From Tony Noel.
IT would appear that there are many in Jersey who favour a move to Central European Time and the perception of an extra hour of daylight.

They claim it will benefit tourism and that the local population would be able to bask in the warmth of the summer with lazy late barbecues on balmy evenings. While this is a wonderful dream to have, it is unfortunately a fact that such evenings are few and far between in Jersey. Perhaps the rose-tinted spectacles of cloudless summers in the 1940s and 50s are to blame for these visions.

Regrettably, we live in the real world, a world in which many struggle to make ends meet, where jobs are a precious commodity, where parents invariably have to work, many in the often-derided finance industry. Let us not forget that it is this industry which oils the wheels of our economy, and that our major market is in London. A move to CET would mean nothing more than an extra hour of work for every one of those employees.

For families, the extra hour of daylight would mean nothing more than another hour of after-school care for their children to endure, another hour away from their parents. On a personal level, instead of returning home in time for a meal with my children at 6 pm, I would perhaps see them for a short time before they went to bed. Remember, they will still have to get up at the same time for school, except that it will be dark for most of the year.

I have also read that many local business managers are in favour of the move. This is not surprising, as they would probably welcome an extra hour of unpaid work from their staff, but in their defence they probably understand that this is what would be required for Jersey to maintain its position in the global financial markets. Vote for CET if you want to spend more time at work and less with your loved ones.
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