BS: British Summertime anyone?

Subject: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: GUEST,Bruce Michael Baillie
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 07:20 AM

So what do you all think about the proposal to keep British Summertime all year round? I'm personally not sure either way. I can just about remember when they tried it before back in the late 60's.
Seems to me it's more for the benefit of the City of Londons trading centre than anything else?
Comments anyone?

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 07:25 AM

Yup, it's all about the Corporate Bastards, as ever..It was the same reason back in the late 60s/early 70s when they tried it then.

I remember it too. Black mornings, walking to school in the darkness..absolutely horrible. All the kids loathed it..They put it back pretty fast afterwards, due to the increase in early morning road accidents, particularly involving school children.

It was lovely this morning to be woken by the LIGHT! :0)

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 09:00 AM

I'd like to be able to get home while it's light!

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 09:23 AM

I didn't notice any difference this morning. I woke at 6am and it was still dark.

I would like to be able to move at random where ever there is the most light hours in the day. But that's not going to happen.

So, I plan to get a dawn simulator and place it near the bedroom window to help with waking and just suck it when the afternoons are dark.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 02:50 PM

I'm sick of having to fiddle around with all of my clocks and watches every 6 months!

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 04:20 PM

Easily solved, Shim - do what I do & have separate BST & GMT timepieces. The fobwatches are a doddle, although shifting the antique grandfather clocks can be a tad tiresome, but worth it, ultimately - the late 18th century Worsfield helps me through the dark months of the year, it's melacholy chime takes me right back to the lost winters of childhood.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Penny S.
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 04:31 PM

It was quite interesting crossing Europe by train. Once the clock changed at Paris, it was the same all the way. And I watched the sun rise and set. And this question occurred to me then. Why in the heavens' name do people think that the time is the same from Bucharest to Cape Wrath? And why, if they need to be up earlier to deal with people, can't they do what tradesmen do, and just get up earlier themselves? There might be a very good argument for having staggered travel times in the morning, with children not interacting with the work rush hour.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 04:48 PM

There were far fewer road accidents when BST was kept all year round as in the morning drivers tend to be more alert and able to cope with the dark. I would far rather have the extra hour in the evening so children are coming home in the light. As far as work is concerned once Winter sets in its dark in both directions so makes little difference. I know there are people in the far North for whom BST means daylight around 10am but you then get it longer later so whare's the problem? If it saves lives I'm all for keeping BST.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Tootler
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 05:17 PM

I remember the experiment in the late 60s. I was living in Whitehaven at the time and I remember the dark mornings clearly.

I know there are people in the far North for whom BST means daylight around 10am but you then get it longer later so whare's the problem?

If you lived in the North you would know what the problem is. There is little enough daylight without having it not getting light until 10am. It's bad enough in the North of England so I can imagine how much worse it is in Scotland.

It is interesting that they discontinued the trial after only one year. AFAIK they did so because of the increase of accidents to youngsters in the morning. Of course now, darling mamas will take them to school in their 4x4s cars. Back then the kids all walked to school and so were vulnerable in the dark mornings.

I am very much against changing the present system.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 05:23 AM

The 1960s BST 'trial' lasted three years, not one.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 05:39 AM

In WWII, it was British Summertime all winter & 'Double British Summertime' [clocks 2 hrs forward from GMT] in summer, as it was thought this would make fewer hours for air-raids to succeed. We survived.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 06:13 AM

I thought it was to help agricultural production.........

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 06:48 AM

That too, I think, Terry.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: theleveller
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 07:16 AM

Definitely a good idea to keep BST, it means more waking hours of daylight. I get up at 6am during the week and don't get back home until after 7pm so it doesn't make a lot of difference in the mornings but it means that the days are lighter for longer. Anyone who suffers from SAD would, I'm sure, welcome keeping BST.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 07:28 AM

We live where Greenwich Mean Time lives so it makes sense to me to stay on it !
When was in the R A F daily logs were ALWAYS GMT (Zulu Time) so I had a pocket watch on GMT and a wrist watch for Local Time !

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 08:03 AM

The funny thing is when you are younger you look at things differently. When they had the trial in the late 60s I can remember it being a bit of a laugh especially with some snow fall as well. It was just like going off to school in the dead of night. We all looked as if we were about to go on an expedition to the North Pole, it was hilarious. Ironically the more extreme the weather etc. the more I was happy to go out in it.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: GUEST,Dáithí
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 11:35 AM

Interesting that some people say when the last change was experimented with, early morning casualties - especially among schoolkids - went up. Others say it went down!
Anybody nail this one - or will we just have to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous statistics used to support whatever case we're in favour of, and never mind the facts?
D

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: GUEST,muppett
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 11:59 AM

Got a daft digital watch and I can't work out what buttons to push to change the time back t' GMT, ARGH !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: G-Force
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 12:15 PM

May I offer my very own brilliant suggestion?

Forget summer time and winter time. What we need is a weekly cycle, as follows:
Each week, every night, from Monday to Saturday, put the clocks forward 10 minutes (I mean, you're not going to miss 10 minmutes, are you?). By Sunday each week, the clocks will be an hour ahead, so on Sunday night put them back one hour and we can all have an extra hour in bed on Monday morning. Then the whole cycle starts again.

I freely offer this idea to a grateful nation in the hope that the resultant loss of stress etc. will make for a happier place. I seek no financial reward, but a bit of public recognition wouldn't go amiss, maybe a statue or two.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: Tootler
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 06:13 PM

There is a house of commons briefing paper that summarises the various arguments and provides data.

link to briefing paper (pdf)

Memory definitely plays tricks as I really only remember one particularly dark winter.

Also it does seem that there was an overall reduction in the number of accidents as a result of the change, even allowing for the introduction of drink driving laws about the same time, but the increase in accidents to youngsters in the morning had a greater impact on public perception than the reduction in the evenings. It shows how important perception is, often more important than actuality.

Overall reading the paper, I suspect the change will come. Opinion poll results suggest that even in Scotland there is a small majority in favour of the change.

Personally, I will not be happy about such a change, but like most things, I will undoubtedly come to live with it.

I do find the argument about work times etc. put forward by business a little weak. After all large countries such as the USA, Canada & Russia manage to cope with multiple time zones, so why not us with just one one hour difference from the rest of Europe.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 02 Nov 10 - 07:32 AM

>Forget summer time and winter time. What we need is a weekly cycle, as follows:
Each week, every night, from Monday to Saturday, put the clocks forward 10 minutes (I mean, you're not going to miss 10 minmutes, are you?). By Sunday each week, the clocks will be an hour ahead, so on Sunday night put them back one hour and we can all have an extra hour in bed on Monday morning. Then the whole cycle starts again<

Yes I agree with this one, in the words of Bob Geldoff 'I Don't Like Mondays' whether it is winter or summer.

Whatever they do it won't please everyone.

Subject: RE: BS: British Summertime anyone?
From: greg stephens
Date: 02 Nov 10 - 07:38 AM

AS someone who has mostly lived in the north I like it fine as we do it now. It is not only the Scots who value the light mornings we are now enjoying, I am sure the feeling goes throughout the north of England.I love some light in the monings, and am quite happy to lose the hours light at the end of the afternoon as a trade-off. Puting the clocks back always feels good to me.