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Blondehedgehog · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 286 Location: UK

I read today that a bill will go to parliament on 3 December requesting that the clocks go in line with Berlin. That means 1 hour ahead of GMT in the winter and 2 hours ahead in the summer. So GMT will no longer be used by the people who invented it...

Think this has been kept a bit hush hush....I for one hope it is thrown out
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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Sorry Hedgy (if I may call you that Shocked

) I have to disagree
In the summer it is currently dark from roughly 10pm and gets light at around 4am but most people sleep from 12pm to 6am or later so it makes sense to have the hours of darkness to correspond with when most people are asleep
If we had lighter nights it would not only save energy and thus help the environment but there would be less accidents and therefore less compensation claims and local authorities could save money on street lighting and there would be a whole host of other benefits
The system worked well during the second World War and if necessary there could be a different time zone for places in the North of Scotland where the scheme could cause a problem for a minority of the total population
I really hope the Government does the right thing in the national interest and is not derailed by a small number of pressure groups with vested interests in maintaining the status quo
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Blondehedgehog · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 286 Location: UK

Hedgy is ok....

I have just got back from a stay in Holland. I really did not notice a great difference. It was darker in the mornings but much the same as it is here in the evening........and we are an hour behind. So I can see no need to change

But I value your opinion....any more out there?
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Toggy · Joined: 18 Aug 2008 Posts: 1239

I prefer more daylight at the end of the day rather than mornings.

iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

Don't feel too strongly either way, though it'll make it very dark on winter mornings in Northumberland.

Ian.

Rachel · Guest

I thought we'd already given up GMT proper and had moved onto some electronic/atomic version of it a few years ago.
I'm not fussed either way really if we stay on EMT or move to CET- it's just a clock: for half the year we don't use GMT already - we use BST which is GMT+1 but equally you could call it CET-1, it's just a reference time, that's all. It's no biggy.

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Blondehedgehog · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 286 Location: UK

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19299 Location: Cheshire

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Helen I think we should change for all the reasons I mentioned in my original post and I could add many more
I do take the point about the problems of darkness in the morning in some areas but since most people still work a 9am to 5 pm day I think the light would be of more use to them in the evening after finishing work rather than in the morning when they can't really enjoy it except I suppose perhaps at weekends
There might be an argument for sticking to GMT in winter but putting two hours on the clock in the summer but I really do think the time has come(sorry no pun intended!) for at least a trial of something different
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Blondehedgehog · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 286 Location: UK

Now thats a better idea putting forward 2 hours in the summer...but keep the same in the winter.............I dont want to get up in the dark
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Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19299 Location: Cheshire

I prefer lighter mornings as well. It's well known that your mood is better when it's bright first thing.

As for having it lighter in the evening it's not as if you are going to sit outside in the garden in the middle of winter is it?

It's all because of the b****y EU. Mainland USA has 4 time zones and they manage to conduct business without problems.

H
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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Yes I think time zones in Europe would have a lot of advantages

Perhaps one of the boundaries should be on the Anglo Scottish border as Southern England might be better off with the same time zone as France and it might be a way of getting round the winter morning darkness issue for people further north
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Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19299 Location: Cheshire

Time zones don't run north to south though Ruddles.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

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quickssandra · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 158 Location: Scotland

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Point taken Helen I know time zones generally run east to west as in North America but the fact is that most of mainland Europe is always one hour ahead of Britain now and those countries like France Belgium Germany etc are south of Britain rather than particularly east or west so in practice there is no reason why time zones in Europe could not include some north south element unless I am missing something
Admittedly it would need a substantial level of agreement by a fairly large number of individual countries but its certainly achievable if the necessary will is there
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Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19299 Location: Cheshire

Time zones always run east to west though as it goes on longitude rather than latitude. Berlin is actually on a similar latitude to Manchester, also the Netherlands. Denmark and Scandinavia are further north, there aren't any north-south variations and of course it barely gets light in parts of Norway as you get nearer the shortest day.

As Sandra says it's not much fun when it gets light so late in the day.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

I think I follow you Helen and I certainly don't know as much about the subject as you do as I imagine your job used to involve flying through most of the world's time zones
As you said though the system in North America works so well its really a shame we can't have something similar in Europe
Perhaps that might suggest the concept of the United States of Europe is not going to be as easy to achieve as certain politicians seem to think Confused

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John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Blondehedgehog · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 286 Location: UK

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Yes OK, but the clock thing isn't as simple as you make out.

Look at US Eastern time, same time in Boston as Miami but way different sunset and sunrise times, same with Holland and south of France, same with Inverness and London.
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gutsygub · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 111

I'm with Ruddles here. I hate the clocks changing whether it be forwards or back, it takes my body clock ages to adjust. I think that they should change to BST next March and then leave it alone. It is a recognised fact that there are more accidents as a result of darker evenings and I hate the fact that my son can't play out after school now because it's too dark. What's the point in having it light in the morning when you can't do anything and then dark before 5pm.