Will Jersey move with the times?

People in Jersey are preparing to go to the polls on Wednesday to have their say on whether the Channel Island should continue to use British time or sign up to Central European Time (CET) instead - one hour ahead of the UK.

Jersey is not part of the UK, makes most of its own laws and is much closer to France than it is to Britain. Normandy is 14 miles (23km) away, Dorset 100 miles (161km) .

"If you wanted to get to the French coast from here, you'd be there in 12 to 14 minutes in a fast speedboat," Senator Jimmy Perchard said. "You can literally go there for lunch."

A continental lifestyle is desirable - we'd have the opportunity to spend longer out in the evenings

Senator Jimmy Perchard

Mr Perchard, who sits in the island's parliament, the States, wants Jersey's time zone to change.

Standing on the edge of a field of one of the island's most famous exports - the Jersey Royal potato - the senator points out landmarks as we survey the picturesque coastline.

In front of us is the imposing castle of Mont Orgueil, built around 1204 to protect the island from the French. But for those now wanting to switch to French time, Gallic cultural influences are welcome.

"The French mainland is just over my shoulder," Senator Perchard said.

"We have historical connections with France. Our streets have French names. The prayers in our parliament are in French.

"A continental lifestyle is desirable - we'd have the opportunity to spend longer out in the evenings. It's something that Jersey could market and promote for tourists as well as enjoy for itself."

Financial risk

Not everyone is convinced though.

The biggest employer in Jersey is the finance industry. Jersey sets its own taxes, and the competitive rates have attracted £220bn in deposits at 48 banks.

The majority of the industry are against it because it would get us in a situation where we're not in line with our major trading partner, London

Geoff Cook, Jersey Finance Limited

The organisation that represents the industry, Jersey Finance Limited, has asked its members what they make of the proposed time zone change.

They are less than enthusiastic - with at least 70% opposed to the idea.

The umbrella group's headquarters have a corporate feel. But for the panoramic coastal view, you could be in a boardroom in The City of London.

Chief Executive Geoff Cook acknowledges the benefits switching times could bring in terms of quality of life to islanders but says, on balance, most of his members are against the proposed change.

"We don't believe it's right - the majority of the industry are against it because it would disrupt business and get us in a situation where we're not in line with our major trading partner, London," he said.

"We wouldn't be able to start work till 1000 and you would have different lunch hours.

"In addition, in the current global climate we believe it's just a risk we shouldn't be taking - a distraction we don't need."

Cattle trouble

For the island's farmers, it is also the practicalities of a change that make many of them wary.

John Le Maistre, president of the Jersey Farmers Union, has a herd of 90 Jersey cows.

Jersey farmer John Le Maistre puts the case to stay with the UK time zone and not move in line with Europe.
As we found out when we met him before sunrise, attempting to round up the cattle for milking in close to pitch darkness requires more than a torch. A healthy dose of luck helps. An extra hour of darkness does not.

"The cows are used to being milked so they will be making their way there, but there are always one or two stragglers," he said.

"And you need to be able to see them. In the dark, bluntly, you can't."

Meanwhile, in the UK, campaigners are watching the referendum with keen interest.

Switching time zones has been on the political agenda for decades, but not far enough up it for those who would like to see a change.

Crash statistics

Documents from the Home Office acknowledge that during the experiment with CET in the UK between 1968 and 1971, there was a fall in the number of people killed in road accidents.

If they make a positive decision in favour of daylight saving it'll force the UK into a position where it'll have to consider making this decision itself

Tom Mullarkey, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

It is argued 100 deaths a year could be prevented because statistics suggest the extra crashes caused by dark mornings are more than offset by the reduction in collisions in the lighter evenings.

Reason enough for the change to become permanent across the UK, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Chief Executive Tom Mullarkey said: "I think the people of Jersey are in a tremendous position to show leadership here - if they make a positive decision in favour of daylight saving it'll force the UK into a position where it'll have to consider making this decision itself."

Such a change would mean sunrise close to 1,000 in parts of Scotland in the winter, and, for the time being at least, the government is not convinced a change would be a positive move.

But the broader debate has been reinvigorated.

Whatever the result of Jersey's referendum, just a few weeks before the clocks in the UK are turned back an hour, the question is being asked again.

Should all of the British Isles synchronise watches with the likes of France and Germany and change the clocks for good? (from BBC News)