Making MPs see the time of day

As of tonight 59 people have pledged to write to their MP to stop the clocks being  put back an hour during the Winter months. We need only 41 other pledges to reach the target of 100 when all who have signed up will be asked to fulfill their promise. If you haven't signed already click here to get straight through to Pledgebank.

Comments

[Karl McCracken]

This request is the wrong way around. We should keep GMT through the summer. If you keep BST, on the premise that it'll create lighter evenings, and so reduce accidents in the evening, you're ignoring the extra accidents in the morning.

[Peter Griffiths]

Sorry; this request should NOT be carried through.We need to keep GMT throughout the year.

I do agree that it is a nonsense to change the clocks but there is no logical reason to choose BST (GMT+1) as the chosen time standard.

[Brian Ronald]

I'm all in favour of abolishing daylight savings time; this means using GMT all year, not daylight savings time all year.

Mucking about with clocks doesn't magic up extra daylight. Flexible working hours is the solution, and if we're worried about children walking home in the dark then schools should close earlier. They could open earier too, but that would make them walk to school in the dark. Fact is, winter is a dark time of year.

[jai nelson]

Where's the petition to keep GMT? why should we move to use European time? GMT is part of our history, part of our heritage.
And if we do switch to BST, what happens in ten years when everyone is used to it? do we then move forward another hour a day? will we eventually end up on Japanese time?
If you're that bothered about it becoming dark, move to the south of Spain or Africa or somewhere on the equator. As the posts above say, it gets dark in the winter, that's the whole point of seasons.

[David Alexander]

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to consider a change to the current system of British Summer Time/Greenwich Mean Time (BST/GMT). This could consist of a trial period (similar to that adopted 1968 to 1971) and could take the form of a move to year round BST, or a 1 hour shift to GMT+1/GMT+2. Research shows that such a move could reduce carbon dioxide emissions, reduce road deaths, facilitate business with Europe, potentially boost tourism, increase outdoor activity, promote healthier lifestyles and enhance the well being of UK citizens.

[David Alexander]

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to consider a change to the current system of British Summer Time/Greenwich Mean Time (BST/GMT). This could consist of a trial period (similar to that adopted 1968 to 1971) and could take the form of a move to year round BST, or a 1 hour shift to GMT+1/GMT+2. Research shows that such a move could reduce carbon dioxide emissions, reduce road deaths, facilitate business with Europe, potentially boost tourism, increase outdoor activity, promote healthier lifestyles and enhance the well being of UK citizens.

[Victor Keegan]

A petition is a great idea - but maybe we should also try to go through the private members bill route one more. If we knew enough time in advance we could organise people to put pressure on their MPs to stay one Friday morning to vote it through before scurrying back to their constituencies. The last time we only learned a day or two before that it was coming up.