Why should we put the clocks back?

[Errogie]

Catching up on news and very interested to see that John Thurso supports retention of summer time through into winter.

I entirely agree with this view and feel for too many years there has been a knee jerk reaction from Scotland whenever this is mentioned. It is regarded as some sort of dastardly sasanach plot to undermine our hardy northern culture and dispel the celtic gloom of our long winter nights.

Putting the clocks back in autumn and loosing the evening light after a normal days work is deeply depressing particularly as we've been getting a run of glorious late autumn weather over the last few years. I'm a crofter with animals and like most of us have another full time job. For three months it is dark at both ends of the day so you don't get a proper look at the stock before you go to work whereas if the clocks didn't adjust you'd at least have a chance to check them once at the end of the day when you come home as well as at weekends.

Then there are the road safety figures proving that accidents are more likely to happen when kids dawdle home after school in poor light. I also remember the trial year in, I think winter 1971 when they didn't turn the clocks back and I don't recall any disasterous results but I'm unclear why it was dropped. So well done John Thurso for having the courage to question why we persist with this discredited ritual. It's high time it was consigned to the dustbin of history!

[canuck]

When does this magic day happen in 2007? The spring date is the one that concerns me because I will be in Scotland when the time changes. I've given up trying to keep track of the Canadian dates, they change every other year.

[Moira]

Canuck - according to my calendar, the clocks go forward on Sunday 25th March. "Spring forward, Fall back .."

[Jeemag_USA]

Its funny you should mention that. In Indiana we never used to set our clocks back or forward, we were one of only a few states that did not do it and everyone said we were backward because of it. Last year they passed a motion to start changing the clocks. So think about that after a couple of centuries, this place has just started to do it, if everyone changes their mind now we will be in a hell of a pickle HA HA [lol]

[George Brims]

The interesting thing about the experiment in 1971 was how everyone predicted more children would be run over by cars, and thanks to all the publicity and consequent panic (remember your mum trying to get you to wear a goofy reflective armband?) the fatalities went down.

For those with relatives in the USA, note that the change to and from Daylight Saving Time has been moved in the US this year (another Bush administration screwup?). Here are the relevant dates for the US and the EU.
US: change to Daylight Saving Time March 11, change back November 4
EU: change to Summer Time March 25, change back October 28

It used to be that the time difference was constant year-round, except for one week in the spring when it was an hour more as Europe changed a week before the US. Now it's going to be an hour *less* for two weeks in the spring and for one week in the fall - I think...

Meanwhile as well as living in the US with most of the family back home, we have a daughter in Australia. I nominate "What time is it with you" as question of the year.

[jaykay]

I also think that changing the clock is the height of nonesense. I have never seen the need for it. The big question is "who does it suit". Most people I know are of the opinion that we should not change the clock each spring and autumn. This includes the farmers who are reputed to favour the clocks changing.