An age old argument is brewing once more with a Conservative MP proposing once again that the UK move in line with Central European Time and effectively abandon GMT, but do the arguments stack up?
The general ideas behind the argument have remained very similar over the years with suggestions that this would help promote tourism and safety with longer daylight during the evenings, but also moving sunrise an hour forward which has little effect for anyone in Summer.
The trouble comes in Winter where especially in northern England and Scotland, sunrise can be as late as 8am anyway, so moving this forward 2 hours means some areas would not become light until at least 10am for the more northerly reaches of Scotland. Last time this was tried from 1968 to 1971, a significant increase in road injuries were reported in Scotland.
The Scottish Parliament did suggest recently that if the UK moved times, it might consider staying with the current time differences which would cause quite a bit of confusion – effectively moving England and Wales in line with France, but Scotland being at least an hour behind.
Could this help tourism? One of the newer arguments for this change is that it will help evening tourism as people will be able to stay out more and presumably spend more money in outdoor attractions. Personally I can’t quite see how this works, as anyone who has actually travelled north of London will tell you, it gets a little bit chilly in the Winter evenings thus it would be highly unlikely that more tourists would venture out except perhaps under the pub beer garden heaters.
Could we perhaps become fitter? One new idea that has been proposed is that being lighter in the evenings would assist the country in getting fitter by encouraging more people out and about, but perhaps the same argument will apply about the weather? Granted, being colder we would all burn more calories.
Quirky arguments: As with all debates, there are quirky arguments on both sides with Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens complaining that not only does it affect the milking in northern Scotland, but it will mean we’ll all be watching Newsnight when it’s light outside.
The big question is – could this possibly work? Can we really drop GMT or is that too much part of our culture?
UK Resources:
Visitor attractions around the UK (daytime & night-time)
Hotels in the UK
UK self-catering cottages
Our A to Z of the UK is an opportunity for us all to share our knowledge of the UK and hopefully discover one or two gems along the way. Today we’d like to hear what your favourite place in the UK is, that begins with the letter ‘V’. It can be a city, a town or a tiny village. Or it can be something more specific such as a particular tourist attraction. Whatever or wherever it is, please post a comment and tell us what makes it special…
Twice a year, groups of very hardy amateur astronomers gather beneth England’s darkest skies in Kielder Forest to (try to) gaze up at the stars.
When it comes to luxury breaks, the United Kingdom has a lot to offer. Simply choosing accommodation offers up a range of tempting options – visitors might choose to stay at a chic boutique hotel in a vibrant city, a spa resort set in beautiful countryside, or even rent a room or suite in an historic castle or stately home. The shopping opportunities are plentiful, with designer department stores such as Harvey Nicholls and Selfridges selling everything from luxury home furnishings and gourmet goodies to designer clothes and fine fragrances. Shopoholics in London will of course want to pay a visit to Harrods – the most famous luxury department store and a major tourist attraction in its own right. Outside the capital, other cities famous for their excellent shopping opportunities are Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh, all of which also have plenty of acclaimed restaurants and plenty of chic places to enjoy a cocktail or two.
If the mere mention of camping in the UK has you shuddering in horror, you probably haven’t yet experienced the joys of ‘glamping’. As the name suggests, glamping is camping with a glamorous twist and glampers can enjoy nights under the stars without compromising on comfort. Forget leaky tents, soggy sleeping bags and an uncomfortable night’s sleep and think bright designer tents and tepees, often rigged up to receive electrical power, wonderfully comfortable mattresses and top rate facilities.
A collection of very significant Bronze Age tools and other artifacts unearthed from a field in Pembrokeshire have today been declared to be treasure by the county’s coroner.
