Photo: DPA

FDP to demand Germany end daylight saving time changes

Published: 22 Oct 09 10:52 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20091022-22743.html

Germany’s Free Democrats (FDP), soon to be the junior coalition partner of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, want to end annual daylight saving changes in favour of keeping Europe on summer time for the entire year.

The FDP energy expert Gudrun Kopp told the Rheinische Post daily on Thursday that the switching clocks forward an hour in March and back again in October each year had no perceivable economic or environmental benefits yet caused unnecessary bureaucratic hassles.

“We want to start a new initiative that will end the reoccurring burden people face with the changes,” said Kopp, adding research had shown there are more driving accidents and schoolchildren were less focused in class after switching the clocks.

She criticised the last German government for failing to take up the issue before the European Union extended the current summer time regulations for all 27 members, but said the FDP would still press the matter since it was clear the time change had “absolutely no purpose” and plenty of disadvantages.

Kopp told the paper it was logical to keep summer time, when the sun sets later, as Europe’s “normal time” since it improved people’s quality of life.

Germany and the rest of Europe will set clocks back one hour on Sunday morning.

The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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12:01 October 22, 2009 by William Thirteen
glad to see the party is hitting the ground running and attacking the pressing problems of the day, or at least the coming sunday.
13:31 October 22, 2009 by hkypuck
amen! - this whole practice is LAME!
14:02 October 22, 2009 by timw
had to click the link to find out exactly what they were demanding to end

as it was shortened to

"FDP to demand Germany end ..."

for a brief moment I hoped it would say "solidaritätzuschlag" - more fool me
14:22 October 22, 2009 by Wabit
I for one agree fully with leaving the clocks alone. And further more I have yet to see any valid argument for clock changing! I mean let's face it..... The time is what the time is ok! So why fake it :-)
14:45 October 22, 2009 by AncientBrit
... for a brief moment I hoped it would say "solidaritätzuschlag" - more fool me
Apart from not wanting to pay income taxes per se, why did you hope it would say "FDP to demand Germany end Solidaritätzuschlag"?
14:49 October 22, 2009 by Hutcho
I just can't get over how the FDP is taking ever good idea I've ever had and going public with it. It is really bizarre. I rant about this particular issue every year when the clocks switch and suddenly it's dark at 16:30.

I think I agree with them on every issue they stand for.
15:15 October 22, 2009 by Small Town Boy
The time is what the time is ok! So why fake it :-)
The change the FDP is proposing is to keep Central European Summer Time. This is the "fake" time. On Sunday morning we'll be readjusting our clocks and watches to Central European Time, which is the "original" time. Central European Summer Time was first used in Germany in 1980.
15:19 October 22, 2009 by Hutcho
Summer time is however superior to normal time.
15:24 October 22, 2009 by Small Town Boy
It still only offers 24 hours in a single day, so I can't see any substantive benefit. It will be good waking up to daylight next Monday morning.
15:24 October 22, 2009 by AncientBrit
Summer time is however superior to normal time.
British Double Summer Time (1941-45) is doubly superior, then.
15:25 October 22, 2009 by AncientBrit
... It will be good waking up to daylight next Monday morning.
- having slept an hour longer
15:27 October 22, 2009 by Hutcho
It still only offers 24 hours in a single day, so I can't see any substantive benefit. It will be good waking up to daylight next Monday morning.
It is better because it is light for more hours when most people are awake. One substantial benefit to this is that it saves a load of electricity bec…[/quote]Indeed. I would actually put it forward another hour in summer and leave it on summer time in the winter. Probably only 10% of people are disadvantaged by it still being dark before 7:00. Pretty much 100% of people benefit from it being light still at 17:30 though.
16:25 October 22, 2009 by HerrDinksbumps
All for doing it.. Go FDP..
20:09 October 22, 2009 by Small Town Boy
I think I agree with them on every issue they stand for.
Not when it comes to smoking in pubs and restaurants you don't.

