THERE has been “widespread agreement” across the political spectrum that Ireland should stop changing the clocks back and forth every year.
The clocks will go back an hour this weekend as part of Daylight Savings Time, which will result in brighter mornings and darker evenings.
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However, Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly is calling on both Europe and Ireland to end the age old practice of changing the clocks twice a year, claiming that the system is “no longer fit for purpose”.
In a new letter to the letter to European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, numerous MEPs have argued that the system is “outdated”.
A total of 66 MEPs within the parliament co-signed the letter written by Kelly, claiming that ending the clock change would be a “practical and popular move” for citizens across Europe.
Kelly, who has spent almost a decade campaigning on the issue, is now pushing for the matter to be brought back onto the political agenda in the upcoming parliamentary term.
He said: “I have been working for many years to see the end of this outdated practice.
“It is time to put an end to the biannual clock change, which has been proven to have negative effects on health, well-being, and safety.
“The practice is no longer fit for purpose in today’s world.”
Addressing the letter to President Ursula von der Leyen, Kelly claimed that the scrapping of Daylight Savings Time is “not a partisan issue”.
He said: “There is widespread agreement across the political spectrum that the clock change needs to end. MEPs from all groups have joined me in this call.”
And pointing towards the extensive public backing for the proposal and the negative impacts of clock changes on health, Kelly said that “citizens across Europe have spoken”.
He continued: “In 2018, a public consultation saw 84 per cent of participants favour ending the clock change.
“This is a clear mandate from the people, and it is high time the European Commission acted on it.”
HEALTH AND SLEEP FEARS
“Studies have shown that changing the clocks can disrupt sleep, increase the risk of heart attacks, and lead to more traffic accidents.
“In addition, the energy-saving argument that once supported this practice is outdated.
“In fact, we now know that changing the clocks could actually increase energy consumption during the winter months.”
Kelly is confident that with renewed momentum, progress can finally be made.
He said: “The European Parliament already passed a resolution in 2019 with overwhelming support, yet the matter has stalled.
“We need to move forward decisively in the next parliamentary term.”
“Abolishing the clock change would simplify life for millions of people across Europe.
“It’s a practical and popular measure, and I am committed to seeing it through.”
At 1am on March 31, 2024, the time on Irish clocks “sprang forward” to 2am.
Now, with shorter evenings on the horizon, clocks are set to “fall back” an hour at 2am on October 27, which is this Sunday.
WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE CLOCKS GO BACK?
Thanks to the change, you’ll get an extra hour in bed or an extra hour out partying over the bank holiday weekend.
However, the switch will unfortunately mean that the days are about to get shorter with the evenings becoming darker an hour earlier.
Come Sunday morning, you will need to make sure you switch all your clocks and watches that are set manually back an hour.
If your electronic devices such as your phones, TV and laptops are set manually, the time will also need to be changed once you get up.
Before the switch this weekend, you can change your settings to automatically set the time.
Once this setting is selected your time will automatically switch once the change happens at 2am.
If you have an alarm set for Sunday morning on your phone, it will still go off at the correct time – provided your time changes on the phone.
For physical alarm clocks they will not manually update and will need to be changed.
You should either change the time before you go to sleep so that it shows the correct time come morning or set your alarm to go off an hour later.