Press Release 8 July 2004 http://www.ukma.org.uk/
A Very British Mess Metric campaign launched to end British measurements mess London, 8 July 2004. An all-party campaign has been launched to end the confusing muddle of different weights and measures (metric and imperial) used in Britain. At a press conference chaired by Lord Howe, the former Conservative Deputy Prime Minister, the UK Metric Association (UKMA) announced the publication of its report âA very British messâ. UKMAâs report details the muddle and indecision which has saddled Britain with two incompatible sets of measurements â metres and feet, kilos and pounds, litres and pints, kilowatts and horsepower. The report exposes the myths which have been spread by opponents of the metric system and argues that it would be in Britainâs interest to complete the changeover to exclusive use of metric units as soon as possible â with a target date of 2009. Lord Howe, Britainâs first Consumer Affairs Minister in the 1970s, commented: âPlainly we canât stay where we are, with two confused, competing systems. Magna Carta endorsed the need for only one set of standards. And it would be madness to go backwards. The only solution is to complete the changeover to metric â and as swiftly and cleanly as possible.â The report points out that the changeover to metric was started in 1965 (long before Britain entered the Common Market), and that the slow progress and continuing opposition has been due to the failure of successive governments to attempt to justify the change or educate the public. It calls on the government to publicly declare its support for completing the change as soon as possible phase out imperial measures for all official purposes (including on road signs) end dual pricing and labelling in all shops and markets carry out proper campaigns of public education UKMA hopes that the publication of its report will be a signal to responsible opinion-formers in industry and commerce, the professions, the academic world, politics and the media to put their heads above the parapet and state publicly that the present nonsense has gone on long enough, and that it is time to complete the change that was begun 39 years ago. Robin Paice, Chairman of UKMA, commented: âOf course we understand why some politicians are nervous of this issue, but most people realise that we have to go through with the changeover. It will cause some grumbling, of course, but, as with decimalisation of the currency in 1971, not long after the change, people will wonder what all the fuss was about. So for goodness sake, letâs get it over with!â -- Chris KEENAN UK Metric Assoc.: metric.org.uk
