News-in-brief Steve Thoburn to Appeal (April 27th, 2001) Steve Thoburn has announced his intention to appeal against the conviction. He said at a press conference today in Sunderland, "People have asked me to pursue this further not for any political party whatsoever, just the people in the street, so obviously I want to take it further". Public donations have swollen an appeal fund to �100,000. However, more funds are required to meet the likely costs of a Divisional Court hearing. Northampton Council back down (April 21st, 2001) Northampton Borough Council has backed down over its refusal to replace illegal metric signs. Chief Executive of the council Roger Morris has said: "These will be corrected temporarily by putting stickers over them in the immediate future. In the longer term, we will replace them". UKIP candidate for Northampton North Dusan Torbica has said: "If a greengrocer gets prosecuted for selling his goods in pounds and ounces rather than kilograms, then why shouldn't councils be taken to court for showing illegal measurements as well?" (source: Daily Mail) Possible legal action over metric road signs (April 18th, 2001) The UK Independence Party has given Northamptonshire County Council and Northampton Borough Council 72 hours notice to remove illegal metric road signs. The Borough Council had been informed about the signs in December 2000 but refused to replace them - even though it acknowledged the signs were unlawful. UKIP has stated that if the signs are not removed, legal action in the High Court will be commenced by means of a writ of mandamus. Costs will be claimed against both authorities. BWMA gives views to Government on Price Marking Order (April 10th, 2001) BWMA has today submitted its contribution to the Department of Trade and Industry's consultation on Price Marking Order 2001. The PMO currently requires metric units for contracts (eg weight indications on product packaging and till receipts) but not for advertising. This enables retailers such as Tesco, Budgens and Somerfield to use pounds and ounces on posters, promotional labels and other advertising materials. BWMA has argued that the use of lb/oz/pints for advertising purposes be preserved in order to protect consumers from reduced packaged quantities, and to maintain a level playing field between competing retailers and producers. Steve Thoburn found Guilty - Appeal under consideration (April 9th, 2001) Sunderland Greengrocer Steven Thoburn, 36 year old father of two, has been convicted of a criminal offence for using pounds and ounces. Mr Thoburn has been given a six-month conditional discharge and faces maximum fines of �1,000 on each of two offences as well as court costs of up to �75,000. Mr Thoburn has 21 days to appeal the verdict. The district judge, Bruce Morgan, said the case centred around "the most famous bunch of bananas in legal history". Last year, Mr Thoburn had his weighing equipment confiscated during a raid by trading standards officers and police after he sold a pound of bananas for 34 pence. Press Release by the Sunderland Metric Martyrs (8 April 2001) THE COURT CASE TOMORROW THAT WILL DECIDE WHO GOVERNS BRITAIN! The Sunderland Council prosecution of the greengrocer who sold a pound of bananas. The judgement in the Steve Thoburn "Metric Martyr" trial will be handed down by District Judge Bruce Morgan at Sunderland Magistrates Court at 2 p.m. on Monday 9th. April. Steve Thoburn is a British greengrocer who is being prosecuted for selling bananas by the pound, now alleged, according to European Union law, to be a CRIMINAL OFFENCE in Britain! The case is of massive constitutional importance, it will determine whether a British Act of Parliament can be overturned by a mere regulation originating from the European Union in Brussels. This judgement will establish whether Britain is ruled by foreign power, or by its own elected representatives in parliament at Westminster. People all over Great Britain and around the world have supported Stephen and made donations to his defence fund. The campaign and Stephen's defence have been organised and co-ordinated by his friend and fellow trader Neil Herron, who has also been threatened with prosecution for selling fish buy the pound. Neil says, "we have won the hearts and minds of the British public. They will not allow Stephen to loose. It's not just about selling a pound of bananas, it's about our freedom and our democracy." Contact for more information Neil Herron, Telephone: 01915 226 308 / 01915 108 148 / 07776 202 045 or international: +44 1915 22 63 08. