EU gives up on 'metric Britain'

[C0ckney]

Originally posted by Wernazuma III
The EU has actually regulated far more unimportant things.

i don't doubt that for a second.

but it's a bit much when a man is sent to prison for selling bananas in lbs.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Starchild
Boo. I prefer metric. And I hate the argument that it would be confusing to switch over. Other countries have managed it, what makes the British so thick that we can't learn a new system?

That can be said for us folks on the other side of the pond as well.

[Pekka]

The EU is a bloated pig that exists to serve itself, which means it has a self interest that is not to make itself a great power but more like giving a big circle jerk between friends in power. I bet you can get a 150k/year job and the only thing you have to do is fax few papers and attend weekly meetings about the naming convention of something that has absolutely no importance what so ever.

[Odin]

Originally posted by C0ckney
a victory for common sense.

Common sense says a base-10 system is much easier then all the mess that is the English system.

[C0ckney]

Originally posted by Odin
Common sense says a base-10 system is much easier then all the mess that is the English system.

missing the point.

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Wernazuma III


The EU has actually regulated far more unimportant things. A common system like the metric one is very convenient for all kinds of purposes of standardization and efficiency.

One more odd regulation: The EU wanted to forbid Austrians to use the word "Marmelade", which doesn't mean "marmelade" but rather "jam", trying to force upon us the word "Konfitüre", which is used exclusively in Germany. After a tough fight, Marmelade is now one of roughly a dozen "protected" Austrian expressions...

Yes, there are very strange things within the EU.
One law regulates the curvature of cucumbers.
Cucumbers shouldn´t exceed a certain curvature, else they canot be traded within the EU.
The reason for this law seems to be that you can get moe cucumbers into a box if they are straight than if they´re curved

[Wernazuma III]

Originally posted by DAVOUT


This is more semantic than regulation. Roughly speaking , for a weight of 100 fruits, compote includes 10 sugar, marmelade 50 and confiture 100; this is how the european consumers understand those words. If Australian marmelade includes more sugar than Euro marmelade , they will be at a desadvantage.

I know that this was the idea. However, Austrian Marmelade has always meant jam.
IIRC, in the end, Austrian producers would not be allowed to use "Marmelade" when selling in other EU countries, but at least in Austria itself. They wanted to fine farmers selling Marmelade in local markets...

And I'm all for raising a punitive tariff on Australian marmelade exports to the EU.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Can you imagine walking into a pub and asking for five-eighths of a litre of beer, or whatever it is?

And they are going to stop ordinary people from ordering that and calling it a pint?

No rational person can support Imperial measurements.

[Cort Haus]

Agathon, when the wall at a free kick is not back far enough from the ball, do you yell "That's not ten yards" or "That's not nine point one four four metres"?

[onodera]

Hell, in Russia springy gelatinous sweets are called marmelade, not something you spread on your bread.
And confiture here is basically jam with berry seeds left in it.
I think it's a load of bull to regulate languages to suit thó business. Or not. I actually support the law that will let only 100% cow milk butter be called 'butter'.

[dannubis]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Agathon, when the wall at a free kick is not back far enough from the ball, do you yell "That's not ten yards" or "That's not nine point one four four metres"?

Well, that has to be 7 meters IRC.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Agathon, when the wall at a free kick is not back far enough from the ball, do you yell "That's not ten yards" or "That's not nine point one four four metres"?

Football and pubs are closed systems. You'll find all sorts of archaic measurements in sports and other social institutions. Generally, the people who participate in those things do not do so casually, so it's not a problem.

In New Zealand the standard measure of beer is a 1 litre jug, although you more often see 550ml glasses (pints) or 350ml glasses (which are called "handles"). People in New Zealand will still ask for a jug, pint or handle. Similarly, if Britain were metricised, people would still ask for a pint or a half.

But the general system of weights and measures should be as simple and widely spread as possible due to network externalities. That's why currency was decimalized. Who but a lunatic would go back to pounds, shillings and pence, and other ridiculous measures like guineas?

Can you please explain to me why a culture that has a base 10 numbering system doesn't have a base 10 system of weights and measures.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Agathon
Can you please explain to me why a culture that has a base 10 numbering system doesn't have a base 10 system of weights and measures.

I expect it is to do with the Romans. They couldn't devise a rational numerical system anyway.

[Cort Haus]

FWIW, I think temperature in Celsius, petrol prices in litres, but petrol consumption in gallons, beer and milk in pints, wine and soft drinks in litres.

Not that I take illegal substances, of course, but if I did, hash would be in fractions of an ounce, and powders in grams.

TBH this is more about the benefits of the EU ceding a drop of it's authority than the practicalities of measuring systems. I agree that 'old money' was insane.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Cort Haus

TBH this is more about the benefits of the EU ceding a drop of it's authority than the practicalities of measuring systems. I agree that 'old money' was insane.

You know, I wish you guys would just leave the EU. You're really a pimple on its ass, and rather socially backward to boot.