Dear BWMA,
please answer frankly:

Do you really think that those metric martyrs stand a single chance ?

And do you genuinely think that it's possible that Parliament will undo the Act stipulating that only metric will be allowed after 2009?

I think we have a very real chance.

"And do you genuinely think that it's possible that Parliament will undo the Act stipulating that only metric will be allowed after 2009?"

I cannot believe that in a democratic country in 2009 it will be illegal to say "1.49/LB" but legal to say "also available in yellow", they would have to do a publicity excerise showing the merits of curbing free speech - this exercise better start soon otherwise things could get nasty.

I reckon that if there is a change of government by 2009 (cross fingers) we will get permanent derogation - like traffic signs/ pints in pubs etc (ie Europe will "allow us" to continue saying various words). If we're still stuck with Blair (or brown) I reckon they'll seek a 10 yr extension (infinitum).

Otherwise I'm off to the USA (which is increasingly looking more British than Britain!)

P.S. I encourage everyone to shop at "rebel" Tesco - they continue to show price in pounds/ounces. Since they made the move back to Brit measures their share price/customer base/profits have all gone up! (and they are now king of the supermarket chains)

SHOP AT TESCO!

(unless your local butcher/ grocer still uses imperial like they do in Wycombe untouched by the thought police or "trading standards" as they are sometimes known in other areas of the country)

"SHOP AT TESCO!"-

I WILL. THANKS!!!

Steveh, I don't need your advice.

I shop at Sainsbury's ! ("Making Life Taste Better")

PS: On principle I never shop at Tesco, due to their backward imperial thinking.
PS2: If you really believe that the number of Tesco's costumers has gone up because of its pertinacious imperial attitude, you're even a bigger moron than I thought.

"PS: On principle I never shop at Tesco, due to their backward imperial thinking."

-a complete lie! There is no si=uch game for the playstation.


"PS2: If you really believe that the number of Tesco's costumers has gone up because of its pertinacious imperial attitude, you're even a bigger moron than I thought."

-Hmmm, if you insist on bringing down the reputation of Sony with the blatant lieing about it's products, you are leaving yourself open to all kinds of criticisms. Try not to do it again, lest you take the risk of making yourself appear foolish.

To Bryan Parry:

I don't know where you're talking about. I was talking about supermarkets, and you switch to a Japanese electronics giant.

I guess YOU just made a fool of yourself...

Bill calling someone a fool , hmmmmm!

"Steveh, I don't need your advice."
Bill - yuo need as much as you can get mate!

I shop at Sainsbury's ! ("Making Life Taste Better")
Sainsbury tends to be "rubbish" and they are losing out big time to Tesco (their customer base is the biggest shrinking one)

"PS: On principle I never shop at Tesco, due to their backward imperial thinking."

Going for profits is not a backward thing - learn!

"PS2: If you really believe that the number of Tesco's costumers has gone up because of its pertinacious imperial attitude, you're even a bigger moron than I thought."

I shall try to stop proving things using facts for you if you want - or you could just get used to real figures responding favourably to a customer satisfaction drive. Maybe you should look up "Moron" as you obviously believe it means genius!

"Do you really think that those metric martyrs stand a single chance ? "

Consider this political dilemma.
The Metric Martyrs get Leave to Appeal to The House of Lords and then lose.
There are then going to be four repeat offenders.
Coupled with the unleashing of the Trading Standards Officers hell bent on enforcement (by no means the majority of authorities OR TSO's are comfortable with this position........that coming from the executives at the top),
there will be one or two who want to make a name for themselves, there may be dozens of the 40,000 offenders brought before the courts.
They will have to be charged and fined as they cannot be given conditional discharges indefinitely.
Ther are hundreds of volunteers who, on principle will refuse to pay any fines levied.
They then face imprisonment as fine defaulters.
Timescale 18 months to two years.
The imprisonment of a greengrocer for a conviction which resulted from selling a pound of bananas will be political suicide for the political party that presides over it,not to mention front page news for every single newspaper in the world.

Ordinary men. No political background.
THE LINE IN THE SAND HAS BEEN DRAWN.

As we said when we began......"Defeat is not an option !"

"So do we stand a single chance?"

Ask not that question of the Metric Martyrs.
Ask it of the political elite.

>Ordinary men. No political background.
>THE LINE IN THE SAND HAS BEEN DRAWN.
>As we said when we began......"Defeat is not an
>option !"

Neil, in your self-complacency you probably don't even realize what bizarre reading you produced.

To the arms !

Ralf

Besides that, you realize that if you managed to revert the law, you would do a horrible job for the UK in terms of public opinion.
You would be the laughing stock for quite a while, and people would come up with stuff like :"Ah, they still think they're an empire that can stand up against the world..."

Ralf

QU: Do you really think that those metric martyrs stand a single chance ?

ANS: Given the dishonesty of our ministers, the refusal of our judges to enforce Acts of Parliament, and the vested interest of many big businesses in product downsizing, admittedly, it's a close thing. However, we believe that believing in the rightness of one's stand must always ultimately prevail.


QU: And do you genuinely think that it's possible that Parliament will undo the Act stipulating that only metric will be allowed after 2009.

ANS: Parliament's statutory instrument and the EC obligation it implements are immaterial. All they purport to do is to grant permission for people to give exchange information in addition to that made mandatory by law.

