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Firstly this is NOT a new idea. Check out dates on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Summer_Time and then consider the reported accident statistics. These have always been pivotal to the arguments against. Bottom line is fewer accidents overall with clocks forward.
I’ll run my flag up the mast straight away...... I’m 100% in favour of this for the following reasons, BUT, first though some “obvious facts”. That’s for 90% of us ...but reading comments on the news stories about this......
The amount of daylight you get at any given time of year is directly related to what latitude you live on. Roughly speaking in UK terms you have LESS difference between hours of darkness and hours of daylight the nearer the Equator you live ...and MUCH greater difference in those hours the nearer to the Poles you live. To be clear here I’m talking about the differences between the summer months and the winter months.
“Statin’ the obvious”?! Well I ought to be! .....if you paid attention at school!
So in Real terms Cornwall has more hours of daylight in the Winter than Durness or John O’Groats. Equally Durness or John O’Groats have MORE hours of daylight than Cornwall in the Summer.
As I love both regions equally and have spent Summers in both I know this for a fact and from 1st hand experience. I mention this because “Regional-ism” tends to shout down logic in these arguments.
Consider then various working patterns.
Shift work: three shift patterns, 12 hour shifts, etc.
Traditional “manual” working hours “8 till 4”
Traditional “Office” hours “9 till 5”
....and of course you’ll all tell me what I’ve missed!!! However for all those 150 hour a week merchants I’d point out that I was a Union rep for most of my working life so I’ve heard “more convincing tales” ...and I’d point you to the EU working hours directive 48 HOURS per week.
Why go into that? Well for a start shift workers have ALWAYS been "out of kilt" with the majority of folk and shift pattern vary so it’s hard to quantify the effect on them. However in my experience MOST employers WILL negotiate changes in patterns if the work gets done?
NOW I’ve lived and worked in London all my life, and even here in a 9 till 5 environment I’ve risen in darkness and driven home in darkness.
The ONLY relief to this was during the October 68 to October 71 experiment when BST was bought in during the winter. I have to say my enthusiasm is based on those distant memories. The extra hour before sunset was on MY time rather than “company time” and the later sunset made life a lot more enjoyable.
The 68 to 71 experiment was ONLY to KEEP Summer time all year. There was NO additional Summer Time.
What is now proposed is basically to move both Winter AND Summer time forward. Thus “Double Summer Time”.
Consider too that later sunset means less need for lighting ....err, that’s a bit "tongue in cheek" with the gloomy weather of late that’s had me switching on lights during the day even as far South as London...
However, the fact is that you’d be enjoying lighting at your employer’s expense longer than you would at your expense?
Moving to the Summer when we all, regardless of UK region, enjoy longer daylight hours, wouldn’t you welcome more time for yourself and family in the evenings when work is done?
Consider too that some teenagers would ACTUALLY SEE daylight occassionally too.....
Anyway this a real "straw poll" but in lieu of a referendum it's the best you'll get?
Geoff
Of course you're spot on here John. 
