40 years on

One of the minuses of my current condition is that I have to sleep on my back -- and so tend to wake up feeling as though someone has tied a load of bricks around my waist -- NOT fun --  but good for catching up either with the world according to J Agnew and G Boycott from whatever obscure NZ town England are now playing in (find Napier on a map...) or when there is no cricket for listening to the 5.30 news briefing.  On Saturday this handily reminded me that it was three years since Kyoto was ratified (handy since i have a friend who's birthday I can only remember as the day Kyoto was ratified) but today they said that it was forty years since the brief shining moment in which we had three years of permanent summertime -- a good example of a policy before its time that was nixed through some really poor abuse of evidence.

But a policy in which there are glimmerings of interest.  It seems bizarre to have debates about resource efficiency and the economics of solar power yet so hideously neglect the solar power we get with no transmission losses, no need for a BERR subsidy and for free.  Yet news last week that the ECB is planning to put floodlights in every country ground -- good for those of us who are fans of evening cricket -- but a huge resource waste when in summer it gets light even in Southern England by four am -- yet we let it get dark by eight thirty and in August we play tennis under floodlights at eight.  And one of the fascinating things about sitting at home all day is to realise that even in February it stays light until half past five -- an hour time shift now would allow us to cycle home before it gets dark and it is already getting light well before seven.

There are ways  and ways of doing this -- align with European time and the CBI would be happy campers.  Flex during the year if you prefer. Introduce a new shoulder time to cope with the misery of November to January.   But better use of natural light in the evenings has potential to be good for the environment, for health - safer, easier to walk, play sport, get outside, cut crime, encourage safer streets.  When I worked at No. 10 it was the only policy the ragbag of Major advisers in the Policy Unit could agree on. 

There are not many policies which seem to hit so many benefit buttons for no cost and potential savings.  Even George Bush is doing it - American summertime begins a month earlier this year. But maybe if we don't want to do it nationally, we should have a local pilot -- one for the Mayoral manifestos?