"Joseph B. Reid" wrote:
> The responsibility of government in introducing the metric system has > been discussed in USMA messages 27295, 27298, and 27299. > > The contrast between the speed of adopting the metric system by the > British countries and the USA, it seems to me, to be due to the Members > of Congress being expected to present the wishes of their constituents, > while British parliamentarians are delegated to vote for what they > consider to be in the best interests of their constituents, even though > the constituents may wish for something different. Neither the British Parliament nor the US Congress are particularly democratic institutions. Most members of Congress do very little to find out what their constituents want and even less to advocate for their wants. Winning and power are what are most important, especially in comparison with most European representatives who are usually elected by a greater percentage of the potential electorate. > > > So far as I know, the question of going metric has not been put to a > vote of any British electorate; parliaments have simply decided on the > change. Going metric has never been a simple decision, and usually is most successful when there is extensive public participation. I could share some of my research with you, if you would like. Helen Bushnell
