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TWO THIRDS OF people would prefer it if the clocks didn’t go back this weekend, according to a new poll.
The poll, carried out by Ireland Thinks and which surveyed 1,000 people, asked participants if they thought the clocks should go back.
The nationally representative poll was carried out on Saturday 17 October, ahead of clocks going back on Sunday.
The poll found that 47% of people believe that the clocks should not go back on Sunday, while 20% said that the clocks should go back but only because Northern Ireland is doing the same.
A total of 31% said that the clocks should go back, while 2% said that they didn’t know.
Under EU law, our clocks – alongside those across all the member states – go back on the last Sunday in October. They go forward on the final Sunday in March.
However, last March the EU voted to scrap the system for 2021 – meaning EU states may have to decide whether they want to remain on permanent summer time or permanent winter time.
The poll found that older people were more likely to believe that the clocks should not go back. Among people aged above 65, 55% believed clocks should not go back. That same view was shared by only 32% of those aged 18-24.
Social Democrats voters were the most likely to believe that the clocks should not go back, perhaps reflecting the views of the party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall, with 63% backing the idea.
Shortall had asked Micheál Martin earlier this month to not put the clocks back this year to make the winter easier during the pandemic.
Solidarity-People Before Profit voters were least likely to support the clocks not going back, with 27% supporting the idea. However, 43% believed that the clocks should go back only because the same was happening in Northern Ireland.
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Where is the journal poll on it
@eoin carroll: I know. it’s an absolute outage!
@eoin carroll: They’re like busses, none for ages then 3 will come along on the same subject.
It won’t happen at an EU level as Ireland are vetoing it as the UK aren’t changing and we would have a different timezone between North and South.
If they don’t change it would be dark till nearly 10am in December. That will mean kids going to school in the pitch black. The don’t come home in the dark as school finishes by 4pm for 2nd level.
It was tried in the UK in the past and failed.
Over the next few weeks look out the window at 8am and imagine that if the clocks didn’t change that’s what it would be like at 9am!
@Joe: Itd be 530 getting dark on the solstice instead of 430. I’d much prefer the light in the day than morning
@andyearley: It depends on what work you do. I work on building sites and for we need it health and safety reasons
@Noelio: start an hour later on sites, would lessen the load on public transport too
@Frainc Ó Broin: We start at 7.30 or 8am usually, which means we are earlier than the rush hour. If we started at 9, it would increase the load on the roads and transport system.
@Joe: we have streetlights. Also It’d be bright for longer in in the evening.
@Joe: It was tried in the past and it was a fantastic success. Road accident rates fell. But the British Government bottled on the permanent decision and gave in to the concerns of Farmers, Fishermen and residents of Shetland.
I was a kid when it was trialled. It was great. Bright evenings after school when you want them!
Bright mornings are pointless.
@Noelio: You don’t NEED the hour moved back for health and safety reasons. Just start work an hour earlier. The clock doesn’t have to change.
@andyearley: so zero change for kids coming home from school. However by not changing either the time school starts or the clocks we are imposing school starting in the dark on them. Absolute stupÎdity
@Joe: I remember when they did it, dark walking to school, but it was great craic we were all given free reflective arm bands.
@Sean: have u ever been up on a roof, for example, in bad light? And im sure you meant start later, so ill let that go…
@Adam Conroy: everywhere in Ireland doesn’t have street lights
@Joe: so what would you see us doing if the U.K. decides to stop changing the clocks? Will we meekly run along after their lead and then demand that the rest of the EU does the same?
@Jason Maguire: start later of course thank u for the correction. I have never been on a roof in bad light but the point still stands – go up when you have the light and don’t worry about what the clock hands are pointing at.
@Sean: but then wed be working later, and miss fair city
@Sean: then we’re working in the dark in the evening which is dangerous like I’ve said. Or we cut an hour out of the working day which is unrealistic.
@Sean: or u could start ur work earlier, and have daylight when u want it.
I’m over 50, and this debate has gone on as long as I can remember. We did this originally to be in line with the U.K. think it’s about time we cut our ties with them and not turn back time. Unless you can do 12 months?
@Michael: yes, lets send kids to school in the dark to be different to the UK .
@Tony Humphreys: it’s not just about kids going to school in a little bit of dark for a short time.. Its about people’s mental health and other things
@Michael: we do it because we have to under EU law.
@Joe: no we don’t under law, every country has the option to. They are not obliged
@Michael: yes &.the UK did it during WW1 in an act of paranoia as they believed the Germans who had this in place had a production advantage by doing so. This later transpired not to be true.
