THIS coming weekend – at 2am on October 25 – the clocks go back one hour. On Saturday, October 24, the last day of summer-time 2015, sunrise in Glasgow will be at 08.07, and sunset at 17.55, giving an “official total” of nine hours and 47 minutes of daylight. This change-over occurs fully four weeks after the autumn equinox (September 23, 2015) and into the winter half of the year.

If we wished to retain the same sunrise time as this week, in order that the school run occurs in daylight, we would move the clocks forward next year at 2am on Sunday, February 28. Sunrise would be at 08.10 and sunset at 18.48 (instead of what it will be: at 07.10 and 17.48), yielding 10 hours and 38 minutes of daylight. This date would be three weeks before the spring equinox (March 20, 2016), and a full month before the official start of summer time (2am on March 27, 2016, when total daylight amounts to 12 hours and 48 minutes).

So for the whole of March each year under the current arrangements, we are failing to put to good use the hours of daylight that pass while most of us are still asleep in the morning. We could be transferring it instead to the evening by starting summer-time a month earlier than we do now. By not changing the clocks at the end of February, we are burning gas and electricity and running up bills unnecessarily.

In the old days, summer time used to begin much earlier in March than now. Indeed for three years after 1969/70 we had summer-time all year round. Subsequent research by the think-tank Political and Economic Planning revealed that, as a result, there was an overall reduction in road deaths and injuries, attributable to the use of daylight more in tune with our waking and working habits. And this reduction was proportionately greater the further north in the UK.

So whom do we blame for the past and current cost of delaying the start of summer time in the spring? Of course: a European Union directive and compliance therewith largely by leftist, political supporters. These people peddle myths about climate change (it has always been changing), but do nothing except waste taxpayers' money on subsidies to hopelessly uneconomic green energy, or by banning fracking. They could make a real difference to energy consumption by realigning the clock in the spring, and perhaps even by bringing in double summer-time for May, June, July and August, as occurred during the Second World War (“Berlin time” for everyone).

It is unusual for the SNP and the First Minister to miss an opportunity to foment discord with Westminster. But on this issue, they could go it alone and “stand up for Scotland”. But they won't because they are afraid of offending Brussels. So much for that foolish nonsense of “independence in Europe”. Mind you, even if they did bring in the change, this “middle class Unionist” would still never vote for separation and the SNP.

Richard Mowbray,

14 Ancaster Drive, Glasgow.