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Why can't we leave the clocks on summertime year round?

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  • 26-10-2016 10:15pm
    #1
    pedigree 6
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,559 ✭✭✭


    Right so this Saturday night the clocks go back an hour.
    Why do we have to do this?
    Does this happen all over the world this weekend?

    I get the argument that it was to help schoolchildren get to school in the mornings. But that was when most children walked or cycled to school.
    Nowadays kids are driven to school by their parents or schoolbus.

    Are there any other reasons why the clocks have to go back an hour?

    Can we just not leave it the way it is.
    I like my bright evenings.:mad:

    Should we leave the clocks on summertime? 214 votes

    Yes
    0% 0 votes
    No
    72% 156 votes
    Don't know
    27% 58 votes


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Comments

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    #2
    Fr_Dougal
    Registered Users Posts: 9,167 ✭✭✭Fr_Dougal


    You can, don't change them and get up an hour earlier.


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    #3
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Afaik wintertime is normal time and summertime is the "special" adjustment.


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    #4
    RayM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,973 ✭✭✭RayM


    I don't know why we can't just put them back one hour every morning and then forward again in the evenings. That would give us brighter mornings and evenings.


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    #5
    pedigree 6
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,559 ✭✭✭pedigree 6


    Fr_Dougal wrote: »
    You can, don't change them and get up an hour earlier.

    Spring forward.
    Fall back.

    Yea your dead right. But still.


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    #6
    hot buttered scones
    Registered Users Posts: 1,839 ✭✭✭hot buttered scones


    biko wrote:
    Afaik wintertime is normal time and summertime is the "special" adjustment.


    Not in Ireland. We use IST (Irish Standard Time) in the summer.


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    #7
    Darkglasses
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,526 Mod ✭✭✭✭Darkglasses


    We can. It's a really stupid convention, I'd love if we (and the rest of the Western world) dumped it.


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    #8
    the groutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    pedigree 6 wrote: »
    Spring forward.
    Fall back.

    Yea your dead right. But still.

    Fall Forward
    Spring Back

    still sounds right doesn't it.


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    #9
    Dr Crayfish
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,960 ✭✭✭Dr Crayfish


    Usually people go on about farmers being the reason for this. I really detest it. Dark at 5pm, it's horrible. I kind of like dark mornings however. If it is to do with farmers, can't they just adjust their working days?


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    #10
    Tornaxx
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭Tornaxx


    pedigree 6 wrote: »
    Spring forward.
    Fall back.

    Spring forward.
    Autumn back.

    (Because I'm not American.)


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    #11
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,911 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    Was away last week, and it got bright around 8am, dark at around the same time. Wonderful!

    I think the mornings are too bright far too early here, and the evenings far too dark very early aswell.

    Anyway, nothing we can do, it's not going to change.

    A little more brightness in the evenings might help everyone especially those prone to Winter depression or SAD.

    Still, the Winter is very short compared to Summer time. As soon as mid January is out of the way, it gets brighter by about 3 or 4 minutes every day, and you can see it!


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    #12
    goose2005
    Registered Users Posts: 4,798 ✭✭✭goose2005


    Dr Crayfish wrote: »
    Usually people go on about farmers being the reason for this. I really detest it. Dark at 5pm, it's horrible. I kind of like dark mornings however. If it is to do with farmers, can't they just adjust their working days?

    It never had anything to do with farmers, sure they have to work by natural light. The original purpose was to reduce fuel use in the evening


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    #13
    md23040
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭md23040


    What annoys me most is that the clock goes back an hour 7 and a half weeks before the winter solstice or just before Christmas. So therefore logically the clocks should go forward 7.5 weeks after the winter solstice around the 17th of February.

    But for some godforsaken reason it's left for another 5 weeks until the bloody last Sunday of March.

    Going forward earlier would save a lot of home heating fuel bills.


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    #14
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,911 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    Darker mornings and brighter evenings is what is needed.

    Who do I petition for this please?


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    #15
    meeeeh
    Registered Users Posts: 11,624 ✭✭✭✭meeeeh


    I can't wait. I much prefer waking up into brighter mornings. Otherwise you feel like you missed on about an hour of sleep.


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    #16
    Quackster
    Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 5,748 Mod ✭✭✭✭Quackster


    md23040 wrote: »
    What annoys me most is that the clock goes back an hour 7 and a half weeks before the winter solstice or just before Christmas. So therefore logically the clocks should go forward 7.5 weeks after the winter solstice around the 17th of February.

    But for some godforsaken reason it's left for another 5 weeks until the bloody last Sunday of March.

    Going forward earlier would save a lot of home heating fuel bills.

    Firstly, the day of latest sunrise is not actually December solstice but occurs about ten days later. Secondly, the rate by which sunrise gets earlier in the first few months of the year is less than the rate sunrise gets later in the last few months of the year.

    The reason for this apparent asymmetry is because the length of a day varies throughout the year but we use a fixed average of 24 hours to keep time.

