A proposal to move the nation's clocks forward by one hour to so-called "double summertime" will be published this week.
Some examples, if you live in London, then sunset would be at 2222 on 21 June, which is the longest day of the year. But in the winter solstice, on 21 December, it would not be fully light until sunrise at 0904.
It would be a very different experience if you lived in Thurso in the Scottish Highlands, where under "double summertime", the sun would not set until 2327 in mid-summer but it would not rise until 1003 in mid-winter.
In 'betweeen' the figures for Birmingham being sunrise at 05:44 June vs 09:16 December and sunset at 22:34 vs 16:55. For Leeds 05:35 vs 09:22 in June and 22:41 vs 16:46 in December, whilst for Glasgow 05:31 vs 09:46 and 22:31 vs 16:44 respectively
So what difference would it make to sunrise and sunset to you ?
Personally, I think it's a cunning plot driven by big business to harmonise with Europe (CET) that the eurospectics in Government haven't realised yet. This combined with the cuts in local government funding, the drive for lower CO2 emmissions will likely mean that there will probably be less street lighting also available in the winter, so I can see accident and emergency admissions increase as accident rates, whilst probably not increasing, move to a different part of the day.
Or am I just a cynic ?
(rheteorical)
CET falls back an hour in the autumn and moves an hour forward in the spring. For the past few years, it has always been out of step with Europe.
The "double summer" idea, as I understand it will put the UK in line with Central European Time (no bad thing for trading) in summer and back to GMT for the winter.
Unless you know differently...
I await gulson's conspiracy theory with interest :lol2:
I think HnS just forgot to cite where he copied the information from:
I think it's being considered to bring the UK in line with Europe, yes. And I'm pretty sure that if HnS has realised, then the eurosceptics in government will also have realised. Not such a cunning plot then.
I think there should be less street lighting anyway, to save energy. Many of our roads are lit unnecessarily, particularly motorways. If you're driving along them at night, you're going to have your headlights on, after all. Total waste. I think all street lighting should be turned off between, say 2am and 5am as a minimum. Not many people likely to be about on foot at those times, and vehicles should have headlights to light their way.
Its called Greenwich Mean Time for a reason. The whole world knows what it is, its location of the meridian.
If Europe wants to be on the same time zone as the GREENWICH MERIDIAN, tell them to alter their own time zone.
After all it is GMT for a reason (we live on the meridian)
If anyone doesnt like living in this time zone, tell them to piss off to the one they prefer.
Forgot to add, helping business is a load of bollocks, after all we do trade with the rest of the world with no problem.
we love the idea of it not getting dark until nearly ten thirty in the summer.
the thought of long hot suny days and not getting dark until that late seems like a great idea to us.
we are not bothered wether it is to do with europe or not to be honest. we seem to fall in line with europe on most other issues but this one seams a good idea.
:thumbup:
This always brings out a load of people whinging about going to work/school in the dark. What they don't seem to be able to grasp is that most of us travel to work in the dark for a good portion of the year anyway - and once you are at work/school it doesn't really matter if it's dark outside. Since the lights are generall on most of the day in winter anyway. And we travel home again in the dark too.
If secondary school kids can't get to school in the dark we could always do something absolutely radilcal - wait for it - - - - - - we could change the school hours!!!!!!!!! It's not like school has always started at the same time anyway. And if they start later - they can finish later - reducing the need for after school babysitting.
I think the argument that if we change, people will die cos it's dark is ridiculous and a false statement. For the majority of people - including kids who travel any distance (presumably in cars and on buses) it's already dark in the mornings. And how does Norway cope? Do the schools close in winter? Of course not.
I don't know the overall benefit/cost situation - but travelling the dark isn't nearly as much of a key element as some would have it.
this 1 gets wheeled out every year its a tradition id prefer to see the debate on the school summer holiday as the kids no longer help with the harvest lol but i doubt the mail reading teachers would be as keen to loose there long summer break
