Changing times - Expensive eccentricity

THIS weekend we’ll all indulge in an anachronism — we will change our clocks to suit the season.

We’ll lose an hour’s sleep before settling down to enjoy prolonged daylight, much safer driving conditions, occupied and happier children, not to mention the uplifting pleasure, emotional and physical, of basking in extended sunlight.

Our seasonal timekeeping is an economic handicap too. The lost business hour caused by this outdated eccentricity is self-inflicted and should be remedied. The clocks should go forward and stay there. In an increasingly competitive and globalised world we have enough challenges without this out-of-step relic.