> Scotland has to have GMT in the winter so that school children don't have to walk to school in the dark.

This gets brought up every time the discussion happens, yet we manage perfectly well even further north here in Norway.

Also why should people need government permission to vary the time at which they do things?

As far as I'm concerned I just want the clock to not change every spring and autumn. Institutions can surely be left to decide for themselves what working hours they have? After all shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, etc., already do that.