[USMA:34197] Re: A sign of hope! - EU pushing Britain's hand in banning last vestiges of imperial

[Terry Simpson]

>Of Han Maenen >Only for this nonsense that is peddled again and again: >"....Britain's growing army of drinkers could be swilling >568ml of ale before hopping in a taxi for the 1.609km journey home."   It is odd to assert that each journey from pub to home is 1609 m. The implication appears to be that metric units do not feature in taxi journeys. That is false. Many UK taxi fares are calculated in metric units.   The tariff for London taxis: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/pco/fares-detailed.shtml “For the first 219.6 metres or 47.2 seconds (whichever is reached first) there is a minimum charge of £2.20; For each additional 109.8 metres or 23.6 seconds (whichever is reached first), or part thereof, if the fare is less than £19.40 there is a charge of 20p; Once the fare is £19.40 or greater then there is a charge of 20p for each additional 117.7 metres or 25.3 seconds (whichever is reached first).”     It would be a rare British drinker that is not exposed to metric units.   1. At least 25% of beer is sold at places other than the pub. Thus it will be in packages which must have metric labels. The containers are almost all metric quantities.   2. At least 14% of beer sold in the pub is bottled. Thus it will be in packages which must have metric labels. The containers are almost all metric quantities.   3. At least half of drinkers had drunk alcohol in a home. Thus it will be in packages which must have metric labels. The containers are almost all metric quantities.   4. Up to half of alcohol drunk was not beer. Thus it will be in packages which must have metric labels. The containers are almost all metric quantities.   http://www.oft.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/34960586-5561-468F-ADB7-1A0EB8A6F367/0/oft317.pdf "bottled beer still accounts for only 14% of beer sales in the UK on-trade" (on-trade = beer sold for consumption on the premises e.g. pubs, off-trade = beer sold for consumption off the premises e.g. supermarket)     http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/2005/fulltext/499.pdf "Around three-quarters of the beer sold in the UK is consumed in outlets, primarily in public houses (pubs), but also in other licensed premises including clubs and hotels. The remainder is sold at off-trade outlets, including off-licences and supermarkets."   http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/dab1202.pdf "47 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women had drunk alcohol in their own home in the previous week, and a further 1 in 10 had been in someone else's home."   "25 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women had bought alcohol from a supermarket in the previous week"   "Half of all alcohol drunk was beer - 41 per cent was normal strength beer and a further 9 per cent was strong beer (defined as being 6 per cent or more alcohol by volume)."