Victory for Britain's metric martyrs as Eurocrats give up the fight

The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | September 11, 2007 | BENEDICT BROGAN and PAUL SIMS

[Stoat]

But the European Commission said it had acted merely to "get the Government out of a hole" and claimed it never targeted Britain's well-loved imperial system.

Translation: "We Socialist pantywaists aren't honorable enough to gracefully admit when we're beaten, so we'll just try the 'we were just kidding all along' ploy and hope that the people who weren't paying attention will buy it."

[Darkwolf377]

Why is it that whenever a news article about something the EU is going comes out, it makes the EU look sillier than it already is? I mean—CONSISTENTLY, these decisions make the EU look like a joke.

[Stoat]

Why is it that whenever a news article about something the EU is going comes out, it makes the EU look sillier than it already is? I mean—CONSISTENTLY, these decisions make the EU look like a joke.

LMAO!

I'm guessing that when you take a mammoth Marxist / Socialist bureaucracy and distill sections of it down into bite-sized, coherent chunks, the ludicrous, illogical nature of the totality of it all becomes more apparent.

Sound good?   :-)

 

[Darkwolf377]

That's as good an explanation as any. Whenever I read stories like this, I imagine a bunch of mangy reporters waiting for some rumpled Brit or German to wander onto a HUGE stage with a massive "EU UBER ALLES" flag as a backdrop, with microphone feedback at every gap in the announcement.

I keep waiting for someone to tell me, "You actually thought they were serious? Oh, no, poor boy, you misunderstand--this is just a little play we let the socialists put on so they think they won."

[Stoat]

Whenever I read stories like this, I imagine a bunch of mangy reporters waiting for some rumpled Brit or German to wander onto a HUGE stage with a massive "EU UBER ALLES" flag as a backdrop, with microphone feedback at every gap in the announcement.

I think that vision still holds true in many ways.  Our British Friends still have to contend with many insane laws forced down their throats by the EU.  Did you know that the EU forced a law into being that requires the curvature of a banana to be regulated?  Yes, they have to conform to a specific, legally specified degree of curvature.  The pic of the banana seller in the Daily Mail article was no accident, I'll reckon, but was chosen as a reminder.

I keep waiting for someone to tell me, "You actually thought they were serious? Oh, no, poor boy, you misunderstand--this is just a little play we let the socialists put on so they think they won."

hehe!  They're trying to tell you that right now, as well as blaming it all on the Tories:

From the article:

"Brussels granted a series of derogations, and last night claimed that the decision to go metric had actually been taken by a Tory government and supported by its Labour successor."

 

[Darkwolf377]

Did you know that the EU forced a law into being that requires the curvature of a banana to be regulated?

Known as The Bubba Rule? ;)

[weegee]

Back In The EUSSR...

[Stoat]

Did you know that the EU forced a law into being that requires the curvature of a banana to be regulated?

Known as The Bubba Rule? ;)

Would this be the Bubba Rule that you're talking about?:

 

"Bill Clinton demonstrating banana curvature requirements in his Bubba Rule legislation"

 

((((snicker)))))

Did you know that the EU forced a law into being that requires the curvature of a banana to be regulated?

Known as The Bubba Rule? ;)

[Paisan]

I loathe the metric system. At work, I am forced to use it. I constantly remind my associates that:

When we Americans walked on the moon nearly 40 years ago, we didn’t get there through use of the metric system...

Don’t get me started.

[Stoat]

I loathe the metric system. At work, I am forced to use it. I constantly remind my associates that:

When we Americans walked on the moon nearly 40 years ago, we didn’t get there through use of the metric system...

Don’t get me started.

Agreed on all counts.  Although the metric system has advantages in some areas, those who try to force it down the throats of vast numbers of people who have been accustomed to the Imperial system (or others) for generations or more overlook numerous advantages of leaving well enough alone....among them being that it's really no big deal to mathematically convert from one system to another, and to force such a change and all associated retooling on a multi-trillion-dollar economy would tend to wreck things, but hey, Good Socialists don't need to care about such mundane things as destroying an entire nation's economy.......

I loathe the metric system. At work, I am forced to use it. I constantly remind my associates that:

When we Americans walked on the moon nearly 40 years ago, we didn’t get there through use of the metric system...

Don’t get me started.

