> I find that France is exactly where it should be and most of CET is off by an hour or more
How? The correct timezone is the one where the sun is closest to directly overhead at 12 noon.
The real problem is that 9 to 5 is a lopsided working day, because it's centred on 1 pm, not noon. DST just moves solar noon to 1 pm, when the correct fix would be to move the working day to 8 to 4.
As you explain, the "correct" timezone does not correspond to most people's preferences. Metropolitan France's position within its timezone is a better fit for my preferences than the positions of more easterly countries in the same timezone.
I don't care where the sun is at noon; I care where the sun is after work.
> I don't care where the sun is at noon; I care where the sun is after work.
Precisely, so it's the working day that should be changed, not the clock. The clock affect everyone, including people who do care where the sun is in the sky (e.g. those working outdoors).
How? The correct timezone is the one where the sun is closest to directly overhead at 12 noon.
The real problem is that 9 to 5 is a lopsided working day, because it's centred on 1 pm, not noon. DST just moves solar noon to 1 pm, when the correct fix would be to move the working day to 8 to 4.