"Inch by inch, mile by mile, French railway workers are combing the 25,000 miles of the French railway network searching for 10 bombs said to have been planted by the hitherto little-known militant group..." - BBC Radio News Report, Thursday (5 March).

Even the pro-metric BBC could hardly have said "Centimetre by centimetre, kilometre by kilometre", even if it was in metric France

Another post that shows Tony gloating and not actually contributing to the debate that much. Of course, in general speech and news items, language such as that suggested is always going to be used. I don't mind that at all - it is freedom of speech after all.

I use terms such as "that's miles away", etc. Doesn't mean I prefer imperial measures though. Saying miles is quicker than saying "kilometres away".

Indeed, Tony's point is that the names of English units are simply better than metrical ones. Define 'better' etc. I can't be bothered.

re: "Another post that shows Tony gloating..."

TO GLOAT (Concise Oxford Dictionary): "Consider or contemplate with lust, greed, malice, triumph etc."

O.K., I'll admit to a spot of triumphalism. Maybe it makes up for some of the hideous (and probably malicious) gloating that went on when tens of thousands of unwilling traders were forced by the threat of criminal penalties to give up a system they and their customers were perfectly happy with

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"Inch by inch, mile by mile, French railway workers are combing the 25,000 miles of the French railway network searching for 10 bombs said to have been planted by the hitherto little-known militant group..." - BBC Radio News Report, Thursday (5 March).

Even the pro-metric BBC could hardly have said "Centimetre by centimetre, kilometre by kilometre", even if it was in metric France

What an inch dictated view. Every one in metric countries would know that a metre by metre search is a thorough search. No need for kilometres either. It's all a matter of scale. Had I your tendency to "gloat" I could say imperialists lack the mental wherewithal and need it spelled out to the 1/16th of an inch.

Tony, The fact that you feel the need to post every newspaper headline you find that contains imperial smacks of desperation. Do you know something we don't?
I don't see any signs of imperial disappearing (unfortunately!)

re (Andy): "I don't see any signs of imperial disappearing".

REPLY: Good. But some people contributing to this bulletin board don't agree with you. So may I please quote you on that?

Yes, you can quote me on that. In Britain we are currently making little if any progress with metrication, and if nothing more is done imperial won't disappear.

BUT - at some point in the future (could be 5 years, could be 50 years time), the Government will decide enough is enough and make an effort to complete metrication. There are really only two things that need to be done: Change roadsigns to metric, and persuade/force the media to use metric. Only once this has happened will imperial start to disappear as it did in other countries.

While I fully understand that some/many people are against this, what I can't understand is that people think this is never going to happen.

<<<Change roadsigns to metric, and persuade/force the media to use metric.>>>

This would be the first time an elected government of the UK will control the press in such a way to socially engineer the people of the UK.

The thought disgusts me, although I would never accuse you of scaremongering (remember when people were scoffed at for saying that selling apples by the pound would become "criminal"?).

Lets be hypothetical. Even after "forcing" the free-press to censor certain words - how will the state stop the free use of words in society itself?

Perhaps this is why imperial seems to be stronger than ever - the human desire not to be controlled.

I agree it wouldn't be right to force the media to use metric. I don't know what happened in Australia/NZ/South Africa with this??
But to a certain extent it would happen voluntarily anyway - once our road signs are in km and our car speedometers show only km, would even the most pro-imperial newspaper still use miles?

<<<Lets be hypothetical. Even after "forcing" the free-press to censor certain words - how will the state stop the free use of words in society itself?>>>

They won't and could not do this. But why would they need to? People get used to the units they see on signs & read in the papers. Once everything "offical" is in metric, free speech will naturally follow.

As a natural pessimist - I'm not pessimistic about that !

re (Andy): "force the media to use metric"

REPLY: Thank you for this suggestion which I believe is on page 1,216 (says x-cole) of the Lenin/Stalin Totalitarian Handbook.

Could you please guide us on what you think would be an appropriate fine for a newspaper using a non-metric measurement, or should the newspaper simply cease to exist after a first offence? Or would it be preferable to have every issue up before the censors before publication?

Another alternative, I suppose, would be to have just one newspaper and call it 'Pravda'

Well done, Tony !

Some how you managed only to read the second half of Andy's opening sentence.

Didn't you see the "I agree it wouldn't be right to" bit ?

Another fine example of your selective interpritation powers !