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Address: SUNDERLAND METRIC MARTYRS, Unit 14/15/16, Park Lane Market, Sunderland SR1 3NX, England Heineken bring back Pint cans(April 8th, 2001) Heineken lager is now available in pint cans. The new cans feature the description "One Pint" in large lettering, dwarfing the reference to "568ml". Heineken is the latest drinks producer to reintroduce imperial measure, other companies including Diamond White, Dry Blackthorn and Boddingtons. Budgens behind in lb/oz reintroduction programme (March 28th, 2001) In a letter to BWMA, national supermarket chain Budgens admits that it has "not entirely fulfilled its plans for the reintroduction of pounds and ounces". However, Budgens assures BWMA that it is "genuine in its support for the campaign". Budgens states that the area where it has not moved forward is in the packaging of its own-label brands. They admit that they under-estimated the costs of the change and have had to put the project on hold for this financial year. However, matters will be reviewed again in a few months. Budgens has moved forward in its delicatessan sections where prices are clearly indicated per pound. Budgens is also marking advertising materials with lb/oz, frequently more prominently than the metric. Motions to annul metric-only labelling quashed in Lords and Commons (March 22nd 2001) Bids by the Conservative Party to annul government regulations prohibiting non-metric information after 2009 were quashed in the Lords and Commons on March 20th and 21st, respectively. In the Lords, a Motion proposed by Baroness Miller of Hendon to repeal metric-only regulations was defeated after a 70-minute debate by 115 votes to 76, a government majority of 39. Baroness Miller said in a statement after the vote: "This was a foolish move by the Government - blind, pettifogging bureaucracy. Today's vote will be a green light for town hall jobsworths to persecute shoppers wanting to buy in pounds and shops". In the Commons, the government pushed through the regulations by 263 votes to 182. Conservatives put Motion to annul metric-only regulations - vote on March 21st The House of Commons had a debate during the late-evening of March 14th regarding the Weights & Measures (Metrication) Regulations 2001, banning the use of non-metric supplementary indications after December 31st, 2009. The Conservative Party put forward a Motion calling for the revoking of the regulations. Division has been deferred until Wednesday 21st March. Thoburn Court Case concluded On March 1st, legal teams concluded their legal arguments in the "pound of bananas" case. Michael Shrimpton was acting for the defence of greengrocer Steven Thoburn, while counsel QC Eleanor Sharpston was acting for the prosecution. The verdict is expected on April 9th, 2001. Metric-only deadline set for December 2009 On February 8th 2001, the government passed Statutory Instruments 2001 No 55 and No 85, setting the end date for UK units as "supplementary indications" as December 31, 2009. Under EC law, it is already compulsory to use metric for most purposes but UK units may be shown alongside. However, these two Statutory Instruments implement new EC directive 99/103 that outlaws UK units even as equivalents. The EC was to have set this deadline for December 31st 1999 but delayed ten years due to EU exporters' need to use UK/US equivalents for trade with the the USA. Part of the condition for the ten year delay was a requirement that the British government had until February 9 to incorporate the EU directive into law. A DTI spokesman said the government had the option of negotiating another 10-year extension "if imperial measurements continue to be widely used". Metric Defeated in Michigan, USA (Jan 2000) Following the conversion to metric by state Michigan's Department of Transportation for the design and construction of state roads, complaints were made by the Michigan Road Builders Association to the State authorities. The switch to metric cost Michigan taxpayers $10 million, only to cause very considerable inconvenience and difficuly to the people who actually have to build the roads. The good news is that the State authorities have accepted the complaint, and have ordered the Dept of Transportation to return to inch-pound units for all road projects. Metric Taxi Fare-meters in Scunthorpe? (Jan 31, 2001) Scunthorpe taxi drivers have been told by their Council to measure distances in kilometres. This can cost them up to �250 for a new fare-meter. This instruction was then changed and now they must display their prices in kilometres but the fare-meter can be calibrated in miles. The North Lincolnshire Taxi & Private Hire Association is to challenge this instruction, in court if necessary. Thoburn Judgement delayed until April 9th, 2001 Sunderland greengrocer Mr Thoburn's three day trial for using lb/oz concluded on 18 January. However, due to the complexity of the case and the implications for constitutional law, final submissions will made on March 1st. The verdict will be delivered on April 9th, 2001. John Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrt�mlich glaubt frei zu sein. There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they are free! Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
