The FT carries this article about the BWMA conference:

Weight off Linacre's mind

So much for the supposed political balance at the British Weights and Measures
Association.

The tireless campaigners against compulsory metrication, bankrolled since 1994
by Vivian Linacre, an Edinburgh surveyor, have striven to be non-party
political and neutral on the European Union.

The BWMA's big tent philosophy attracted countless non-fanatics such as
Gwyneth Dunwoody, the Labour MP, and Lord Phillips of Sudbury, the Liberal
Democrat peer, as well as the usual Tory suspects.

So what to make of the speeches at the BWMA annual conference in London last
weekend? Observer's spy reports that Linacre denounced the euro "as a means
to integration into a fascistic state. The only solution is to fight the EU
on all fronts."

Michael Plumbe, BWMA chairman, later weighed in: "I wake up at night worrying
about this bloody EU. It's going to be war."

It's a fair cop, Linacre admitted to Observer yesterday. "The policy has
changed, very reluctantly. I have concluded that it is not worth bothering
with the mainstream parties, who are either two-faced or too impotent to
fight metrication."

He added: "Metrication is a political project designed to destroy Britain's
commercial and cultural bond with America. We are now opposed to the EU and
all its works. The EU is a rightwing entity compared to woolly- minded
liberals such as ourselves who fight for freedom of choice."

Incidentally, Linacre finished his tub-thumping peroration with tears rolling
down his cheeks. His more apolitical members will know the feeling, now that
the BWMA has joined the ranks of the Brussels-bashers.

Having served as BWMA's Director for eight years, and now almost 75 years old, Vivian announced his retirement at BWMA's AGM/Conference on May 24th.

Vivian's speech was made in a personal capacity, and reflected on eight years of trying, unsuccessfully, to obtain straight answers from British politicians. His message was not merely that UK ministers are bound by EC directives but, more importantly, they are not prepared to admit it, leaving to dishonesty in their dealings with the public.

BWMA's position on the EU remains unchanged. We are neither for it nor against it.

...although 98.6% of our members are UKIP voters.

BWMA, as a non-party political body, does not collate information on members' political affiliations.

Eight years? That would mean he was quite new at the time of the 1995 metrication.

Then how BWMA do you explain this:
<<
Michael Plumbe, BWMA chairman, later weighed in: "I wake up at night worrying
about this bloody EU. It's going to be war."
>>

I take it Micheal Plumbe is not about to retire.

<<
It's a fair cop, Linacre admitted to Observer yesterday. "The policy has
changed, very reluctantly. I have concluded that it is not worth bothering
with the mainstream parties, who are either two-faced or too impotent to
fight metrication."
>>

Why did Vivian not qualify his views as personal?

Mike Plumbe is not retiring. I cannot answer the other question: either Vivian thought it self-evident, or he was misquoted, etc.

Looks like some people are searching for things that don't exist.

Perhaps they're trainee journo's?

Just testing something - ignore this

^^ you appear to have posted that before! ^^