Well, I could be proved wrong, John, but I believe this campaign is to all intents and
purposes is finished!!
Even if they managed to get this as far as the house of Lords, I am fairly confident
they would get exactly the same result as they did today!! I think the Government
have too big a majority in the House of commons for the House of Lords to successfully
overturn the amendments!!
The news over here and some respected commentators reckon that this decision
essentially means the death knell for use of imperial units for loose goods!!
Regarding prosecutions; certainly until the result of the Sunderland case, no
prosecutions had ever been brought for disobeying the new amendments!! However, since
then, there have been quite a few!! There were four other traders, as you were
probably aware, in court with them today, two from London and two from Cornwall, who
had been prosecuted under the same legislation!!
Regards,
Steve.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
----- Original Message -----
From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Stephen Davis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "U.S. Metric Association"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 11:36 PM
Subject: Re: [USMA:18264] Sanity prevails again!!
> 2002-02-18
>
> What I want to know now, is the DTI going to start prosecuting all those
> traders who are out of compliance? Many officials were not prosecuting
> because they were waiting for a verdict. Even though this court has denied
> permission for the "martyrs" to take the case to the House of Lords, they
> plan to petition the Lords directly.
>
> >From the BBC:
>
> The court also certified that the cases raised a point of law of general
> public importance but refused to grant permission for appeals to be heard by
> the House of Lords.
>
> The traders and their lawyers will now have to petition the Law Lords
> themselves to give a final ruling. It is thought four will seek to leave to
> petition the Lords.
>
>
> Is it really over, or is there another level to ascend to?
>
> John
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephen Davis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Monday, 2002-02-18 14:10
> Subject: [USMA:18264] Sanity prevails again!!
>
>
> > Sanity has prevailed yet again!! Neil Herron and his motley crew have
> taken their seriously-flawed arguments to the highest court in the land and
> have again been found wanting!!
> >
> > Surely now, to all intents and purposes, this argument is all but over!!
> They have been to court twice and twice they have been defeated!!
> >
> > Their credibility has been shot to smithereens!! I think they must
> realise that the battle is lost!! Oh, sure, we've had all the bluff and
> bluster about taking this case to the house of Lords, but as Sunderland
> council are quite rightly pressing for costs totalling £100'000, I think
> their capability of doing this must be severely curtailed!!
> >
> > True to form of course, the national media has given free reign to their
> ridiculous utterings outside the court without even a hint of balance, They
> seem unwilling to muddy the waters with mundane little things like facts!!
> >
> > One so-called 'Metric Martyr was heard to state that he was going back to
> his shop and selling in pounds and ounces, to which the answer could have
> been, "Being as you are at liberty to anyway, of course you are, there's
> nothing in the law to stop you!!"
> >
> > It is not an offence to SELL in pounds and ounces, only to WEIGH in pounds
> and ounces!!
> >
> > We keep hearing how this legislation has usurped British law as it was
> 'forced' upon us, which begs the question, as we signed up to the 1972 ECA
> act of our own free will, how has the legislation been forced upon us?? The
> 1994 amendments were passed as secondary legislation with full Parliamentary
> scrutiny!!
> >
> > If we wished to do away with metrication at that time, we could have done,
> there was nothing to stop it; indeed, we could leave the EU at any time if
> we wished!!
> >
> > They have said time and time again that the 1985 weights and measures act
> provided for the use of both metric and imperial measures!! Yes, but as
> they well knew, the legislation provided for future change and that use of
> the pound and ounce for trade was time-limited!!
> >
> > It was said that this was a fight for freedom of choice, but as Mr Herron
> well knows, nobody has EVER had that right!! Weights and measures law
> states that pints of draught beer can only be sold by the pint and that on
> public roads, signs have to read in miles and yards only!!
> >
> > Indeed any measure deemed illegal for trade, metric OR imperial can result
> in prosecution if the person is caught!!
> >
> > Finally, what actual freedoms is Mr Thoburn losing regarding this
> legislation??
> >
> > Is he losing the right to give his customer something in pound and
> ounces??
> >
> > No!
> >
> > Will his business lose money or his trade suffer, or will he have to close
> down ??
> >
> > No again!
> >
> > Are his customers allowed to ask for whatever they want, the same way as
> they have always done??
> >
> > Ditto!
> >
> > In fact, apart from having to obey weights and measures legislation the
> way he has always done, what freedoms is it they have actually realistically
> lost??
> >
> > Beats me!!
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Steve.
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
