Robin, Thank you for your thoughtful follow-up.
One thing that did not occur to me is what you so correctly mention in your reply: someone from the DfT (Department for Transport) should have been there with you, not someone from UKIP. Right off the bat, the interview was framed incorrectly and unhelpfully. Any chance for a follow-up interview with a DfT rep and perhaps a professional from the road safety community and someone from the international road signage community (and a bit more time for the interview)? -- Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robin Paice" <[email protected]> To: "John Frewen-Lord" <[email protected]> Cc: "ezra steinberg" <[email protected]>, "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>, "Phillip S Hall" <[email protected]>, "Roddy Urqhart" <[email protected]>, "Chris Keenan" <[email protected]>, "Googlegroups forum" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, October 24, 2009 3:24:56 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: Re: [USMA:46055] Interview with UKMA leader Robin Paice on Rado 4 regarding metrication Hello John and USMA and others Although it was good to get a bit of publicity, I was quite dissatisfied with the discussion, as it was incompetently handled by the presenter, Jim Naughtie. He introduced it by implying that metric units are somewhat strange and new-fangled and that he needed to have his calculations checked. When I was starting to try to explain why "two systems" are not a good idea, he interrupted and diverted on to America. This rather threw me because it is difficult to explain to a largely ignorant British audience (and presenter) that there is considerable metric usage in the US but that it is largely unseen, and that the US is in danger of getting into the same mess as we are in in the UK. Valuable time was wasted discussing American road signs, following which my opponent was allowed to claim (wrongly) that the metric signs in Arizona have been (or are to be) replaced - and I was given no opportunity to correct this. As John FL says, I also had no opportunity to refute the UKIP claim that it is all an EU plot to subvert the British Way of Life, but I doubt whether many listeners believe that anyway. When I was asked to do the interview, I suggested that it was inappropriate to involve UKIP as it is not a European issue, and it would be better to get a spokesperson from the Department for Transport. However, BBC journalists (whether biased or not - and I certainly don't think they are generally left-wing) presumably think that inchoate ravings from UKIP make better radio than a sensible discussion about metric road signs. As to the time allocation, my problem is that I generally try to give concise answers to the question asked, rather than rambling on to favourite, prepared themes. This may have worked to my advantage as I hope I managed to sound reasonably sane and moderate, whereas the UKIP representative must have sounded verbose, paranoid and irrational. Anyway, as they say, any publicity is probably good publicity. Robin John Frewen-Lord wrote: > I think Robin got the short end of the stick on that. Clark got both > the opening say AND the closing say. I think that Robin should have > had the chance to say that metrication of the UK is NOT an EU thing - > which is where I thought the dialogue was going. Unfortunately, it > stopped somewhat short, giving the impression that metrication in the > UK was being forced by the EU. > > I also roughly timed both Clark's and Robin's comments, and Clark by > far got the most time. > > I was going to say the usual BBC anti-metric bias, but as my previous > email said - sometimes the BBC can get it (mostly) right, just not > this time. > > For the benefit of US readers, Radio 4 is the BBC's flagship radio > program, predominantly serious political/socio/economic talk, but also > a lot of 'intellectual comedy', current affairs, documentaries, etc. > No advertizing or sponsorship of course, and supposedly impartial, > although too many of 'the beeb's' reporters and commentors have been > accused (sometimes rightly so) of a left wing bias. > > John F-L > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > *To:* U.S. Metric Association <mailto:[email protected]> > *Cc:* Robin Paice <mailto:[email protected]> ; Phillip S Hall > <mailto:[email protected]> ; Roddy Urqhart > <mailto:[email protected]> ; Chris Keenan > <mailto:[email protected]> > *Sent:* Friday, October 23, 2009 7:10 PM > *Subject:* [USMA:46055] Interview with UKMA leader Robin Paice on > Rado 4 regarding metrication > > I figure USMA folks would find this interesting (taken from UKMA > web site at http://ukma.org.uk): > > http://www.youtube.com/UKMetric#p/c/04DE7CACFA86D7A4/0/LQpc7BMi1bE > > -- Ezra >
