From Denise Shrives.
BEFORE we vote on changing to Central European Time, can I just remind everyone that changing will not guarantee us better weather to enjoy ourselves outside in the winter.

All we would be doing is making those who have to be ‘up and out’ for whatever reason in the mornings condemned to darkness until about 9 am, if not later on a ‘bad light’ day. We are not gaining anything, just playing around with time, moving an hour of dark from the evening and dumping it onto the morning hours.

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to pursue outdoor activities on cold and windy evenings. I would rather go to the gym, pool or exercise at home. I look forward to sitting down and playing board games or educational games on our PC in the warm with our grandchildren – less chance of us catching colds and flu!

If you think changing to CET is going to give us an extra hour of good daylight and weather – dream on. Just remember, we will never be able to watch TV programmes or listen to non-local radio stations at the time they are broadcast from the UK again. How fair is that on the older generation who rely on this form of media and don’t have, or would even want, a TV recorder?

And please do not blame a decision not to change to CET, should it happen, on the finance industry. We seem to be so good at placing anything we don’t agree with at the feet of the finance industry. In this economic climate, let’s pray that we don’t lose our finance industry, as the revenue it brings into the Island helps us all. What’s more, those who work in the industry usually have medical packages, etc, which means they are probably not a drain on our health service, etc.

I ask everyone to think long and hard and with their heads, not their hearts, before voting for such a major change to all our lives.
The Pines,
Westmount Road,
St Helier.