@Tony Humphreys: The vast majority of kids these days don’t walk to school.
@Macca Attack: yes they are since 2001
@Macca Attack: yes they are since 2001. Why would the EU be voting on getting rid of it if it wasn’t already a requirement!
@Joe: those links are not backing up what you’ve said. There’re only proposals
@Ross: do you not understand that the amount of daylight won’t change!
@Macca Attack: you clearly can’t read, from the EC website that I linked
Since 2001, EU summertime arrangements have been governed by Directive 2000/84/EC, setting out the obligation on all Member States to switch to summer-time on the last Sunday of March and to switch back to their standard time (“winter-time”) on the last Sunday of October.
The RTÉ article says the same if you read it
@Tony Humphreys: kids are driven to the door now, so it wouldn’t make a difference.
Jeez, they try to make everything political these days. I mean who you vote for or your political leanings hardly matter in this regards.
@Shaner Mac: True. Any anyway, given that in recent opinion polls both the Social Democrats and SPBP have shown support of 1%, it’s not very meaningful to try to break down those groups. In a typical sample size of 1000, you’re drawing conclusions based on the opinions of roughly 10 people.
I would prefer being allowed to travel further than 5km, as far as the Constitution guarantees (is no restriction). We are under the toughest, draconian, restrictions in Europe, and we’re taking about clocks!
@Tony Humphreys: curfew in france from nine pm?
@Tony Humphreys: where exactly in the constitution is that clause?
@Tony Humphreys: Do you need a wee hug big man?
@Tony Humphreys: We’d like to talk about something else for 5 minutes maybe….
@Steve Mac: i think he’s on about the right to free travel within the state in the constitution. That’s the one gemmeroid and the anti lock down nutjobs keeps waffling on about too.
I’m no legal or constitutional expert so I’ve no clue if that will hold up or not. Common sense should tell you we’re in the middle of a pandemic though so if your asked to stay within 5km of your home just do it.
@John Rock: everything functions until then… and it’s in select metropolitan areas.
@Tony Humphreys: The restrictions are to protect people like me from people like you, so I’m happy that you can’t get any further than 5km from selfish invintile attitude.
How about we put them back half an hour and just leave it there, year round :)
I would rather have dark evenings than dark mornings. But I do like one person’s idea of moving it back 30 minutes and leaving it there all year round!!!
@Seeking Truth: After a few weeks it makes no difference because the mornings and evenings are both dark by then.
And 8 10th’s of the population didn’t bother doing the survey most likely as it really doesn’t matter :-)…
@Spartacus Ireland: try cycling home in the dark at 5 clock from next week dodging pot holes etc, might have a different attitude. An extra hours light in the evening would make a considerable difference to peoples quality of life.
@Kevin O’Hara: I have to cycle in the dark to work. It would mean it’s bright if they didn’t change. See how it doesn’t just affect you?
@Kevin O’Hara: it would be dark till 9.30am if clocks don’t go back. Lots of school kids hanging around when it’s dark is not good.
@Caoimhín: exactly. I would rather the hours light in the mornings to be honest
@Kevin O’Hara: try cycling to work in the dark. The problem is that the days are short. Some people seem to think that not changing the clocks actually makes the days longer!
@Kevin O’Hara: it was agreed way back to coincide with GMT
@Caoimhín: did you read the article.. 2/3 of people would prefer if so? sunrise today is 08.09 with sunset at 18.09. From next week it will be roughly 07.15 and 17.00 respectively. So the guts of two hours light in the morning and feck all in the evening for 4 months. People just end up hibernating as its dark well before they are back from work.
@Kevin O’Hara: I did read the article. 2/3 said they would prefer it. You spoke like you were some sort of victim saying you would have to cycle home in the dark avoiding pot holes. That’s why I gave my reasons to show you not everyone have the same schedule as you, I have a light on my bike so I’ll manage.
Any carefully worded opinion poll will reveal that 90 per cent of respondents would like winter to end a few days after New Year’s Day. It’s not about clocks; it’s about humidity and temperatures.
Is everything a mental health issue these days.. I have children and sending them to school in the dark is not a good idea. I much prefer the darkness in the evenings. Mornings are when we need light earlier.
What is the reason people don’t want the clocks changed? Its dark in the e endings anyway.. we need the light in the morning !
My workday starts early, usually leave the house between 6.30 and 7am. I also work outdoors a lot of the time so having 2 hours darkness in the morning doesnt appeal to me. As for the schoolkids, their morning commute is during rush hour while the journey home is before the evening rush, so have the light in the morning when theres more traffic about.
Do we not have this same argument every 6 months or so ?