This is of course the problem with Germany's proportional representation system. A party that got barely 14% of the vote is in power and pushing their agenda ? quite a democratic deficit.
20:28 October 22, 2009 by delvek
I personally like it for no other reason then just the fun of it. To me, summer is nice when its light out so late and I enjoy when the holidays are coming it gets dark early, creates a nice atmosphere for fires in the fireplace, blankets, and just hanging out with friends and family. Who cares about all the other crap!!! :)
21:16 October 22, 2009 by Heinrich der Zweite
Quite a few years ago, in UK a committee was considering whether this summer - wintertime should be done away with. Apparently the proposal was rejected on the grounds that up north in scotland, prolonged darkness during the winter mornings resulted in a rise in traffic and pedestrians accidents, especially school chindren with bicycles etc. I think comparisons were made with statistics taken previously when the

hour remained constant. So the clocks are put back an hour in winter. So in winter you can at least cuddle an hour longer. In summer there's not even time for a kiss.
21:48 October 22, 2009 by HerrDinksbumps
Quatzsch!! It's fxxxing dark enough here.. Give me back my daylight!! Not only are they taxing my income to hell.., now they're taxing my sunshine.. Weg damit!!
21:54 October 22, 2009 by Small Town Boy
There is of course one convincing argument for not changing the clocks, as highlighted here:

(attached image)
22:04 October 22, 2009 by arsenal21
The kids going to the school in the dark argument was also the reason given by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela when he wanted to change the time by half an hour. He actually went ahead and did it but it is not easy. Think of all the computers that would have to be configured, all the safety critical systems, air traffic control etc.

Would it not just be easier to put the school starting times an hour later? Or are the teachers' contracts etched in concrete somewhere so this is impossible?
00:07 October 23, 2009 by samberg
its comforting that there are others against daylight "savings" time and i am not the only one complaining about the time change. it is especially brutal in scandinavia: 4:30pm and it is pitch dark. i advised my danish friends to secede from the group of daylight savings observers. if arizona can do it, they can to.
08:12 October 23, 2009 by Hutcho
If they seceded from the daylight saving observers, it would still be dark at 4:30. When we change the clocks on the weekend, we will be going back to normal time. If they want more light in the evening, then they have to be for daylight savings time the whole year.
08:19 October 23, 2009 by HEM
Think of all the computers that would have to be configured, all the safety critical systems, air traffic control etc.
Internationally Air Traffic Control works on UTC (rebranded from GMT) & thus are unaffacted by local Summer/Winter switches.

Now whether certain satelite countries deviate from this...
11:11 October 23, 2009 by hkypuck
THE ANSWER IS HERE!!!

How about simply shortening the work day for "office workers" (e.g. folks that work in non-consumer positions)? I work in a small Bavarian village, in an office building (heck, I'm using company time to write this comment!) and in the middle of winter I go to work: DARK! Shops, stores, backeries: NOT OPEN YET. When I head home: DARK! Shops, stores, backeries: NOT OPEN ANYMORE.

I'm considering asking the boss if I can just come in at noon - get all my errands done in the morning, and "arbeit" from 12 - 20:00 uhr.

WHO'S WITH ME?!!!

...(crickets chirping)...
12:59 October 23, 2009 by michael4096
Personally, I don't care as much about which hours are set as long as there are international agreements about when they change. Each country deciding if / when to change makes international business much harder and costlier.

GWB didn't do the US any favors when he arbitrarily changed their rules. For a pro-business group, the FDP should learn from him. Aagh! I forgot, it's not about actually changing anything but just associating the party name with the concept, isn't it?
13:01 October 24, 2009 by BobUK
- having slept an hour longer
Actually it's on Sunday morning that you get to sleep an hour longer...

I personally would like to stay on summer time, preferring lighter evenings. Why is it called 'daylight saving'? There are still the same number of daylight hours, just shifted by an hour...
16:22 October 24, 2009 by BobUK
Would it not just be easier to put the school starting times an hour later? Or are the teachers' contracts etched in concrete somewhere so this is…
I agree, why should we all have to change for the benefit of schoolkids. It would also remove the 'school run' from the rush hour traffic...
16:43 October 24, 2009 by Bipa
I'd rather push the clocks forward another hour in the Fall to get more daylight in the afternoon/evening. As it stands, during Winter most workers leave the house in the dark and come home in the dark. Surely that makes for even more traffic accidents?

(attached image)
19:34 October 24, 2009 by AncientBrit
Actually it's on Sunday morning that you get to sleep an hour longer ...
Speak for yourself, mate!
22:07 October 28, 2009 by barbett
I'd rather push the clocks forward another hour in the Fall to get more daylight in the afternoon/evening. As it stands, during Winter most worker…
Somehow I agree.

Oth it would be seem more logical to leave the time as it is (i.e. sun is high at noon, not at 13:00) and start the various activities (schools, working hours...) an hour earlier.
17:51 November 3, 2009 by cinzia
On the subject of accidents:
The switch to daylight saving time during the spring leads to both higher numbers of workplace injuries and more severe workplace injuries, according …
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