Category Archives: General

The generation gap

In his recent article “Why I …”,  Ronnie Cohen looked at the present to explain why he believes the UK should complete the transition to metric units. However, some of those who commented on his article also looked back. In … Continue reading

Posted in Education, General, History, Science, Technical | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

DfT rejects industry view on metric signs

The Department for Transport (DfT) has given in to anti-metric lobbying and backtracked on its earlier proposal that imperial-only height and width restriction signs should be replaced with dual metric/imperial signs within four years.  This climbdown is despite the responses … Continue reading

Posted in General, Road signs, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Battle of the dinosaurs

Metric Views marks the end of 2011 by drawing attention to a recent exchange of letters in the Irish Times, one looking backwards, the other with a message to take into 2012.

Posted in General, Views from abroad | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Which? sees the light – and Panorama joins in

By an odd co-incidence both “Which?” magazine and the BBC’s flagship “Panorama” programme  have recently run stories on the scams employed by the big supermarkets to prevent customers from comparing “value for money” in their weekly shopping. However, despite their … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Law | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Heading for the exit?

Problems of sovereign debt in the eurozone have seen the UK side-tracked in EU decision making, and, say some commentators, headed for the exit. Is this situation likely to impact on the UK’s stalled metric changeover?

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, History, Road signs | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Who should pay for metrication of road signs?

The Department for Transport have claimed that converting road signs to show metric units would be an unjustifiable diversion of resources from other priority areas.  So is there an argument that the costs should be met from some other budget?  … Continue reading

Posted in General, Road signs, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Outlines of Pacific trade deal announced

On 12 November, Voice of America reported as follows: “President Barack Obama has announced that the United States and eight other Pacific nations have reached the broad outlines of an agreement to create a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to liberalize trade.

Posted in General, Uncategorized, Views from abroad | Tagged | 12 Comments

Christmas approaches so reach for a mail order catalogue

One of our regular contributors has submitted a comment about mail order catalogues, even though he admits there is no Metric Views article to which it relates. We are happy to respond by reproducing part of one of several articles … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer affairs, General | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Spotlight falls (again) on the high cost of construction in the UK

The magazine New Civil Engineer (NCE) reports this week on a recent conference in Barcelona which highlighted the wide difference between the cost of infrastructure in the UK and on the continent. So it seems that the inflated 2006 estimate … Continue reading

Posted in General, Road signs, Transport | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

A very Caribbean muddle

Metric Views has received news on the progress of metrication in the Caribbean.

Posted in General, History, Views from abroad | Tagged , , | 6 Comments