Dear Ezra and All,
You might be also interested in this radio interview with Robin Paice
at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ZCu0ZSvww&feature=sdig&et=1256408780.24
where there is an 8:40 snippet.
You don't get all of the calls but you do get Robin Paice speaking
sensibly and you also get the final statement that between 60 % and 70
% of the callers support the metric system in preference to the old
measuring methods in the UK.
Robin Paice is to be congratulated for his continuing efforts.
To support Robin, I wrote to the presenter as follows:
##
Dear Jonathon Vernon-Smith,
If you decide to continue with the theme of completing metrication in
the UK you might find supportive resources at http://metricationmatters.com.html
I recommend these web pages:
Why metrication? http://metricationmatters.com/why_metrication.html
Who invented the metric system? (in 1668, in London?)
http://www.metricationmatters.com/who-invented-the-metric-system.html
Don't use metric! http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/DontUseMetric.pdf
Please contact me if I can help you develop this theme.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin, Geelong, Australia
##
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, that you can obtain
from http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for
their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many
different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial
and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA.
Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST,
and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com
for more metrication information, contact Pat at [email protected]
or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter
to subscribe.
On 2009/10/25, at 08:05 , [email protected] wrote:
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
>