This is a natural right that existed before the EC directive. We do not need the EC to pass a directive for this to happen.

The whole "supplementary indication" issue is a trick. The trick works by giving the right of two parties to share information a fancy name; "supplementary indications".

Having created this right as a new legal entity, the EC says that in 2009, it can take it away - simply by deleting the relevant paragraph. We say this goes beyond what the law can do, and that it is an appalling and dishonest way for the Commission to act.

Bill, my post was called "irony", *advanced* irony designed to ridicule your statements. If my sense of humour is too advanced or bizarre, then I guess that it is just a shame, for you are missing out on one of the delights of the world and net- Bryan Parry's sense of humour.

Can't get more egotistical or self important than that Bryan.

^ I'm almost sure that you are not really listening to anything here.

Birr said: "PS: On principle I never shop at Tesco, due to their backward imperial thinking."

Ah so, honored sir plinciple not shop Tesco
due to backwad impeliar thinking! We at Sony
must design new game with *folwad* impeliar thinking!

I don't shop at Tesco for numerous reasons:
1. They make squillions of quid profit
2. They insist on dividing cheeses into 'Cheddars' and 'Continental'
3. You can get better produce at the farmers' market
4. They insist on Imperial measurements

No. 4 is by no means the most important

I shop at Tesco for numerous reasons:
1. They make squillions of quid profit, but keep costs low - "good" capitalism.
2. They stock a 'Cheddar' called "Applewood"
3. The one in loudwater is huge and has a huge variety
4. They insist on Imperial measurements

No. 4 is by no means the most important, but it got me to switch from "Safeway"

Making high proftis is a negative attribute?

Do you prefer moldy bread to fresh, by chance?

I think that there must be some mistake over the issue of Tesco being imperial.

The Trowbridge branch is among the top 25 Tesco stores (out of 600) in terms of profitability in the UK. It serves 35,000 customers a week.

They have been getting rid of imperial labelling for some time, which have now dissapeared, with no loss of customers and their nearest rival is ASDA who are also fully metric.

So it would seem that it depends where you are in the country, rather than a general policy of Tesco.

Ralf, if it is necessary to hold out against the whole world, so be it. Rather live one day as a rebel in a righteous cause than live a thousand years as a miserable collaborator.

Tesco are generally less serious sinners on the metric front than Safeway, especially. I never shop at Sainsbury's because of that ghastly orange colour scheme and the promotional campaign fronted by Jamie Oliver. Anyway, Sainsbury's are minority owned and run by a pro-Europe government minister, which says it all. I agree that there is a problem in the cheese department, and also they never have enough of those smaller trolleys.

What do people think of the new snooping legislation going through at the moment? Doubtless it will be used against people like us. But then again, I'm sure the security services already monitor the forum users on here quite closely as it is. We know the world is going mad when a man selling sausages by the pound is deemed more of a threat than Bin Laden! The Government and ruling elites throughout the West are more scared of domestic opposition to their own agendas.

This is what Tesco has (and hasn't) done:

HAS restored lb/oz/pint markings on much of their own fixed-weight produce; thus, for instance, a 200g of boxed frozen cod fillet would be "200g/7oz".

Has put lb unit price markings on its drop-weight foods (eg cheese).

Is using lb pricing solely on much of its promotion materials for loose foods.

HAS NOT:

Changed weighing machines or reintroduced lb/oz markings alongside metric on drop-weight foods (this is dependent on changing machines).

DOES NOT enter into intelligent correspondence about metric issues.


"I never shop at Sainsbury's because of that ghastly orange colour scheme..."

Quite agree - prefer Tesco's gleaming white, also better laid out, more small trollies (and that's not a BWMA advertisement for Tesco - just an observation).

Sainsbury's is pretentious and metropolitan, which helps explain its comparative lack of success recently - it is too busy patronising customers instead of serving them. Too Tuscany and too little Telford. Just like Blair and the Elite. One annoying aspect of their stores, however, is how long they allow their hedges to grow in the carparks. They often obstruct lines and sight and are a danger. Just a thought and nothing to do with weights and measures..!

How tall are those hedges?

TO BWMA:

You said Tesco have not "Changed weighing machines or reintroduced lb/oz markings alongside metric on drop-weight foods (this is dependent on changing machines)."

True for the electronic ones that's on the staff side of the counter, but they have put up dual scale mechanical machines on the shop floor for customers.

Cheeky one from Safeways-
Has anyone noticed their promotional magazine that shows the banana price in LB's only? Looks like someone in the PR dept having a sneaky support for Mr Thoburn!

You may have it wrong steveh. It could be price per Little Banana.

It can't be, they've been banned by the EU !!!!

Price per Large Banana then.

Ummm.....

But they're the wrong shape?

The hedges are at least a yard high. The absence of dual scales in some other supermarkets is a real problem, since it destroys customer choice. Perhaps they expect us to bring our own in future! Hey, why not!! What does the law say about customers weighing loose produce on their own scales, ie. scales that are not owned by the market trader in question? (Perhaps communal scales in a market environment - not exactly practical but not impossible to envisage).

A more fundamental question: are people now more docile in the face of 'authority' and less willing to challenge bad law than in ages past? The Poll Tax opposition and the environmental movement suggests otherwise, but are they an unrepresentative minority?