[Bob]

He [the Eurocrat] added: "We at the Commission have decided the time has come to nail these myths once and for all by setting out in black and white what has always been our view: that Britain should continue to use imperial measures for as long as it likes.

Yeah, right. Obviously, that's why they've been granting all those delays over the years that held off forcing metric on Britain against its wishes. Lyin' POS.

[Stoat]

He [the Eurocrat] added: "We at the Commission have decided the time has come to nail these myths once and for all by setting out in black and white what has always been our view: that Britain should continue to use imperial measures for as long as it likes.

Yeah, right. Obviously, that's why they've been granting all those delays over the years that held off forcing metric on Britain against its wishes. Lyin' POS.
 

Indeed, and it's also why people have actually been PROSECUTED for daring to stand tall against the Socialist leviathan.  From the article:

"Mr Thoburn was prosecuted by Sunderland City Council in 2001 for breaching the Weights and Measures Act after selling bananas by the pound. His imperial scales were confiscated and he was given a sixmonth conditional discharge.

Mr Thoburn was one of only four shopkeepers ever prosecuted for using pounds and ounces - an offence which carried fines of up to £5,000. "

Notice also that even in the Daily Mail article, they say "Mr Thoburn was one of only four shopkeepers ever prosecuted......"

Four people prosecuted under an utterly insane law is four people too many, and their suffering and harassment shouldn't be minimized by saying that "it was only four"..  It would still be wrong to have such prosecutions possible, even if the laws were never invoked for a single prosecution.

"an offence which carried fines of up to £5,000"

That's an awful lot of money for someone who sells apples and bananas for a living.  Here is the current conversion rate to provide a little perspective:

Live rates at 2007.09.11 08:59:16 UTC
5,000.00 GBP	=	10,146.86 USD
United Kingdom Pounds		United States Dollars
1 GBP = 2.02937 USD		1 USD = 0.492763 GBP

 

 

He [the Eurocrat] added: "We at the Commission have decided the time has come to nail these myths once and for all by setting out in black and white what has always been our view: that Britain should continue to use imperial measures for as long as it likes.

Yeah, right. Obviously, that's why they've been granting all those delays over the years that held off forcing metric on Britain against its wishes. Lyin' POS.
 

Indeed, and it's also why people have actually been PROSECUTED for daring to stand tall against the Socialist leviathan.  From the article:

"Mr Thoburn was prosecuted by Sunderland City Council in 2001 for breaching the Weights and Measures Act after selling bananas by the pound. His imperial scales were confiscated and he was given a sixmonth conditional discharge.

Mr Thoburn was one of only four shopkeepers ever prosecuted for using pounds and ounces - an offence which carried fines of up to £5,000. "

Notice also that even in the Daily Mail article, they say "Mr Thoburn was one of only four shopkeepers ever prosecuted......"

Four people prosecuted under an utterly insane law is four people too many, and their suffering and harassment shouldn't be minimized by saying that "it was only four"..  It would still be wrong to have such prosecutions possible, even if the laws were never invoked for a single prosecution.

"an offence which carried fines of up to £5,000"

That's an awful lot of money for someone who sells apples and bananas for a living.  Here is the current conversion rate to provide a little perspective:

Live rates at 2007.09.11 08:59:16 UTC
5,000.00 GBP	=	10,146.86 USD
United Kingdom Pounds		United States Dollars
1 GBP = 2.02937 USD		1 USD = 0.492763 GBP

 

 

[tlb]

My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead, and that’s how I like it.

[AnAmericanMother]

40 rods to the hogshead?

Sheesh, are you driving something like this?

[AnAmericanMother]

Speaking as a sometime carpenter, I can tell you the metric system does not work for measuring out lumber, calculating rafter angles, etc.

The English system based on 12 and fractions is divisible in more ways, more quickly, and can be calculated in your head. Once you get to decimals in the metric system, you are lost.

[FreePaul]

My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead,...

That's driving at how many furlongs per fortnight?

[jusduat]

I don’t know what it is, but I want one!

[sergeantdave]

LOL!!!

What is that?

[ConorMacNessa]

A pint of Guiness, please.

[barb-tex]

Crowns & Pounds. One thing worse than Going Metric is to go Ha-fast metric like the US auto industry has. the wrench artist has to have dual calibrated eyeballs.
barbra ann