Britons moving towards 'Royales with cheese'?

Dreamer128 · 02-26-2006, 09:30 AM

Britons drag their feet as calls mount to turn metric

Love of the old-fashioned pint, mile and other traditional measuring units has made Britain reluctant to convert fully to the modern metric system used across Europe.

Prime Minister Tony Blair himself admitted last week that Londoners were not in favour of abandoning the country's imperial measuring system.

"I think (Transport Minister) Alistair Darling has already given the answer to that, which is that we are not in favour of that," he said at his monthly press conference on Thursday.

The issue of updating Britain's muddled method of measuring weights, distances and other units has been a political hot potato for the past four decades.

In 1965, the country launched a programme to convert fully to the metric system but it was quickly interrupted and Britons continue to juggle with several different measuring systems today.

They buy petrol in litres but calculate their consumption of fuel in gallons (one gallon is equivalent to 4.54 litres).

Students are taught metric measurements at school but their parents invariably buy their fruit and vegetables in pounds (one pound is equivalent to 453.6 grams).

The country must stop measuring weight in pounds, stones and ounces by 2009, but the practice of measuring distances under the imperial system will stay.

Britons measure distances in miles (one mile is equivalent to 1,609 metres), speed in miles per hour and surface areas in acres (one acre is equivalent to 4,047 square metres).

Like most of his fellow citizens, Blair finds it difficult to switch miles into kilometres as he demonstrated on Thursday.

Asked by a journalist to convert 50 miles into kilometres, the prime minister said: "I suppose they told you that before you came in here...Er...It was never my strong point anyway this type of thing. Okay, what is the answer?"

This position is supported by the tabloid press in Britain and the Eurosceptics, who are often heard saying: "Give an inch to the Eurocrats and they will take a metre."

In contrast, the UK Metric Association (UKMA) hopes British road signs will be converted to the metric system by 2012 -- the year London is due to host the Olympic Games. At the moment, under European Union rules, Britain merely has to give a date when it plans to adopt fully the metric system.

UKMA said in a report published last week: "If the recommendations of this report are followed, Britain can join the modern metric world -- and do so by the time that the all-metric Olympic Games open in London in 2012."

Officially, there are "absolutely no plans" to change Britain's road signs from listing distances in miles to listing them in kilometres, according to the Transport Ministry.

"It would cost several millions of pounds (euros, dollars) and would be a waste of taxpayers' money," a spokeswoman for the ministry said.

The authorities predict such a move would cost about 750 million pounds (1.1 billion euros, 1.3 billion dollars), but UKMA has a much lower prediction of 80 million pounds.

The group which is supported by Neil Kinnock, a former leader of the ruling Labour Party, highlighted a similar transition process in Ireland, which went metric last year, as an example of how it can be done. UKMA also noted that Britain is the last country in the Commonwealth not to have ditched the old measuring method.

The voices in support of change, however, appear to be in the minority, even in Brussels.

Gunter Verheigen, the European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, has said he has no plans to pressure Britain to speed up its measurement conversion.

"I personally have a lot of sympathy for the pint and for the mile in the UK," he was quoted as saying in September.

(Source: EUBusiness)

[ 02-26-2006, 09:31 AM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]

Ilander · 02-26-2006, 05:04 PM

...So, let's face the facts...The SI system is wonderful, some of the time, especially when one is a research scientist...but even it has its flaws, and if you're not mentally agile enough to do unit conversions when you really need to---some may need to do so more often than others---then maybe you're just the idiot who's inconveniencing everyone else instead of the other way around.

About pounds, though...many, MANY proponents of the metric system think that pounds and kilograms measure the same thing...but they don't. Pounds are a measure of the force due to gravity upon some object, while kilograms are the measure of how much matter is within the object.

Think British units are too arbitrarily defined?

The kilogram is the mass of one cubic decimeter of pure water. The meter was originally 1/10,000,000 of the distance from the earth's equator to the earth's pole. There are two temperature scales, three units of pressure, and that's just the surface. SI is a nice thing, most of the time...but it has its own inherent drawbacks.

Trivia: Anyone know the British system's unit of MASS?

Sir Goulum · 02-26-2006, 05:19 PM

Isn't it a slug?

Metric is easier for physics class let me tell you. I couldn't imagine doing all those calculations with those silly imperial units.