@Shane Cassidy: once a year Shane… Darker evenings on happen in winter ;)
@Shane Cassidy: It’s meant to be a relief from endless, tiresome & inconclusive discussions about politics, religion and sex.
Can’t we just compromise and move the clocks back 30 minutes?
@Humphrey De Fluff: That’s the time that was used without any annual change here until 1916. November of that year the British synchronised our clocks to theirs to facilitate military response to the Irish rebellion. To this day, most Irish Ministers, Civil Servants, ordinary people, etc, do not know the origins of the clock changes, or how it came to pass that London decides what the time is in Dublin.
Bring the clocks forward to December 2nd would do us all a favour
@The God Of All Nerds: That’s probably the calendar, but I like your thinking. :)
We should stay on summer time. Northern Ireland can follow suit if they wish or they can follow Britain. Who cares what they do? . Some countries have more than one time zone Ana they don’t struggle with it. As for construction workers? It shouldn’t be a H&S issue. If Scandinavian and other Nordic countries can manage to build in their darker winters, then we should be able to also.
I think change this time but don’t spring forward. The time in the summer doesn’t matter, so change it for the last time. If the farmers have problems saying it confused the animals the farmer can always get up an hour early.
@Sandra Anderson: Which is precisely what those of us who don’t change our clocks do. Get up early, I mean, not the animal befuddling bit. Farm animals tend not to be too interested in horology. ;)
I’ve agreed with my boss to start work early so I’m not walking the dog in the dark
I’m not putting my clocks back at all anyway, the last thing we need is an extra hour of 2020.
Definitely the way to go .
By the way, the government could be like the Thailand government … energy invoices were all zero due to pay, that means the bill said there’s your consumption and zero is owed because we know everyone is struggling
People who weren’t struggling contacted their energy supplier to pay the bill to help the country
Here we only hear people moaning because the confuse Anarchy with Civil Liberties, and a coalition government who are the Muppets of landlords with controlling issues who also confuse Anarchy with Civil Liberties in a Democratic Legislative Republic
No Lords in this Land !
@Maria Quinn: Eh…. ok
@Maria Quinn: There are a few articles on the journal now where we get to moan about how zero craic the new King of Thailand is, but its definitely not this one!
Anyone with kids anyway. Used to enjoy the extra hour in bed BC!
I don’t to spend a extra hour in lockdown or in 2020 either
@sandra clifford: You won’t be. We lost an hour during the last lockdown when the clocks went forward. This is just making it up.
Especially with covid around , government to slow with doing anything except taxing the shirt of your back
Should not b changing the time .An hour brighter in the evening would b great.Why follow the Brits.The south and north were on different time zones during world war 2.No big deal
Were trying to get out of lockdown not prolong it
I am surprised the Green Party agreed with maintaining the hour change this year. Most people aren’t working or are working remotely with Flexi time, so people can wake up whenever they want but we all will be having our dinners around 17 in the dark from now. The singularity of this year is heaters and lighting rather than shared in an efficient building they would be individuals in each worker household and then comes the outdoors heaters of essential food business like pubs or just people in their gardens being “smart” meeting friend when they shouldn’t
@Maria Quinn: Most people are not WFH or out of work. That is a myth. 85% of the working population is still employed and the majority of those work in industries where you can’t work from home. Retail, manufacturing, public service etc
Terrible idea. Can you imagine the amount of road accidents in the mornings, esp in bad weather, with people rushing to work and school and college in the pitch dark? At the height of winter, it gets dark at 4.30. 4,30, 5,30, whats the difference. By the time you get home from school and work its getting g dark either way.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but should ireland not be technically in a tome zone behind the UK? But due to the size of the island we stick with UK time.
Would it be detrimental to go the other way? And go into our technical time zone?
Should be permanent summer time, mental health/exercise is more important then the kids having an hour daylight in mornings, start times will be staggered now anyways
The journal missed out on a poll god are you lads alright
@Jim O Brien Tech: I think itll come out tomorrow
all the angelus crew that get up at 12 would love that ok after watching netflix all night. a few of us still work in this country not scratching our b@lloix all day ffs
Stop! Putting it back. Just leave it as it is. I get far more done in the evening time after work in daylight. So ridiculous putting it back!
I have heard this every year since 1972 when I was in school and I thought wow at least we would have more play time after school when it was a bit bright,
It never happened then &
It will never happen now.
Think someone needs to go back to school and study math again. 2/3 =66.666….%
Think someone needs to go back to school and study math again. 2/3 =66.666%.
Absolutely
I was thinking of sending my old clock back too
have your say