Tag Archives: British

43 years late

Posted on 2018-08-31 by Ramsden

One of the editors of Metric Views has been reading a book entitled “Eleven minutes late” by Matthew Engel. The book is subtitled “A train journey into the soul of Britain”, and may provide a clue to why the UK … Continue reading →

Posted in General, History | Tagged beer, British, cricket, global Britain, metric, misty-eyed nostalgia, railways, UK Metrication Board | 10 Comments

Road traffic signs mark a soft border

Posted on 2018-06-07 by ronniec

The Irish Border has appeared frequently in the news as a major obstacle to a withdrawal agreement between the UK and the remaining 27 EU member states. In this article, Ronnie Cohen looks at a ‘soft’ characteristic of the current … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Road signs, Transport, Views from abroad | Tagged BBC, Brexit, British, division, EU, hard border, Ireland, Irish, kilometres, miles, soft border | 4 Comments

New Internationalist, a metric role model for the British media

Posted on 2017-09-04 by ronniec

Back after our summer break, Metric Views is happy to publicize a periodical that might have escaped our readers’ attention in recent years. Ronnie Cohen explains. Likes(46)Dislikes(9)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Media | Tagged British, magazine, measurement units, media, metric, New Internationalist, newspapers, publication | 17 Comments

Metrication timeline for British road signs

Posted on 2017-06-29 by ronniec

In response to one of his enquiries, the UK Department for Transport (DfT) has provided Ronnie Cohen with an account of recent progress on the introduction of metric signs on UK roads. Likes(38)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Road signs, Transport | Tagged Britain, British, DfT, progress, roads, timeline, transport, TSRGD, UK | 16 Comments

Global Britain or Imperial isolation?

Posted on 2017-04-02 by ronniec

On 29 March, Sir Tim Barrow, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the European Union, handed a signed six-page letter from the British Prime Minister to the President of the European Council, invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and … Continue reading →

Posted in General, History, Myths, Views from abroad | Tagged agreement, Article 50, barriers, Brexit, Brexiteers, British, commerce, deal, Empire, EU, European Council, European Union, Eurosceptics, imperial, imperial measures, isolation, Leave, Lisbon Treaty, measurement units, metric, myth, negotiations, negotiators, populism, populist, rules, standards, trade, UK, vision, withdrawal | 21 Comments

No flight information please – we’re British

Posted on 2017-02-23 by ronniec

Ronnie Cohen wonders why at least one budget airline flying from the UK targets its flight information at continental and American passengers. Likes(35)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Technical, Transport, Views from abroad | Tagged altitude, American units of measurement, British, conversion, distance, flight, information, plane, screen, speed, temperature, translation, trip, units | 21 Comments

Metric euromyths peddled by British national newspapers

Posted on 2016-10-15 by ronniec

Ronnie Cohen takes a look at eight myths involving the EU and the metric system. Likes(18)Dislikes(9)

Posted in Myths, Views from abroad | Tagged British, Brussels, Commission, EU, euromyths, Europe, European, Eurpean Union, media, myth, myths, national, newspapers, press, stories, story, UK | 10 Comments

Imperial holdouts in the UK in 2016

Posted on 2016-07-23 by ronniec

Who is still stubbornly clinging on to imperial units in the UK in 2016? Metric views takes stock. Likes(3)Dislikes(0)

Posted in General | Tagged British, holdout, holdouts, life, progress | 28 Comments

Metrication not an issue in EU referendum

Posted on 2016-06-09 by ronniec

Many issues have been raised in the referendum campaign. The UK measurement muddle has not been one of them. Ronnie Cohen comments on the campaign so far. Likes(2)Dislikes(0)

Posted in General, History, Law | Tagged British, debate, EU, Europe, European Union, issue, issues, Leave, membership, metrication, non-issue, programme, referendum, Remain, UK, United Kingdom, vote, voters | 13 Comments

Parallels between metrication and airport expansion policy

Posted on 2015-12-11 by ronniec

Ronnie Cohen has observed several similarities between successive governments’ policies on airport expansion and metrication. Although they are completely unrelated issues and there is no link between the two, it speaks volumes about the inability of the British government to … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Transport | Tagged airport, British, capacity, Coalition, Commission, David Cameron, expansion, fly, flying, Gatwick, Government, Heathrow, Howard Davies, London, metrication, opposition, policies, policy, Prime Minister, runway, runways, third runway, UK | 4 Comments