No Berlin Time for Britain - Daylight Saving bill talked out. Good.
A private member’s bill to discuss the possibility of moving the UK’s clocks forward one hour on a permanent basis has failed after running out of time.
The change to Berlin Time (or Central European Time) would have meant darker mornings and more light in the late afternoon.
I’ve never met anyone who has been asking for this. It was only when Tory MP Rebecca Harris supported by various special interest groups (ie lobby groups) such as Lighter Later tabled the private member’s bill, with the apparent approval of the government, that the matter re-appeared in public consciousness.
The arguments thrown up by the Berlin Time proponents are plausible enough at first glance, but, as with the arguments raised some forty years ago when this was actually trialled, they are specious. The safety lobby will say figures show that fewer people died on the roads during the trial period, conveninently forgetting that at the same time other legislation also contributed to the reductions, most notably the introduction of breathalysers.
One of the primary motives behind the desire to move the UK is not safety, not commercial considerations, nothing to do with helping the tourist trade; it’s simply to bring us more into line with other EU and European states. That and the desire some people have for constantly interfering with our lives.
Posted via email from Michael Blackburn’s Posterous | Comment »
