During the summer of 2003, supporters of A.R.M. over-plated 20 metric distances on set of fingerpost signs at the top of this village, which lies within the 'Lecturer Belt' of Exeter University.

An A.R.M. supporter was seen by the Chairman of the Town Council in the process of amending the sign and was not amused. The plates with British measurements on them, used by the A.R.M. supporter, were professionally prepared and, in reflective white on black, stood out much better than the absurd previous arrangement of gold on a green background, which made the lettering practically undecipherable.

The following minute, dated 8 September 2003, relating to the matter is on the Bradninch Town Council website. Needless to say, A.R.M. has not been back to remove the plates.

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m) Active Resistance to Metrication - J Ayres proposed and D Parsons agreed to write back to this group asking them again to come back and remove the items which have defaced our finger post. The Council will then grind off the metre distances. All agreed. The finger to the Post Office will have to be changed.

______

ENDS

Tony,
Is there any legal action that can be taken against J Ayres and D Parsons, for instance, inciting unlawful action?

re (BWMA Forum Owner): "Tony, Is there any legal action that can be taken against J Ayres and D Parsons, for instance, inciting unlawful action?"

REPLY: Not that I am aware of. I think bringing their petty action to light is sufficient. They shouldn't look a gift-horse in the mouth anyway. The local residents who passed by during the action supported it and one even went over to the local general stores to get our ARM supporter another small paintbrush when he discovered he needed one for some touch-up work

Messrs Ayres and Parsons lack humour they should have passed a motion to change village name to Bradnmm

Very Good!

I like, I like!!

BWMA: "Tony,
Is there any legal action that can be taken against J Ayres and D Parsons, for instance, inciting unlawful action?"

I find this suggestion quite astounding coming from a group who openly support vigilanteism.

The leader of ARM, of whom BWMA sought advice, is constantly inciting action with very little regard for the law.

re (Stan): "I find this suggestion quite astounding coming from a group who openly support vigilanteism. The leader of ARM, of whom BWMA sought advice, is constantly inciting action with very little regard for the law".

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REPLY: ROTFL!! Stan, may I remind you, gently, that metric-only signs are illegal, OK? ARM upholds the law of the United Kingdom and 'openly supports', er, compliance with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, SI 3113

I've heard that certain market traders were/are also breaking such a law. I hope you are ensuring that this law is also obeyed.

re (Andy): "I've heard that certain market traders were/are also breaking such a law. I hope you are ensuring that this law is also obeyed"

REPLY: What the market traders [selling in pounds and ounces] are doing remains perfectly legal under the Weights and Measures Act 1985. Lord Justice Laws had to invent a new legal principle, never previosly known to British law - the absurd idea of a 'hierarchy of statutes' - to try to get round this

Sorry Tony, but even BWMA disagree with your viewpoint above.

From the BWMA webpage "The pound of flesh"

http://www.bwmaonline.com/Join%20-%20Pound%20of%20Flesh.htm

"During the dark month of January 2000, shortly after Metrication Day, Dr Richard North launched Anti-Metrication Day. His aim was to highlight the absurdity of metric law by committing as many criminal offences as he could by selling fresh fruit and vegetables in pounds and ounces."

re (Beranger): "Sorry Tony, but even BWMA disagree with your viewpoint above. From the BWMA webpage "The pound of flesh":
http://www.bwmaonline.com/Join%20-%20Pound%20of%20Flesh.htm
"During the dark month of January 2000, shortly after Metrication Day, Dr Richard North launched Anti-Metrication Day. His aim was to highlight the absurdity of metric law by committing as many criminal offences as he could by selling fresh fruit and vegetables in pounds and ounces."

REPLY: Beranger, if that five-year-old reference to a stunt by Richard North is the best evidence you can come up with that 'BWMA disagrees with me' on the legality of selling in pounds and ounces, thank goodness you're a TSO, not a lawyer

Tony

Can I quietly point out that every court in the land has disagreed with your viewpoint. Come back to me when you win a case.

BTW, are convicted criminals still allowed to practice law in England?

re (Beranger): "Can I quietly point out that every court in the land has disagreed with your viewpoint. Come back to me when you win a case"

REPLY: In Stalin's Courts, the Communist Party won all its cases. In Hitler's Courts, the National Socialists won all their cases

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re (Beranger): "BTW, are convicted criminals still allowed to practice law in England?"

REPLY: The verb 'practise' is spelt as I have just spelt it. The answer is 'Yes' depending on the seriousness of the offence. 'No' if the criminal offence is serious. An Absolute Discharge for trying to correct an illegal metric sign is hardly likely to exercise the minds of the Law Society's Disciplinary Committee

Tony

Maybe they do things differently in England, but we spell "practice" with a "c". Try Chambers Dictionary - "Practice" - "legal usage or case law (esp. Scots Law)"

Obviously, the English must have lower standards than Scotland with regard to convictions. Any solicitor in Scotland would be seriously worried if he or she received anything above a fixed penalty.

But, of course, as fixed penalties are illegal (in your & BWMA's opinion), they should risk their professional status by challenging it in the sheriff court.......

Don't want to push the point, but as I have requested before, can you provide some evidence regarding your Scots Law qualifications.....