Re: &quote;Inch by Inch, Mile by Mile, French Railway Workers...&quote; March 10 2004, 12:53 PM

I agree it wouldn't be right to force the media to use metric. I don't know what happened in Australia/NZ/South Africa with this??
But to a certain extent it would happen voluntarily anyway - once our road signs are in km and our car speedometers show only km, would even the most pro-imperial newspaper still use miles?


New Zealand and Australia are a case studies to show Britain and America how metrication is done successfully. The media was persuaded by the government, not forced, to use metric only. None of this nonsense of showing 2 measurements. As Andy says metrication is here to stay, so why not get it over and done with?

Half voluntary and half compulsory metrication is akin to a surgeon reconstructing a badly deformed hand to enable it to function like everybody else’s. For political reason politicians (surgeon) prefer to snip and cut only a little bit every other year in the vain hope that this idiocy makes the operation less painful. What a fancy notion? What does the patient gain? He can't use his hand properly for years and the pain is no less felt after every little snip.

Tony Bennett: "Another alternative, I suppose, would be to have just one newspaper and call it 'Pravda'"

I'm surprised you would be in favour of this Tony. I believe in a free press myself.

Can I suggest you read postings properly before replying to them?

re: "Well done, Tony! Some how you managed only to read the second half of Andy's opening sentence. Didn't you see the 'I agree it wouldn't be right to' bit?"

REPLY: The fact remains that Andy seriously suggested 'forcing the media' and only rowed back after challenged by SteveH. It reveals the kind of totalitarian mindset of those who wish to impose their favoured system on others.

Until Janaury 2000 we had both a free press and a free system of weights and measures in our shops - over 100 years after using metric weights became legal (though not compulsory).

You will see that after losing freedom to sell by what weight we prefer, loss of freedom of the press will not be far behind

The Mindset March 11 2004, 6:26 PM

re: "Well done, Tony! Some how you managed only to read the second half of Andy's opening sentence. Didn't you see the 'I agree it wouldn't be right to' bit?"

REPLY: The fact remains that Andy seriously suggested 'forcing the media' and only rowed back after challenged by SteveH. It reveals the kind of totalitarian mindset of those who wish to impose their favoured system on others.

Until Janaury 2000 we had both a free press and a free system of weights and measures in our shops - over 100 years after using metric weights became legal (though not compulsory).

You will see that after losing freedom to sell by what weight we prefer, loss of freedom of the press will not be far behind


Ts,ts,ts, all these State run papers in Europe, isn't it a disgrace said the paranoiac before they led him back to his ward.

I suspect you wrote a letter to neville chamberlain like that back when you were in your 20's too, eh eric!?

;-)

re (metre): "isn't it a disgrace said the paranoiac..."

REPLY: I have been labelled 'Europhobic' for opposing the process of full European integration.

I have been labelled 'xenophobic' for being patriotic about my own country.

I have been labelled 'Islamophobic' for having sent e-mails referring to the alarming rise of Islamic militancy and referring to the Prophet Muhammed having had 16 wives, having sexual relations with one of his wives at the age of nine (some authorities say eight), and having repeatedly butchered his opponents.

I have been labelled 'homophobic' for opposing the active promotion of the homosexual lifestyle to primary school children.

Despite all these conditions, for which no-one has yet offered me any treatment, I haven't consulted a Doctor for years and haven't had a day off sick for well over a decade

"Despite all these conditions, for which no-one has yet offered me any treatment, I haven't consulted a Doctor for years and haven't had a day off sick for well over a decade"

It seems that "care in the community" works after all. How nice !

Multiple Phobia Disorder March 13 2004, 2:46 PM

re (metre): "isn't it a disgrace said the paranoiac..."

REPLY: I have been labelled 'Europhobic' for opposing the process of full European integration.

I have been labelled 'xenophobic' for being patriotic about my own country.

I have been labelled 'Islamophobic' for having sent e-mails referring to the alarming rise of Islamic militancy and referring to the Prophet Muhammed having had 16 wives, having sexual relations with one of his wives at the age of nine (some authorities say eight), and having repeatedly butchered his opponents.

I have been labelled 'homophobic' for opposing the active promotion of the homosexual lifestyle to primary school children.

Despite all these conditions, for which no-one has yet offered me any treatment, I haven't consulted a Doctor for years and haven't had a day off sick for well over a decade


Maybe tha's the problem. it doesn't hurt, does it?