Absolutely right Martin - what has W&M to do with the UK/EU political situation? Yes, the EU does impose some rules regarding displaying units of measure, but for the most part it takes a back seat in this - witness the almost complete deregulation of package sizes.
What needs to be done regarding the British situation is to emphasise that going metric is a WORLD progression, not an EU stricture. The UK recognised this in 1965 (as Canada did in 1971, and Australia sometime in the early 1960s), and that completing this transition is vital for the economic health of this country. The BWMA is just fostering the decline of the UK (or at least preventing it from achieving its potential), and that message needs to be got over somehow. Easily said, almost impossible to do... John F-L ----- Original Message ----- From: Martin Vlietstra To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2011 5:22 PM Subject: [USMA:50572] Re: Unfortunately...... If you look at the BWMA home page, you will see a picture of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament + Big Ben) with a notice in front of it "For Sale - Tel Brussels xxxxxxxx". If you look at the Metric Martyrs website, you will see a number of anti-EU link. IMO, the **REAL** reason for anti-metric feeling in the UK is the anti-EU brigade stirring things - they have created a situation where many people believe that by opposing metrication, they are opposing the EU. Since the UK, like the US, has a first-past-the-post electoral system, small swings in popularity transform into big changes at the polls and British politicians, like politicians the world over, will happily sacrifice our future to keep popularity for a week - after all Harold Wilson once said "A week is a long time in politics". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Stephen Davis Sent: 08 June 2011 16:38 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:50569] Re: Unfortunately...... Yes, it is strange how every other product in shops and stores that is packaged is (99.9% of the time) is advertised in metric only yet we stubbornly insist on loose fruit & veg being sold in both metric and imperial measures. Pounds and ounces and fluid ounces for pre-packaged goods and bottles and cans have not been used in the UK since Adam was a lad, yet we persist with poinds and ounces for loose goods when most people under 30 don't even know what they are. I suspect it's a sop to our right wing media who would probably like to see a return to rods, chains and hogsheads. We have been travelling towards full metrication since 1965...I think its about time we finally arrived there, don't you? ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: Stephen Davis Cc: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2011 11:45 PM Subject: Re: [USMA:50566] Unfortunately...... The point I take from this is that many stores and small traders continue to contribute to the metric muddle in the UK by promoting and keeping visible Imperial units in their advertising, store signs (other than shelf labels), and Imperial scales (even if only for show). This makes it all the harder for the populace to complete the mental shift to 100% metric. -- Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Davis" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 9:46:09 AM Subject: [USMA:50566] Unfortunately...... .....although Mr Humphrey's has moved the goalposts on this debate, (yet again) I'm afraid it is correct that there is metric AND imperial signs in certain supermarkets in the UK. However, I hasten to add, this is for loose fruit and veg ONLY! I don't know how widespread it is and I have no reason to believe that the experience of certain USMA members shopping in the UK wasn't totally correct - that is supposing that they weren't confused by Mr Humphreys mentioning only IMPERIAL on shelf edging. Of course, this would be totally illegal, as he well knows. Signs for the selling of loose fruit & veg in certain stores in the UK have both metric and imperial. There are often scales as well to weigh in either metric or imperial but, as I keep saying, these scales are mainly for show anyway, The loose goods are weighed electronically in metric at the store checkout. To recap, I am unaware exactly how many supermarkets in the UK actually do this, but it is certainly true that a number of them do this..
