Tag Archives: imperial

Isolationist or Imperialist?

Posted on 2018-07-05 by ronniec

On the eve of a showdown Cabinet meeting on Brexit, one of our frequent contributors, Ronnie Cohen, asks if British attitudes both to the EU and to this country’s metric changeover are part of the same mindset. Likes(17)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, History, Technical, Views from abroad | Tagged cakeism, EEC, EU, imperial, isolationist, metric | 3 Comments

A wrong turning that led British Leyland to a dead end

Posted on 2018-02-15 by Ramsden

We reprint an article that was first published ten years ago and illustrates the risks of using a mix of metric and Imperial measures. Likes(40)Dislikes(34)

Posted in History, Technical, Transport | Tagged dual-unit, imperial, Leyland National Bus, metric, metrication | 10 Comments

Diaries, and a glimpse into the past

Posted on 2018-01-20 by ronniec

Many of us have probably bought a diary for 2018 recently. Ronnie Cohen takes a look at the conversion tables found at the front of many sold in the UK. Likes(45)Dislikes(44)

Posted in Consumer affairs, History, Technical | Tagged conversion, conversions, diary, factor, factors, imperial, metric, obsolete, unit, units | Leave a comment

Straight bananas and the metric system – the EU legacy?

Posted on 2017-07-06 by ronniec

With Brexit still dominating the news, Ronnie Cohen looks at one of the biggest obstacles to completing our transition to the metric system: its perceived link to the European Union. Likes(33)Dislikes(1)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, History, Law, Media, Myths | Tagged 1862, 1895, 1965, 1992, anti-EU, anti-metric, Britain, common market, decimalisation, EEC, EU, European Coal and Steel Community, European Union, europhobe, eurosceptic, euroscepticism, imperial, metric system, metrication, Metrication Programme, Select Committee, Single Market, standardisation, standards, transition, UK, weights and measures | 15 Comments

MOTD writes metric but speaks imperial

Posted on 2017-06-08 by ronniec

At last, the General Election campaign is over. And now, as we wait for the results, Ronnie Cohen looks at something completely different: Match of the Day. Or is it? Likes(31)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Media, Sport | Tagged BBC, football, graphic, imperial, information, Match of the Day, metric, MOTD, Premier League, pundit, statistics, TV | 8 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

Then there were two

Posted on 2017-03-16 by Ramsden

We ask if it is time for supporters of so-called British weights and measures to come to terms with the fact that only two systems of weights and measures are recognised world wide, and British aka Imperial is not one of … Continue reading →

Posted in General, History, Views from abroad | Tagged imperial, imperial measures, metric, US, USA, USC, weights and measures | 32 Comments

Supplementary Indications revisited

Posted on 2017-02-02 by ronniec

Supplementary indications received a reprieve in 2007, and will now, subject to the Brexit deal negotiated with the EU, need to serve only the needs of the UK economy. Ronnie Cohen wonders where US influence is likely to lead us. Likes(19)Dislikes(1)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Law, Myths, Views from abroad | Tagged EU, Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, FPLA, imperial, ingredients, label, labelling, metric, nutrition, Pringles, Regulations, requirements, supplementary indications, UK, US, USA, USC | 28 Comments

The influence of traffic signs goes way beyond transport

Posted on 2016-12-02 by ronniec

During the past few weeks, there have been many news stories about the removal or modification of certain metric traffic signs by an elderly gent from Huntingdon and his friends. Their inability to see beyond the narrow remit they have set themselves has … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Media, Road signs, Transport | Tagged Department for Transport, DfT, imperial, metric, metric road signs | 34 Comments

Quirks of US Customary Units

Posted on 2016-11-10 by ronniec

Some would argue that the decline of manufacturing industry in the USA contributed to Mr Trump’s surprising victory in the Presidential election*. Others might say that manufacturing’s decline was due in part to the tardy adoption of the international system … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Technical | Tagged customary, dry, imperial, international, liquid, NIST, solid, survey, unit, units, US | 29 Comments