Right! Here's a thread which I hope will be like the "old days" before that overfed troll came here to talk about reading rulers, mixing imperial measures, pretending to know metric, insulting everyone, never answering questions, 'yank-bashing', going in circles, lieing (about polls, american relatives, music etc), boring us to death, etc etc (I actually regret "bringing him over" from metricsucks now!).

So here's a chance to get back to how it was in the good old days!

Ok, The right 'honourable' Tony Blair is here right now! I kid you not! (with the usual helicopters buzzing over-head etc). I've already booed to him out of the window (he's unlikely to hear, being some 300yds away!)

On the unlikely off-chance that he comes up to me and shakes my hand, what would 'members of the panel' (ie you lot who post here) ask him?

It would be to help keep britians culture alive, and to allow shopkeepers who dont sell to other countries, to sell in pounds and ounces again. Basically ask him not to go against the will of the majority of the population.

"When are you going to stop spending our money on unnecessary wars, and start spending it on something that is good for Britain - how about some nice new metric road signs?"

Andy, the first bit was credible (even though I don't 'totally' agree).

The second bit was just damn naughty!


My question would be something like "Now that you've got to power, and stayed in power - how come you want to give that power away to Brussels?"

(Brussels = the EU, btw, in my question above).

Any more takers? Come on pro-metrics! Come on Conrad! Surely you'd quiz him?

Thanks for a "U.S. person in Britain" approach there, Roth.

re (SteveH): "On the unlikely off-chance that he comes up to me and shakes my hand, what would 'members of the panel' (i.e. you lot who post here) ask him?"

REPLY: "On what date between today and the end of the year will you hand over to Gordon Brown?"

"Why do you hang on to George Bush by your fingernails, knowing that the vast majority of the British people think he's even a worse US president than Nixon ?"

"Do you SINCERELY think the war in Iraq was justified ? (And don't lie, just for once)"

"When will you bring our troops back home ?"

Conrad, who said they wanted to hang onto Bush? Also unfortunatly, Bush has a chance of being re-elected so perhaps he'll surpass Nixon after all.

Also Steve, If the battle for Britian is lost, then the whole weight of the war (between metric and imperial) willl be on the US, so naturally I wouldn't want Britian to lose out.

"How come you support the notion of 'be safe, use a condom' but as soon as you are confronted with one you and your colleagues run away?"

"Come on Tony, did you REALLY lie about WMD or were you actually duped?"

"What's this fixation with your party that you've brought in so many "gay rights" laws over your term? Is it something to do with the wife?"

"Come on, Tony, I bet you stole the complimentary bath robe and soap from Cliff's Barbadian home, didn't you?"

"That 'Chirac', he's rubbish ain't he?"

I can think of lots of things in general but as far as this forum is concerned:

Mr Blair,

When are you and your colleagues going to stand up for metrication in the UK, a process started nearly 4 decades ago by your party.

I as a member of the British electorate am tired of the apathy shown by successive Labour and Conservative governments and the failure to see it through to a proper conclusion. The spineless actions or rather inactions of the previous Labour government, and the succeeding Conservative government, and the misrepresentation and game playing over Britains membership of the EU has allowed metrication to drift into a polarised debate in which anti-EU protagonists have seized on it for totally unrelated political ends.

It's time for all parties in the UK to restore some commonsense to this and give Britain the benefit of a single system of measurement compatible with the whole world, not just Europe.

Stan: "It's time for all parties in the UK to restore some commonsense to this and give Britain the benefit of a single system of measurement compatible with the whole world, not just Europe."

Hear, hear !

Stan, Conrad, I too think that the conclusion of metrication in the UK is due. However in my opinion, it should not permanently destroy part of the rich culture and history of the UK. The UK can move into the 21st century without destroying it's culture.

re (Stan): "It's time for all parties in the UK to restore some commonsense to this"

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REPLY: Look, Stan, I couldn't agree more. Thank you for your thoughtful contribution.

The Labour Government is about to introduce the following 'common sense' measures to complete the long-delayed process of metrication:

1. Spend over £1 billion tearing down all Britain's antiquated Imperial road signs and replace them with shiny new gleaming metric ones

2. Force car owners to convert their speedometers to kilometres only by 31 December this year

3. Bring forward the banning of mentioning pounds and ounces in shops to 30 June 2004

4. Ban mention of Imperial measures in McDonalds, pubs, restaurants e.g. 12 oz. steaks, 'quarterpounders'

5. Requiring compulsory metric-only descriptions of heights and weights by all people in all circumstances

6. Banning all mention of Imperial measures at home, just as soon as we can organise the installation of computers with listening devices in all homes

7. Impounding and destroying all baby books which give the weight of new-born babies in pounds and ounces

8. A Metric Commission to be set up which will have the power to hear any music, play, TV or radio broadcast or film which may include a non-metric measurement with the Commission having the power to levy fines on the perpetrators without the right of appeal.

If you think this fails at all short of what you think is required, please give me a call at No. 10.

It really is time for Britain to move forward and enter the 21st century.


P.S. Gosh! I almost forgot, we will of course bring in legislation to prevent any future Prime Minister or Chancellor of the Exchequer from announcing the weights of their babies in pounds and ounces

Conclusion of Metrication May 23 2004, 5:08 AM


Stan, Conrad, I too think that the conclusion of metrication in the UK is due. However in my opinion, it should not permanently destroy part of the rich culture and history of the UK. The UK can move into the 21st century without destroying it's culture.

metre:
Your reasoning implies that Italy and every other European nation lost its cultural identity when it switched to metres. That is news to me and most other people on this globe.

metre, you very conveniently dropped the words "part of."

"When will you abandon the move thats been taking over 4 decades to make the people of Britain use metric? When will you realise that the people know best when it comes to this - hence the stubborn use of imperial today even when draconian laws have been enacted to force us to move?"

"When will you realise that although many european countries are throwing away the cultures, history and local 'oddities' in order to gamble for the idea of a political and social "unity" of the EU, the people of the UK don't want to make this gamble?"

"Our parents were duped into voting 'yes' in a referendum to joining a 'free trade area', can we have a referendum asking us whether we want to continue in this 'free trade area'?"

I do realise that there need to be standards of trade, but that shouldn't mean that the Brits be FORCED to use metric only. Even as Europe comes together and creates a sort of 'new culture' there can still be room for tradition and 'old culture'. Take Tony's( i think it was him) example of the Swedish foot ruler. Does that hurt Sweden?

I think an important part of this whole metric martyr debacle is that people were forced to spend hundreds of pounds on something only a few wanted.

It's like the possibility of being forced to pay £35 for an ID card.

Surely if something is compulsory it should be free. Otherwise it's just robbery.