Daylight Saving Time Explained

@Jim Why not just keep the clocks as normal in summer and play golf before work?

My personal gripe is that DST messes with my surfing. Often depending on the swell and the state of the tide the best surf of the day might come before work. There are times of the year in spring and autumn when there isn't enough daylight in the morning to get in a session before work when there would be if we stayed on winter time all summer. What I want is a window before and after work so I can get more chance to benefit from the optimum swell/tide conditions to give the best surf.

There is a popular myth in the UK that daylight saving time exists to aid scotish farmers. Obviously being in the north the winter days in Scotland are shorter than in England (or indeed Wales). The myth has it that changing the clocks gives the farmers more daylight in the morning. The myth misses two important things; firstly that farmers will when daylight is limitted work to the daylight, not the clock; and secondly that daylight saving works on summertime when there is plenty of daylight about, the clocks are "normal" in the winter.

Another version of the same myth claims that road accidents in Scotland are reduced by DST since it is lighter in the mornings in winter. Again this fails to work for two reasons; firstly in that the days are so short in the north of the country that the morning and evening rush hours happen in the dark in winter anyway; and secondly again the clocks are changed for summer not for winter.

Quite why these myths exist I don't know, but they do.

I'm all for stopping the switch, but keep it on daylight savings time. Who needs the sun to come up at 5:30 in the morning? I'd much rather drive home from work before it gets dark.

I like DST, being working outside quite a bit for the summer. DST gives more of my waking day sunlight to work.

DST is rather a drag if you live on the western edge of a timezone--midsummer, daylight drags on past 10:30 or 11pm. On July 4, the fireworks start far too late.