The Old Hack

Yesterday, All Saints Day, was a public holiday in France.  Mrs Old Hack and I took full advantage of a wonderfully sunny day to acquaint ourselves more with our new home town of Montmorillon.  Setting out from our rented house in the cité des écrits in the mediaeval quarter, we walked down the steep winding hill to the town square, across the river Vienne, admiring the blend of 16th Century charm and modern amenities which this town has managed so well.

We window shopped, talked about all manner of things, said 'hello' to the many strangers who had come to visit the historic part of the town for the day and finally, before ascending the steep hill home, stopped off at a rather quaint 'salon de thé' run by one of the English residents of the town, for an English cream tea.

This would have been one of the most 'English' days we have spent in France, but for one important factor.  As we finished our cream tea, we watched the sun setting over the river Vienne - at about a quarter past five.  An hour after darkness fell upon the United Kingdom.

This 'Twilight Zone' has been much discussed in both the British and French press, with the French incredulous as to why the British should insist on maintaining the one hour time difference and thus compromising European trading and the British press wondering why government refuses to acknowledge the wishes of the majority of the people by extending an extra hour's daylight and thus potentially saving lives each year.

Anatole Kaletsky, in Thursday's 'Times', argues the reason for non action by the British government is a fear of losing support from Scotland, where it is feared that darker mornings will prove more dangerous than darker evenings.  It has taken a tory - Tim Yeo - to try once again to put the matter of a Central European time zone on the agenda, but parliamentary time for a bill has been denied by government.

It would be good to think that such an obvious change as bringing British time into line with the rest of Europe was not a partisan issue.  Sadly that does not seem to be the British way.  It will take pressure from opposition parties and public opinion to make this timorous government decide that it was a Labour initiative all along, and to do what has been the public will for many, many years.

In the meantime, I will continue selfishly to enjoy the extra daylight our recent move has given me, and leave my fellow Brits still in the home country to continue to enjoy their Twilight Zone until action is finally taken.