Changing the Clocks – Time to Change
Anatole Kaletsky in today’s Times puts the case for bringing British time into line with Central European Time.
Clearly and forcefully he says “Last weekend Britain was hit by a disaster. This disaster will cost between 100 and 160 lives, double the toll from the July 7 bombings. It will raise Britain’s carbon emissions by up to 3 per cent, equivalent to almost half of all aircraft pollution. It will weaken London’s position as the capital of European business and finance. And it will bring misery to families up and down Britain, probably aggravating the biggest crisis in the country’s public health. Why has this disaster not dominated the media headlines since Sunday, when it suddenly struck the country? Because supine British voters have suffered it so often that they now accept it as an inevitable act of life.
“The outrage I have in mind is the changing of the clocks. This is a subject that is, for some reason, regarded as cranky by British politicians and media commentators. Yet it is far more worthy of serious discussion than many of the issues that dominate the public debate in Britain, not only because of its objective importance, in terms of road deaths, pollution and economic impact, but also because of what it tells us about British politics today”.
My personal view is that change is long overdue. I have taken a strong personal interest in measures to curb deaths on our roads – and this change would curb such deaths. This would be enough to merit action on its own, and when coupled with the case of carbon emission reduction, reduction of crime and the economic case, surely the case for change is unanswerable.
Even the NFU, which was previously hostile to change, has withdrawn its opposition to change.
