CET Referendum
Do you think that Jersey should adopt Central European Time?
CET Referendum Results
| Position | Opinion | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contre | 17230 |
Grouville 1242 St Brelade 2328 St Clement 1884 St Helier 3526 St John 648 St Lawrence 1242 St Martin 937 St Mary 495 St Ouen 885 St Peter 1208 St Saviour 2151 Trinity 684 | ||
| 2 | Pour | 6564 |
Grouville 461 St Brelade 910 St Clement 661 St Helier 1446 St John 280 St Lawrence 424 St Martin 321 St Mary 159 St Ouen 376 St Peter 461 St Saviour 837 Trinity 228 | ||
After a debate in the States on 18 June, members have decided that the island will be holding its first referendum on 15 October - the date of the Senatorial Elections.
The referendum won't be on government reform or GST. It won't be on energy or waste but will be on whether we should change the clocks and move to Central European Time.
Senator Jimmy Perchard, who proposed the referendum, said it was the ideal subject for a referendum.
He told States Members: "If we give the public a chance to vote on this and if the public were enthusiastic about the idea of moving to Central European Time this could provide the opportunity for us to become more socially aware, more continental in our lifestyles and help us lead healthier and greener lifestyles."
However, the Council of Ministers have set out the advantages and disadvantages of plans to introduce Central European Time.
They say if the public votes for the change, it should be done on an experimental basis for the time being and that the public need to consider two questions when they're deciding if we should move the clocks forward by an hour.
The first is whether the benefits of having an extra hour of daylight in the evening will outweigh the disadvantages of it being darker in the morning.
The second is whether the benefits of any change will outweigh the disadvantages of moving out of the same time zone as the UK, Ireland and Portugal.
They've set out a table explaining how the change could affect road safety, our quality of life and even our television programmes.
The Council say if the States did adopt Central European Time then it should be continually monitored because it's unclear how businesses and industries would be affected.
[ Source : BBC Jersey ]
It's less than four weeks until Jersey's referendum on Central European Time.
But there are concerns that islanders haven't been given enough information to make an informed decision.
Local advocate Christopher Lakeman is heading the campaign to vote NO to time change.
He says it's a shame there isn't a 'Pro' group as well.
Leaflets explaining both sides of the argument are available at the parish halls, the library and Cyril Le Marquand House.
Senator Jimmy Perchard - whose idea it was to have the referendum - doesn’t think people will have a problem deciding.
He says it's not a complex decision and he trusts islanders to make their minds up without too much spin.
[ Source : Channel 103 ]
Would you like an extra hour of sunlight in the evening after work, or are you worried about it being dark when you take the kids to school in the morning.
Well, your chance to have a say on this is getting ever closer. The referendum on C.E.T. is happening on 15 October 2008.
You'll be voting on whether you want to keep Jersey's clocks the same as those in the UK, or move them in line with France and most of Europe instead.
For
Senator Jimmy Perchard brought about the proposition for having a referendum on the subject.
He explained on BBC Talkback why he feels it is a good idea: "Society can take this extra hour of daylight at the end of the day and persue cultural, sporting, social activities and to try and improve the quality of life and the state of health of the nation if you like."
"To improve everybody's quality of life by spending more time outside and using what is a lovely Jersey summer and shoulder months to our advantage."
So Senator Perchard feels that the social improvements and lighter evenings is a good reason to make the change - but what about the darker mornings that we'd get if we moved to Central European Time?
Against
That's something that worries Christine Vibert from the "No To Time Change" campaign group.
She said: "You only have to look at the sunrise times to see that you have to pay for it. So if we want to have our longer evenings – by the time you get to 22 October where again you are still enjoying a nice long evening – the sun is rising at 8:40."
Energy
As well as the darker evenings Christine Vibert also feels that a move to Central European Time could mean we'd all end up using more energy in our homes.
"At the moment, probably, most people are getting up in the morning at 7am and it is not yet cold enough to put your heating on. You get dressed, you put your clothes on and off you go.
"If you are getting up at what will effectively be 6am when it is still dark and cold – I contend that people will be more inclined to change their time clocks so their heating is coming on effectively earlier.
"I don't think it will affect offices very much because most offices have lights on most of the day and air conditioning most of the day.
"There is a contention in the winter that people will switch their lights on when they get up and go about their business before they go to work and leave the lights.
"As the natural light comes people forget to switch off and so you could actually loose the benefits because people will leave appliances and lights switched on all day because they have left their home."
But Senator Perchard thinks lighter evenings would mean energy use would actually be reduced.
He told BBC Jersey that: "the facts are that there will be energy saving as a result of moving to European Time because of the opportunities in the evening not to use lighting and heating and accidents will be reduced. Those that have studied these issues are clear in their advice."
Not legally binding
States Members don't actually have to listen to or take any notice of the outcome of the referendum though.
States Members WON'T have to legally act on - or follow the outcome of the referendum but Senator Perchard says the results WILL at least help GUIDE politicians.
He said: "people can rest assured that if the referendum indicates a positive anti or positive vote in either way that States Members will be advised by that.
"There is no agenda here this is a genuine attempt to use the referendum mechanism we have to seek the views on a subject that is interesting but not vital on whether we did or didn't, it's not the end of the world."
Cost
So, you might be thinking what's the point? Some might even think it's a waste of money.
Senator Perchard explained that the cost of the referendum itself wasn't that high. He told us that "It's going to only cost £5,000". However, he also explained that there would be additional costs associated with providing further information.
He told us that "I think the Chief Ministers department has agreed to pressure from the No to Change group to supply further information."
"There will be a mail shot that to islanders that will have an extra cost. But the referendum itself, as I said before, the cost will be nominal."
[ Source : BBC Jersey ]
States of Jersey CET Proposition
The full text of the States of Jersey proposition on 'The benefits and disadvantages of adopting Central European Time in Jersey' is available on the States Assembly website.