With the clocks going forward this weekend time to consider again the Tory government's latest public relations wheeze to get the whole of the UK signed up for permanent British Summer Time (BST). Plans that could do more than it thinks to help push Scotland over the independence cliff.

The double summertime being suggested by some would have everyone north of Perth rushing to tick the 'yes' box in any referendum. In winter in the furthest reaches of the land it would not get light until late morning for the sake of not getting dark until 6pm.

It is not often I find myself in agreement with 'flog 'em and deport 'em' commentator Peter Hitchins, but for once he is leading a group that talks a lot of sense on this subject if his reasoning is slightly different.

The last time there was an experiment in the late sixties there was no conclusive evidence to suggest it makes any difference to safety or energy efficiency so why not, as he suggests, leave well alone and keep GMT in place all year round?

In the summer it would not make a blind bit of difference to people living in Scotland as it is virtually light 20 hours a day for months and in winter it would mean, if you lived in Inverness, not having to eat lunch in the dark.

With more flexible working hours surely people can make up their own minds and arrange their day to take advantage of daylight when they want it, not when some politician says they have to have it.

Playing with an established scientific standard twice a year for no decernable reason doesn't make a lot of sense.

Some are so determined to have a change though, like Tory MP Tim Yeo, they are even advocating a separate time zone for Scotland and England. A scenario that will do little to help his boss's arguments for a  'United' Kingdom.

Berlin Time and Time again