Has the 8th EU Summer Time Directive come out? (starting in 1998)
Not that I know of. The Transport Council (the group of national transport ministers who decide this) aren't due to meet for the first time this year until 11 March so I can't see it happening before then. I have just checked with my contact at the local EC Information Office and she hasn't heard anything either. They did apparently have an informal meeting on 31 Jan but I can't see anything in the midday press releases (at http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/spp/me/midday.html, with the relevent past ones at me970131.html, me970203.html, etc. (these people have a year 2000 problem looming :-) ).
Also, is France going to move from GMT+1 to GMT+2 this spring, and are they still discussing remaining on the same time all year? (Perhaps permanent rule change might be deferred until the end of the 7th Directive in October 1997.)
I haven't seen any reports about this for months. I think it very unlikely that they will not follow the existing 7th directive. Any change, if it comes at all, is likely to be in 1998.
Has a date been set for the British General Election?
No, but the options are closing in all the time. John Major has all but said it will be 1 May. I think the latest date is 5 May, but elections are always on a Thursday here so that is out. The other hot tip was 20 March but I think it is now too late to dissolve Parliament and meet that date. There is a by-election at Wirral South today, the result of which will no doubt confuse things even more. A bit of bonus news I saw today: there will be a leap second on 30 June 1997. See ftp://hpvlbi.obspm.fr/iers/bul/bulc/bulletinc.13 or http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/leap.html. Peter Ilieve peter@aldie.co.uk