Posted on 09/11/2007 4:59:59 AM PDT by oblomov
The European Union is set to confirm it has abandoned what became one of its most unpopular policies among many people in Britain. It is proposing to allow the UK to continue using pounds, miles and pints as units of measurement indefinitely.
The European Commission will announce later it is leaving all future decisions to the British government.
The decision is being seen as a victory for supporters of the ancient imperial system, the so-called "metric martyrs".
Pint saved
The UK had been due to set a date for phasing out all its imperial measurements within three years.
This would have meant setting a deadline for ending the traditional delivery of pints of milk - and the sale of pints of beer in Britain's pubs.
Every one of Britain's road signs would have had to be changed from miles to kilometres - a move which opponents warned would be both expensive and confusing.
Steve Thoburn made headlines around the world over his campaign
But it was the move, begun in 2000, to make Britain'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.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
We went metric on government highway jobs in NYS. It’s totally ridicululous because we wind up showing both systems. There’s a battle on. It’s absolutely stupid.
Slowly us British are rolling back the bureaucratic carpet of socialist/liberal EU, inch by inch, yard by yard and mile by mile...
What with all the talk of diversity, as if it were the 21st century god, it sure is interesting how some areas of individuality are treated like poison.
I understand the need for trade, and measures that are similar between nations, so I’m not completely against the metric system, but I do like our measures and think Britain SHOULD be allowed to keep theirs as well.
I still say Britain should hitch it’s chain to American and let the rest of Europe collapse in on itself. Oh well...
I read where they’re also not going forward with the metric watch. 10 “hours” with 100 “minute” hours each consisting of 1000 “seconds”. It would have been so simple but for those darn “traditionalists”.
Eat that, metric nazis!
The Imperial System is human-based. The Metric System is mathematics-based.
The Imperial System works like the human mind works, dividing things into halves, quarters, eighths, etc. This is the natural way for humans to do things. This makes things good for the carpenter but bad for the accountant.
The Metric System works like an computer works, with decimal fractions, breaking things up into tenths. Actually, not even computers work this way, but they have a front-end built on to work in decimal units rather than binary. This makes things good for the accountant but bad for the carpenter.
I see the conflict between the Imperial System and the Metric System as indicative on where people stand on basic human freedom and dignity. The freedom-loving individual naturally prefers the system that works like his own mind, dividing things and measuring things, and will prefer the Imperial System. The statist naturally prefers the system that works like the state, keeping track of lots of individual things, totalling them up into columns and controlling them, and will prefer the Metric System.
The Imperial System is the system of the Individual and the Metric System is the system of the Totalitarian. As for me, they can pry my 12” ruler out of my cold dead hands.
The metric system was imposed on Europe by the Ninteenth Century’s great Dictator.
Imposed by the sword, that is.
I will raise a pint in celebration.
“It is proposing to allow the UK to continue using pounds, miles and pints as units of measurement indefinitely.”
But - but - how is The Beast going to unite the whole world, then? England is holding up the fulfillment of prophecy.
Good for the Brits! I’ve been trying to adapt to the metric system here in France for years and years now and it just isn’t user-friendly... Who wants to measure liquids in deci-liters, for heaven’s sake! Get out a good old spoon!
The reporter -- clearly a EU-loving, globalist -- sniffed that the U.K. was practically the only place in the world that does not use the metric system.
We Americans are not France or Canada so we don't have to get our panties in a wad everytime someone seems to "overlook" us. But the fact remains that given the U.S. footprint in the world economy, it is absurd to make such a statement, pretending not to notice that we are not metric.
Of course, BBC readers are not "reporters" at all. They work for the ministry of propaganda.
Pints and drams!
I am an American that served in the US Army, which uses the metric system, and lived overseas (Germany 4 years, Saudi Arabia 5 years). When living overseas, I adapted to the metric system and believe that it would not be that hard for America to make the change for individuals, especially for future generations. I do understand that the retooling costs would be significant. Changing the road signs could be done like when the USA went from the ridiculous 55MPH to 70 or 75MPH, just place a decal or sticker over the old.
I do hate to see miles go by the way side, since that originated with the Romans. A Roman mile was about 90% of the English mile.
It would have been easier to re-define the quantities.
1 Pint = 500 milliliter (ml)
1 Quart = 1 liter
1 Gallon = 4 liters
They told us that, too, in the 60’s. We tried it. Remember the 88 kph numbers underneath the 55 mph signs? .....
Actually, I think it is user friendly -- much more practical than our quaint ways, once you get used to it.
But since we are ~not~ used to it -- we and the Brits -- I can not imagine why we would like to inconvenience ourselves to conform to the customs of globalist bureaucrats.
When the French, Germans, Russians, and Chinese abandon their silly local languages and adopt English, the de facto language of the world, then I think that we should take a look at going along on this metric thingie.
PINTS IN PUBS FOREVER
(and yes I know pints were exempt from the original metric dictates)
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