Why fiddle the clocks when we have GMT?

Every autumn brings the usual cacophony of voices calling for the UK to move clocks forward, and this year’s opening salvo was fired by Andrew Goldstone on last week’s Letters page.

He suggested that our clocks be advanced an extra hour from the first Sunday of May until the first Sunday of September, arguing that this would be good for the economy, the environment and our wellbeing.

When will people just accept that time is governed by longitude? We already have seven months of every year pretending that the UK is on a similar longitude to Berlin and Rome, which are one hour ahead of us because they are further east.

Why should we then pretend for four months that we are on a similar longitude to Helsinki and Kiev?

We are already living in a kind of Alice In Wonderland world, where the time is whatever we say it is, not what it actually is.

At some point, every day, the sun will set. The next day, it will rise. So fiddling with the clocks is completely futile.

Greenwich Mean Time is the correct time zone for this country, with midday in the middle of the day, and midnight in the middle of the night, as they should be.

If you want to get up earlier, get up earlier. But don’t pretend you’re getting up at the same time when the reality is that your clock is telling a lie.

Darren Goodsell, Orpington, Kent

Andrew Goldstone seems to imply that Double Summer Time would result in more hours of daylight. Not so. The simple way to enjoy more of that which is available is to get up an hour earlier. It is amazing how quiet and peaceful it can be in the early mornings in summer, and warm, too, if the sun is out.

Mike Long, Winford, Isle of Wight

Everybody feels happier when the summer is in full swing, so why is it so bad to put the clocks forward an extra hour from May to September? I think it’s a great idea, as productivity would go up and spirits would be lifted.

We all like eating out and doing so in the evenings gives us that holiday feeling. Jason Pattinson, Tolleshunt Major, Essex

Andrew Goldstone says four clock changes would be a ‘minor’ inconvenience? With British Summer Time it is more or less light at 10pm for the whole of July. On Double Summer Time, it would be light till 11pm.

It’s more natural to be light in the morning and dark in the evening so this seems an idiotic idea to me. F.M. Latty, East Bridgford,

Nottinghamshire

The idea of Double Summer Time from May to September is ridiculous. I can’t stand it when it’s bright past 7pm – it doesn’t leave much time for us vampires to feed!

J. Bell, London