[ 02-26-2006, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: Sir Goulum ]

wellard · 02-26-2006, 05:22 PM

Ahhh the old we must never change brigade still marches on!

I ask those that do not want to change what happened to their scruples [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] (that’s 20 grains for those who can not remember) Can they still fathom out drachms or are they chain(s)ed to using the firkin bushels forever?

Ilander · 02-26-2006, 05:26 PM

Five points to Sir Goulum, for correctly naming the unit equivalent to 14.5939029 kilograms, the slug.

Don't spend them all in one place, SirG!

Sir Goulum · 02-26-2006, 05:27 PM

I'll treasure them forever. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

So is the US ever going to try and catch up with the modern world too?

wellard · 02-26-2006, 05:35 PM

Just a bit of info, the UK started to go metric back in 1849 not in 1965 as suggested dreamer.

" a silver florin (one tenth of a pound) was introduced, as a first step towards decimalisation – which finally occurred in 1971!"

(from the net)

[ 02-26-2006, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: wellard ]

Ilander · 02-26-2006, 05:39 PM

The United State's OFFICIAL measurement system is SI. Just 'cuz we don't use it on our highways doesn't make us bad people

wellard · 02-26-2006, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ilander:
The United State's OFFICIAL measurement system is SI. Just 'cuz we don't use it on our highways doesn't make us bad people

But yet Boeing still ignore the SI system

Tell me Illander would you want your aircraft refueled with Gallons, Gallons (US) or shall we risk a mistake and convert it to litres? (and lets not even bring the specific gravity into the calculation [img]tongue.gif[/img] )

Ilander · 02-26-2006, 06:00 PM

To be honest, Wellard, I'm just fine with the mixed system we have right now. Use whatever units you like, so long as you let the relevant people know what they mean.

As such, I must now walk exactly one Lyle, arbitrarily defined as the distance from my desk to the crapper.

02-26-2006, 05:04 PM	#2
Ilander 20th Level Warrior Join Date: December 28, 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 38 Posts: 2,820	...So, let's face the facts...The SI system is wonderful, some of the time, especially when one is a research scientist...but even it has its flaws, and if you're not mentally agile enough to do unit conversions when you really need to---some may need to do so more often than others---then maybe you're just the idiot who's inconveniencing everyone else instead of the other way around. About pounds, though...many, MANY proponents of the metric system think that pounds and kilograms measure the same thing...but they don't. Pounds are a measure of the force due to gravity upon some object, while kilograms are the measure of how much matter is within the object. Think British units are too arbitrarily defined? The kilogram is the mass of one cubic decimeter of pure water. The meter was originally 1/10,000,000 of the distance from the earth's equator to the earth's pole. There are two temperature scales, three units of pressure, and that's just the surface. SI is a nice thing, most of the time...but it has its own inherent drawbacks. Trivia: Anyone know the British system's unit of MASS? __________________ Is that what you really want to say?

02-26-2006, 05:22 PM	#4
wellard Dracolisk Join Date: November 1, 2002 Location: Australia ..... G\'day! Posts: 6,123	Ahhh the old we must never change brigade still marches on! I ask those that do not want to change what happened to their scruples [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] (that’s 20 grains for those who can not remember) Can they still fathom out drachms or are they chain(s)ed to using the firkin bushels forever? __________________ fossils - natures way of laughing at creationists for over 3 billion years

02-26-2006, 05:26 PM	#5
Ilander 20th Level Warrior Join Date: December 28, 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 38 Posts: 2,820	Five points to Sir Goulum, for correctly naming the unit equivalent to 14.5939029 kilograms, the slug. Don't spend them all in one place, SirG! __________________ Is that what you really want to say?

02-26-2006, 05:35 PM	#7
wellard Dracolisk Join Date: November 1, 2002 Location: Australia ..... G\'day! Posts: 6,123	Just a bit of info, the UK started to go metric back in 1849 not in 1965 as suggested dreamer. " a silver florin (one tenth of a pound) was introduced, as a first step towards decimalisation – which finally occurred in 1971!" (from the net) [ 02-26-2006, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: wellard ] __________________ fossils - natures way of laughing at creationists for over 3 billion years

02-26-2006, 05:39 PM	#8
Ilander 20th Level Warrior Join Date: December 28, 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 38 Posts: 2,820	The United State's OFFICIAL measurement system is SI. Just 'cuz we don't use it on our highways doesn't make us bad people __________________ Is that what you really want to say?

