whatever.

[french frank]

Taking that poll as a reason to act is bullshit.

Or: "Taking that poll as a reason to act would be bullshit." There's a lot more debate ahead before it actually happens - if it happens.

I hope the forum management is noting the debate here and will forward views to the EU in due course.

[Lat-Literal]

As any good structuralist will tell you, the Clock End doesn't need to have a clock, or even be an end.
It just needs, ( potentially) not to be the North Bank, or the Sh**f, or whatever.

There isn't a North Bank where he and I used to be either as the entire place is as flat as East Anglia and oval.

Or what I do - I wear a night mask.

But this is not an answer for some people.

Stargazers etc.

[oddoneout]

Street lighting companies, non British, will love it as it is the perfect excuse at taxpayers' expense to place polluting lights on every rural road

Possibly if a roundabout is put in otherwise I rather doubt it given that the current trend, even in the backwater that is my home town, is to turn off lights at night.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I hope the forum management is noting the debate here and will forward views to the EU in due course.

[MrGongGong]

And it freaks out cows when they have to wait another hour before getting milked.

The farmers around here just get up early

[teamsaint]

I'll check with my mate who milks cows for a living whether he fancies getting up another hour earlier.

I think I can guess his answer though.

[ahinton]

I'll check with my mate who milks cows for a living whether he fancies getting up another hour earlier.

I think I can guess his answer though.

When you do, also ask him for how much longer he thinks weather patterns will allow him to continue working in the farming industry in UK...