"EU gives up on 'metric Britain'"

[Prada]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6988521.stm


European Union commissioners have ruled that Britain can carry on using imperial measurements such as pints, pounds and miles.

Europe's Industry Commissioner Gunter Verheugen said: "There is not now and never will be any requirement to drop imperial measurements."

The decision will not affect current law on metric measurements, but means imperial equivalents can be used too.

It follows years of wrangling between London and Brussels over metrication.

Pint saved

The commission has kept extending the deadline for the UK to complete the full transition to the metric system, with the most recent deadline being 2010.

This would have meant setting a deadline for ending the traditional delivery of pints of milk - and the sale of pints of beer in the UK's pubs.

Every one of the UK's road signs would have had to be changed from miles to kilometres - a move which opponents warned would be both expensive and confusing.

But it was the move, begun in 2000, to make the UK's market traders sell their produce in kilograms rather than pounds and ounces which caused outrage among traditionalists.

Sunderland grocer Steve Thoburn inspired the "metric martyr" movement with his defiance of the order to abandon the imperial measurements.

In 2001, he was convicted for having wei***ng scales which had only imperial measurements.

He died unexpectedly from a heart attack three years ago and, while the campaign he founded failed to win traders the right to ignore metric weights altogether, it has brought some results

'No problem'

Under the plans which have now been scrapped, even displaying the price of fruit and vegetables in pounds and ounces would have become grounds for a criminal prosecution.

Mr Verheugen's role includes trying to improve the EU's reputation in member states - and in an interview with the BBC, he admitted the EU had been making itself unpopular on an issue that did not really matter.

"I organised a huge consultation, and the result was that industry told us there was no problem with the existing system.

"I want to bring to an end a bitter, bitter battle that has lasted for decades and which in my view is completely pointless. We're bringing this battle to an end."

'Extremely misleading'

However, campaigners on both sides of the debate have played down the significance of the announcement.

John Gardner, director of the pro-imperial British Weights and Measures Association, said: "I've seen the European Commission statement and what they're saying is it will be allowed to use imperial measurements as additional information.

"We think that the European Commission statement is extremely misleading. From our point of view the situation hasn't changed and the campaign goes on.

"If a trader tries to conduct his business in just imperial measurements that will be illegal."

'Business as usual'

The UK Metric Association said the statement does not mean that traders can go back to wei***ng and pricing in imperial measures, and it will be "business as usual".

Chairman Robin Paice said: "While we regret this proposal to prolong the current muddle of metric and imperial units, it will only delay but not stop the inevitable move toward all-metric shopping.

"Many of the big supermarkets have already stopped giving obsolete imperial prices, and we expect this trend to continue. There is no question of going backwards."

Science and Innovation Minister Ian Pearson said he welcomed the commission's proposal.

"This shows that the commission has listened to our views and recognised the strong arguments that we've made for maintaining dual metric and imperial labelling and the right for the UK to decide on the future use of pints and miles," he said.

"We know how important this is to the British people and are grateful for the commission's support for this use to continue."

The UK first mooted plans to convert to an all-metric system in 1965.

That led to generations of schoolchildren being promised that they would be the last ones who would have to learn two different systems.

[taiboxa]

kilograms confused me how many miles are in a kilogram?

[Prada]

Zero

[Booz]

leave us alone Europe,we dont bloody want to be a part of you...............

[NotSmall]

leave us alone Europe,we dont bloody want to be a part of you...............

Agreed but at the same time I do think the metric system is way better than imperial, makes so much more sense mathematically.

[Booz]

Agreed but at the same time I do think the metric system is way better than imperial, makes so much more sense mathematically.

agreed but i hate the way they seem to think they can try and force us to do wat they fvckin want wen we are our own people..........
i mean where my marathon and opel fruits gone???wat a load of bollox...............

[Prada]

leave us alone Europe,we dont bloody want to be a part of you...............

Okay fine, then emigrate to a continent of your choice.

I agree with NS, Metric system is universal and comprehensive. Not to mention easy to convert.

[Booz]

Okay fine, then emigrate to a continent of your choice.

I agree with NS, Metric system is universal and comprehensive. Not to mention easy to convert.

we are fine as a little bitty island all on our lonesome.........

[stocky121]

NOW THAY ****ING DO THIS

there was a grocer in my home town who still wouldent sell his fruit and veg in metric he went to the europen courts to fight his case and lost everytime he got arrested sevrel times for selling his fruit and veg in imperial.

On 14th March 2004 Steve Thoburn tragically died in his wife's arms following a massive heart attack. He went to the grave a criminal...his crime was to sell a pound of bananas. The campaign will continue until that conviction is overturned or quashed.


here is the the metric martyrs site



http://www.metricmartyrs.co.uk/

[Red Ketchup]

leave us alone Europe,we dont bloody want to be a part of you...............

Somehow I think the folks who drive over to France to get cheap import duty free wine, and belgium for beer would disagree with that statement

Red

[scriptfactory]

After living in Germany for the past 6 years I've completely forgotten how many pints are in a gallon or how many pounds are in a ton. The imperial system makes little to no sense...

[Kratos]

Metric units are uncivilized

[RA]

Personally I hope the US never switches. I like being a rebel.

[Prada]

Metric units are uncivilized

I presume you're being facetious.

Who can remember such complexities as 1000 meters being the equivalent to a kilometer? Also 10 mm=1 cm or 1 kg=1000 g, such large integers. Freakin anti-derivatives are easier then this

[taiboxa]

I presume you're being facetious.