    The good news is the evenings start getting longer from about the 12th December! :D


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    #17
    4068ac1elhodqr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,586 ✭✭✭4068ac1elhodqr


    Can't someone just lob a (convex not concave) 'big mirror' up in the high atmosphere (non-geostationary).

    Just to give NW Euro a bit more sunshine in the winter evenings, and therefore save us all getting the clocks off the wall. Not to mention alleviating the vitamin D deficiencies.

    Additionally spraying some of the moon in a nano layer of silver or reflective particles might help.


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    #18
    Vic_08
    Registered Users Posts: 3,045 ✭✭✭Vic_08


    hot buttered scones wrote: »
    Not in Ireland. We use IST (Irish Standard Time) in the summer.

    IST is daylight savings time, Winter is GMT.

    If we were to dispense with DST it would be GMT all year round.


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    #19
    Commotion Ocean
    Closed Accounts Posts: 552 ✭✭✭Commotion Ocean


    8:58! First time I've ever been early for work! Except for all those daylight savings days, lousy farmers!


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    #20
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 13,024 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    goose2005 wrote: »
    It never had anything to do with farmers, sure they have to work by natural light. The original purpose was to reduce fuel use in the evening

    If clocks were left forward the year round then farmers and other outdoor workers lose an hour in the morning, not to mention commuters. In some more northern areas sunrise wouldn't occur until close to 10AM at the most extreme.


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    #21
    MEGA BRO WOLF 5000
    Registered Users Posts: 17,438 ✭✭✭✭MEGA BRO WOLF 5000


    Because farmers.


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    #22
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,197 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    We should just work shorter days in Winter.


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    #23
    Nervous Wreck
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,115 ✭✭✭✭Nervous Wreck


    pickarooney wrote: »
    We should just work shorter days

    Fyp.


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    #24
    rizzodun
    Registered Users Posts: 2,598 ✭✭✭rizzodun


    goose2005 wrote: »
    It never had anything to do with farmers, sure they have to work by natural light. The original purpose was to reduce fuel use in the evening

    How would making the evenings dark one hour earlier reduce fuel use?


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    #25
    pedigree 6
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,559 ✭✭✭pedigree 6


    I'm a farmer and I want the time to stay as it is now and don't put it back an hour on Saturday.

    Mods would it be possible to have a poll on this?


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    #26
    hot buttered scones
    Registered Users Posts: 1,839 ✭✭✭hot buttered scones


    Vic_08 wrote:
    IST is daylight savings time, Winter is GMT.

    Vic_08 wrote:
    If we were to dispense with DST it would be GMT all year round.

    Officially speaking the Standard Time Act of 1968 states that time in the State shall be one hour in advance of GMT throughout the year. The 1971 amendment to the Act requires that GMT be followed during the winter. It all amounts to the same thing, but legally we are one hour behind standard time in the winter whereas the UK is one hour ahead of it's standard time in the summer. The same, but different. If we and the UK were to use only our legal standard times all year round we would be one hour ahead of them.


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    #27
    nomdeboardie
    Registered Users Posts: 2,011 ✭✭✭nomdeboardie


    Tornaxx wrote: »
    Spring forward.
    Autumn back.

    (Because I'm not American.)
    Spring forward.
    Fall back.

    for me, 'cos...I'be a bleddy American to avoid making a memenomeneomic for the alternative :rolleyes:


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    #28
    Harvey Normal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 750 ✭✭✭Harvey Normal


    md23040 wrote: »
    What annoys me most is that the clock goes back an hour 7 and a half weeks before the winter solstice or just before Christmas. So therefore logically the clocks should go forward 7.5 weeks after the winter solstice around the 17th of February.

    But for some godforsaken reason it's left for another 5 weeks until the bloody last Sunday of March.

    Going forward earlier would save a lot of home heating fuel bills.

    That bugs me too. At least do it end February.


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    #29
    Harvey Normal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 750 ✭✭✭Harvey Normal


    rizzodun wrote: »
    How would making the evenings dark one hour earlier reduce fuel use?

    Winter time/GMT is the normal time*. IST was the addition which is what the poster you are responding to means.

    *except of course real normal time would be GMT+30 mins in Dublin. More elsewhere.


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    #30
    Harvey Normal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 750 ✭✭✭Harvey Normal


    hot buttered scones wrote: »
    Officially speaking the Standard Time Act of 1968 states that time in the State shall be one hour in advance of GMT throughout the year. The 1971 amendment to the Act requires that GMT be followed during the winter. It all amounts to the same thing, but legally we are one hour behind standard time in the winter whereas the UK is one hour ahead of it's standard time in the summer. The same, but different. If we and the UK were to use only our legal standard times all year round we would be one hour ahead of them.

    Wow. Didn't know that.


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    #31
    BabyE
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 444 ✭✭BabyE


    Is there a more depressing place in the world than NW Europe for the next 4 months? Its **** everywhere, London, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels, you name it.


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