<<< What the market traders [selling in pounds and ounces] are doing remains perfectly legal under the Weights and Measures Act 1985. >>>


I believe in Chester it is legal under some ancient law to shoot a welshman with a bow and arrow after midnight

Do you think if I did this, I would be acting within the law, or would the slightly more restrictive current laws on the shooting of welshmen overrule the old one?

re (Andy): "I believe in Chester it is legal under some ancient law to shoot a welshman with a bow and arrow after midnight. Do you think if I did this, I would be acting within the law, or would the slightly more restrictive current laws on the shooting of welshmen overrule the old one?"

REPLY: Andy, I'm surprised. I wonder if you're aware that under the principle of implied repeal, a later Act which contradicts an earlier one implieldy repeals the earlier Act. Thus the various laws on murder, of course, supersede the ancient law you refer to

re (Beranger): "Maybe they do things differently in England, but we spell "practice" with a "c". Try Chambers Dictionary - "Practice" - "legal usage or case law (esp. Scots Law)"

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REPLY: Things are worse than I thought. The noun is spelt 'practice'; the verb is spelt 'practise' - see any dictionary

REPLY: Andy, I'm surprised. I wonder if you're aware that under the principle of implied repeal, a later Act which contradicts an earlier one implieldy repeals the earlier Act. Thus the various laws on murder, of course, supersede the ancient law you refer to
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The situation with weights and measures is perfectly clear. You must show price in metric, but imperial is allowed as supplementary until 2010. What baffles me is why legislation cannot be amended to say what it is meant to say. If every court in the land has decided that the EU law superseds the 1985 law then why is there still time being wasted over something so trivial?

<<
I believe in Chester it is legal under some ancient law to shoot a welshman with a bow and arrow after midnight
>>

Maybe it depends who the Welshman is ;-)

"I believe in Chester it is legal under some ancient law to shoot a welshman with a bow and arrow after midnight"

Blimey - I'm going to Chester next weekend!

I'll keep my eye out for Martin, Andy and Berenger!

Why do people still refer and compare wieght and measures in shops with signs on our roads?

Can't we tear ourselves away from the state for just 5 minutes?

Hardly anyone wants metric roads signs and hardly anyone wanted metric weights in our shops! THAT'S what prevents certain people becoming hypocrites.

Tony said

"REPLY: Things are worse than I thought. The noun is spelt 'practice'; the verb is spelt 'practise' - see any dictionary"

Well, there we have it then. There are over 600,000 google entries for the exact phrase "practice law" I'm sure that every single one will use "practice" as a noun. There are only around 16,000 for "practise law"

I'm sure that you will also criticise the Scottish parliament for using the phrase "practice law" in the research note on the Maximum Number of Judges (Scotland) Order 1999

Or you might disagree with Lord Justices Clerk and Lords Prosser & Reid in Starrs & Chalmers v PF Linlithgow where the written judgement states "So too is the high standard of professional behaviour which is expected of and shown by those who practice law in Scotland."

Or rail against Aberdeen University (Older than all but 2 of England's universities) for daring to print "A student wishing to practice law in Scotland, either as a solicitor or advocate ..." in the prospectus.

Or shall I even start on Hansard, nothing particularily recent, but still a few examples....

Tony, I'm happy to debate, but when you are reduced to picking up on supposed "spelling errors", the standard of debate is getting too low to bother with.

Steve

It's OK.... Promise I'll not be anywhere near Chester this weekend. Would try to drown you with cider rather than use a crossbow anyway....

Or should that be "Strongbow".

LOL!

re (Beranger): 'BTW, are convicted criminals still allowed to practice law in England?' REPLY (B): 'The verb 'practise' is spelt as I have just spelt it'

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REPLY:

Well, first I have to deal with a false assertion that 'practice' is how they spell the verb 'practise' in Scotland (it isn't, the Scots spell 'practise' the same as the English).

Then I have to point out that 'practise' is a verb, while 'practice' is a noun.

Then I find that *American* websites are trawled by Beranger to prove that 'practice' is more common than 'practise'.

Well, here to settle the point for once and for all, is the Concise Oxford Dictionary:

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practice, n. 'habitual action or performance...', v.tr. & intr. *US variety of practise*

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practise, v.tr. & intr. (*US spelling: practice*), peformm habitually..."

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As the Latins would have it, quod erat demonstrandum

I repeat

Tony, I'm happy to debate, but when you are reduced to picking up on supposed "spelling errors", the standard of debate is getting too low to bother with.

1) Lets get off the spelling debate
2) Why did the americans go and "simplify" (yeah right) English anyway - now there are so many contradictions in US English
3) Tony - did you note my new posting "After all this time" ?

re (Beranger): "Tony, I'm happy to debate, but when you are reduced to picking up on supposed 'spelling errors', the standard of debate is getting too low to bother with".

REPLY: I began with a brief (and correct) factual statement that the verb 'practise' was spelt with an 's' not a 'c'.

The debate, as you call it, was actually started by you.

As I've corrected your reasons for thinking that 'practice' rather than 'practise' is the English/Scottish way of spelling it on three separate occasions, and yet you still refer to 'supposed' spelling errors, perhaps the debate can indeed now be wound up at that very appropriate point