As you read this, we’ll be preparing to put the clocks forward again. These days in France, apart from a handful of rather cranky folk, nobody seems to find this worth arguing about. In the UK, though, there are twice yearly moans from a chorus of those who claim that tinkering with the time upsets cows, kids and oldies. But this year (2013) the topic got more media coverage than usual as a group of MPs called for the country to be put permanently on European time (GMT +1). This would mean darker mornings and lighter evenings. David Cameron seemed to be all in favour as, polls indicate, are a large majority of the English, led by London’s mayor Boris Johnson who calls for “a leap into the light” which, he argues, would mean a big boost for tourism and service industries.A prominent dissenting voice has been that of the Mail on Sunday which has come out against any move to what it calls “Berlin time” (printed in that sinister-looking Gothic font). But the major opposition has come from the Scots who fear the advent of darkness well after porridge-time. Its likely imposition by Westminster could well influence voting in the coming referendum. So don’t expect any move on the issue until that’s all over.
