Bid to make daylight last longer
Once the autumn leaves begin to fall, it's the black as much as the cold that keeps us under the duvet.
The debate over the clocks going back this weekend is gaining pace. It's hoped we could stay if parliament decides to adopt proposals put forward by Rebecca Harris. The MP for Castle Point is tabling a bill to put the clocks forward. The bill would make the government implement the time change if a full review of the evidence confirms the benefits.
Those benefits are road safety, tourism and saving energy as Tim Yeo, the South Suffolk MP and chairman of the Energy Select Committee,told us
"I have been working on this for about four years and to be honest it is going to happen. The tide of opinion in the country is now turning. People can see the advantages and they realise that, pretty much, there's no downside at all.
"I think it's very important because, first of all, it will save a lot of lives on the roads. It will cut the accident rate in the afternoon and early evening.
"Secondly, it is a huge boost to the tourism industry. Very important in East Anglia and a very important opportunity for job creation.
"Thirdly, it saves energy as well. Something that we're much more conscious of now than when the last experiment took place 40 years ago.
"We would get two extra hours of daylight in the afternoon. It even raises people's levels of happiness and reduces some of the depression associated with dark evenings," adds Mr Yeo.
Does it help with the gloomy realisation that I am old enough to remember the last experiment, that's what I want to know.
Welcome to the political blog for the East. I'm Deborah McGurran, the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú's Political Editor for the region. From Lowestoft to Luton, this is the place for politics with an eastern twist.
Comment number 1.
At 31st Oct 2010, frenchfrank wrote:In your report, I noticed that the farmers' cows seemed to be in a shed without any windows or natural light and therefore the lights would have to be on at whatever time of day the cows were in there! Secondly, I know cows are creatures of habit, but couldn't he move the milking time by, say, 10 minutes a day so that by the end of the week they would be on the new time schedule?
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Comment number 2.
At 31st Oct 2010, research48 wrote:Any chance of The Politics Show East sending on my message. They (politicians) may then bother to read it.
I believe the solution is not in abolishing GMT altogether but by making it shorter from the first Sunday in November to the first Sunday in March. GMT could never then BE LONGER than 4 months.
Currently the last Sunday in October will mean 25 October in 2011 - almost one week earlier and to drag it through to the last Sunday in March is absurd. None of our EU partners would object to us reducing the amount of GMT in our own country that would simply mean about 4 weeks on either the same time zone or one hour ahead of EU countries.
As said in your report savings in Energy would also be made but continuous BST would mean lights being used to about 09:30hrs during our shortest days. What is wrong with my suggestion that I cannot get considered?
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Comment number 3.
At 5th Jul 2011, W_Plumtree - Green Scientist wrote:October 28 appears to be an oldie - but work is proceeding fast. There is misconception about October - BETTER if first NO change and mornings as dark as previous midWinter everywhere in UK in NOVEMBER. (i.e. clocks stay on summertime).
Normally October will be as dark as normal mid winter in the mornings until clocks change. What is very worrying is that no mention is made of the terrible toll in accidents of all kinds in the Winter Double Darkness - as is experienced in Spain with Single Winter Darkness - but having the same summertime (for 100 years) in Winter as the UK will have - but doubled. Why only reports about better statistics for Summer from ROSPA when Winter will be so much worse than now?
The mornings will be as miserable in Cornwall as in Brittany as fishermen will find out. The mornings in W. Wales about as bad - they should not be so hasty to say they don´t want to be different (current Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú commons report).
Above all, Northern Ireland will be the hardest hit in the UK (that excludes Eire which will be worse to the West if joining in). Winter sunrise will be absent for children in Mid-Winter as they start school. Sunrise currently 08:52 GMT becomes 09:52 CET - pitch black at 09:00 CET ! Then there is the true time for starting work in N.I. - Banks open at 06:00 hours on the sundial (which is supposed to be right in Winter!) - but in the East of England that will be 06:45 hours on the sundial. These times for banks in Spain are no different since they began to open up earlier in Winter in Spain west to east. Lunchtime will be 1 hour earlier than usual in Winter everywhere and 2 hours earlier than usual in Summer. (Has produced grave overweight of toddlers in West Spain having a forced early lunch - when a large proportion of the population eat EVERY meal later by 2 hours on the fast clocks.
I know because I have been observing closely here in Cadiz for 7 years - reporting hazards to the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú World Service . Double Summertime and Summertime out of season are no picnic in the mornings for children and workers - virtually making Siesta rest period absolutely essential for the drowsiness in the afternoon - and that includes Winter.
Worried by the lack of knowledge - and by the E U insisting on NO going back except with heavy fines for the UK because it is the E U system for time in the West.
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Comment number 4.
At 5th Jul 2011, W_Plumtree - Green Scientist wrote:Slight error about the bank opening times in Winter - I quoted the times for Summer everywhere in double summertime. Winter times are 1 hour later on the sundial in Winter summertime than quoted. - Enjoy !
W. E. G. Plumtree
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