Who can remember such complexities as 1000 meters being the equivalent to a kilometer? Also 10 mm=1 cm or 1 kg=1000 g, such large integers. Freakin anti-derivatives are easier then this

hell yeah.. its far easier to convert miles to feet
1 mile = 5,280 feet

[Prada]

hell yeah.. its far easier to convert miles to feet
1 mile = 5,280 feet

Exactly, we agree upon something. I mean sometimes i erroneously enter 8MM=1CM or 9879Grams in a kilo, who can remember this?

[taiboxa]

I KNOW! and there are 16lbs in 1oz.. i dont know what i would DO if it was.. grams to stones!

[mcpeepants]

English units are a monster for calculations. My compressible flow teacher keeps using english units on homework problems and it makes calculations take twice as long and my thermo teacher would give us a hw problem in SI and a similar test question in english units to frustrate us.

[Kratos]

I presume you're being facetious.

Who can remember such complexities as 1000 meters being the equivalent to a kilometer? Also 10 mm=1 cm or 1 kg=1000 g, such large integers. Freakin anti-derivatives are easier then this

No, I know several engineers who refuse to use the metric system, it creates problems because people get sloppy with unit calculations in metric units.

[Prada]

No, I know several engineers who refuse to use the metric system, it creates problems because people get sloppy with unit calculations in metric units.

Ahh, you must have been educated in the US? I always grew up learning through the metric system, albeit not much calculation using the metric system is involved in finance, accounting and management. So you know, the odometer is in KM. Volume of liquids in litres. Gasoline in litres. Height in meters, weight in kilograms etc.

[NotSmall]

I presume you're being facetious.

Who can remember such complexities as 1000 meters being the equivalent to a kilometer? Also 10 mm=1 cm or 1 kg=1000 g, such large integers. Freakin anti-derivatives are easier then this

LOL

Also the fact that it all ties in, i.e. 1ml = 1 cubic centimeter, or 1 litre of water = 1 kilogram, the freezing point of water is 0 and the boiling point 100...

Instead of an archaic collection of unrelated measures and random numbers that grew organically it is a thought out and easy to calculate scientific system.

[NotSmall]

No, I know several engineers who refuse to use the metric system, it creates problems because people get sloppy with unit calculations in metric units.

So their inadequacies and inabilities to put a decimal point in the right place are their justification for not using metric?

[Booz]

Somehow I think the folks who drive over to France to get cheap import duty free wine, and belgium for beer would disagree with that statement

Red

we all got our own minds and vieuws my friend,thats entirely up2 them.........

[Prada]

we all got our own minds and vieuws my friend,thats entirely up2 them.........

Stop being a stubborn british bastard.

[Booz]

Stop being a stubborn british bastard.

you dare call me British i am not a part of Britain i am English...........
oooooooooooooooooo i see a finger on the ban button....................

[***xxx***]

The imperial system makes little to no sense...

thats right, but I actually don t care if they wanna keep their complicated system...the EU should worry about more important things...

[scriptfactory]

thats right, but I actually don t care if they wanna keep their complicated system...the EU should worry about more important things...

True.

[stocky121]

i'am an engineer i've worked in metric and imperial both just as easy if you know what your doing fair enough metric is more easy to learn with out a doubt.

but if we want to use imperial why not ?
should someone be arrested and taken to court just because he sold fruit in imperial?? when people our out there committing really crimes makes me sick

[***xxx***]

should someone be arrested and taken to court just because he sold fruit in imperial?? when people our out there committing really crimes makes me sick

I am very certain that this story is an urban myth

[Prada]

I think Stocky meant it as a rhetorical question.

[Kale]

I think Stocky meant it as a rhetorical question.

How many kilograms are the in a rhetorical ?

[Prada]

How many kilograms are the in a rhetorical ?

If memory serves me right, its undefined.

It would be defined if you asked : How many rhetoricals in a kilogram.

[Kale]

If memory serves me right, its undefined.

It would be defined if you asked : How many rhetoricals in a kilogram.

Touche !!!

[NotSmall]

I am very certain that this story is an urban myth

No mate, it was in all the papers - sad eh?

[taiboxa]

No mate, it was in all the papers - sad eh?

undefined!!!

[stocky121]

I am very certain that this story is an urban myth

no mate this is very true he is from my home town. It's sad to say

[NotSmall]

no mate this is very true he is from my home town. It's sad to say

Ahhh, then he's probably in for car theft or dealing.

[stocky121]

Ahhh, then he's probably in for car theft or dealing.

BAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH


touche!!!

[helium3]

NOW THAY ****ING DO THIS

there was a grocer in my home town who still wouldent sell his fruit and veg in metric he went to the europen courts to fight his case and lost everytime he got arrested sevrel times for selling his fruit and veg in imperial.

On 14th March 2004 Steve Thoburn tragically died in his wife's arms following a massive heart attack. He went to the grave a criminal...his crime was to sell a pound of bananas. The campaign will continue until that conviction is overturned or quashed.


here is the the metric martyrs site




http://www.metricmartyrs.co.uk/

And the moral of this story is convert to metric and live!


actually we were taught both methods at school and although i talk in miles and pounds i often use kilos and millimetres, its much easier when you work in decimals.

[Red Ketchup]

Ahhh, then he's probably in for car theft or dealing.

In ounces or milligrams?

Red