It’s a grey day here, actually Seattle-grey, with some rain. Already in the afternoon I am turning the lights on inside. And next Sunday we will loose one hour to the dark over night. Switching from Savings Time to Normal. And I hate it.
For me, switching to Savings Time (or Summer Time as we call it in Sweden) in March is like a breath of fresh air. It’s hope. It’s promises. It’s magic.
The other way around is, of course, the opposite. I feel trapped in a sack of coal. Eternal darkness. No way out. Lungs shrinking.
For some years there has been a quite lobbying going on for staying on the same time through the year. One argument is the switch would be bad for our health. Causing depression, heart failure and stroke.
Bullshit, I would say. It takes 24 hours for the body to adjust to a one hour time change. So one day. That’s how long of a jet lag the switch brings. Ever heard of people sleeping in in the weekends?
It’s not that I am sceptical to scientific research, the result might be right. But put it into some perspective, please!
And while we are in the bullshit department, I remember the biggest problem discussed at the start of Savings time in Sweden in 1980 was how the cows would manage change of milking time. It would cause chaos! It turned out they were doing just fine.
Anyway. To my surprise the European Commission during the summer has been conducting a big vote to find out how the Europeans feel on the subject. Surprise, because I’ve never heard of it. Neither has anyone else that I know of. Apparently it was a survey on the internet. I can not remember any kind of information or call to participate in this vote. Although I am a member of the EU.
However, the result is clear and overwhelming, according to Jean-Claude Juncker chair of the EU Commission. 80% of the Europeans don't want to go back and forth, they want a steady time. Yes, that’s a high number, I agree. And more than 4,5 million people took part of the big vote.
Excuse me? 4,5 million? We are 508 million people within the EU! 4,5 million, are you kidding me? That’s like… nothing! Also, an interesting fact, most of those 4,5 million were Germans. And how many people live in Germany? 82,53 million.
So, what can we make of this? Well, it seems like a small group of Germans out of some intention (Daimler, BMW, Mercedes, Volksvagen, Siemens, who knows?) has found - or been given - a way to affect the logistics within the EU.
Am I a fan of conspiracy theories? Usually not. But this is weird. The process is hasty as well. As a result of the vote a proposition for same time all year around starting already fall 2019 was presented in Brussels last week and is now on it’s way to the EU Parliament. Then it’s up to every country in the Union to decide on eternal Savings Time or Normal Time. Good luck on the logistics on that one!
In one week Sweden will make the annual switch to Normal time, what we call Winter time. If we in a year won’t make that change for to stay on an Eternal Summer Time I couldn’t be happier, and my gratitude will go to those few Germans who made this happen, although the circumstances are most doubtable.
On the other hand. If the outcome will be Eternal Winter Time my personal fury towards the EU Commission will most certainly cause me a heart attack, I can feel it coming already, working myself up. To take a decision about a change concerning 508 million people on a shady internet survey (it’s not like a lot of us are checking in on the Commission web site as a daily routine to be sure we aren’t missing something crucial to us), that’s just wrong.
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