02-26-2006, 09:30 AM	#1
Dreamer128 Dracolisk Join Date: March 21, 2001 Location: Europe Age: 39 Posts: 6,136	Britons drag their feet as calls mount to turn metric Love of the old-fashioned pint, mile and other traditional measuring units has made Britain reluctant to convert fully to the modern metric system used across Europe. Prime Minister Tony Blair himself admitted last week that Londoners were not in favour of abandoning the country's imperial measuring system. "I think (Transport Minister) Alistair Darling has already given the answer to that, which is that we are not in favour of that," he said at his monthly press conference on Thursday. The issue of updating Britain's muddled method of measuring weights, distances and other units has been a political hot potato for the past four decades. In 1965, the country launched a programme to convert fully to the metric system but it was quickly interrupted and Britons continue to juggle with several different measuring systems today. They buy petrol in litres but calculate their consumption of fuel in gallons (one gallon is equivalent to 4.54 litres). Students are taught metric measurements at school but their parents invariably buy their fruit and vegetables in pounds (one pound is equivalent to 453.6 grams). The country must stop measuring weight in pounds, stones and ounces by 2009, but the practice of measuring distances under the imperial system will stay. Britons measure distances in miles (one mile is equivalent to 1,609 metres), speed in miles per hour and surface areas in acres (one acre is equivalent to 4,047 square metres). Like most of his fellow citizens, Blair finds it difficult to switch miles into kilometres as he demonstrated on Thursday. Asked by a journalist to convert 50 miles into kilometres, the prime minister said: "I suppose they told you that before you came in here...Er...It was never my strong point anyway this type of thing. Okay, what is the answer?" This position is supported by the tabloid press in Britain and the Eurosceptics, who are often heard saying: "Give an inch to the Eurocrats and they will take a metre." In contrast, the UK Metric Association (UKMA) hopes British road signs will be converted to the metric system by 2012 -- the year London is due to host the Olympic Games. At the moment, under European Union rules, Britain merely has to give a date when it plans to adopt fully the metric system. UKMA said in a report published last week: "If the recommendations of this report are followed, Britain can join the modern metric world -- and do so by the time that the all-metric Olympic Games open in London in 2012." Officially, there are "absolutely no plans" to change Britain's road signs from listing distances in miles to listing them in kilometres, according to the Transport Ministry. "It would cost several millions of pounds (euros, dollars) and would be a waste of taxpayers' money," a spokeswoman for the ministry said. The authorities predict such a move would cost about 750 million pounds (1.1 billion euros, 1.3 billion dollars), but UKMA has a much lower prediction of 80 million pounds. The group which is supported by Neil Kinnock, a former leader of the ruling Labour Party, highlighted a similar transition process in Ireland, which went metric last year, as an example of how it can be done. UKMA also noted that Britain is the last country in the Commonwealth not to have ditched the old measuring method. The voices in support of change, however, appear to be in the minority, even in Brussels. Gunter Verheigen, the European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, has said he has no plans to pressure Britain to speed up its measurement conversion. "I personally have a lot of sympathy for the pint and for the mile in the UK," he was quoted as saying in September. (Source: EUBusiness) [ 02-26-2006, 09:31 AM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]

02-26-2006, 05:19 PM	#3
Sir Goulum John Locke Join Date: February 7, 2002 Location: Edmonton, Canada Age: 35 Posts: 8,985	Isn't it a slug? Metric is easier for physics class let me tell you. I couldn't imagine doing all those calculations with those silly imperial units. [ 02-26-2006, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: Sir Goulum ]

02-26-2006, 05:27 PM	#6
Sir Goulum John Locke Join Date: February 7, 2002 Location: Edmonton, Canada Age: 35 Posts: 8,985	I'll treasure them forever. [img]tongue.gif[/img] So is the US ever going to try and catch up with the modern world too?

02-26-2006, 06:00 PM	#10
Ilander 20th Level Warrior Join Date: December 28, 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 38 Posts: 2,820	To be honest, Wellard, I'm just fine with the mixed system we have right now. Use whatever units you like, so long as you let the relevant people know what they mean. As such, I must now walk exactly one Lyle, arbitrarily defined as the distance from my desk to the crapper. __________________ Is that what you really want to say?

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