To think that some (not all) of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s rules for communications are okay?

[CruCru]

I am not a fan of Jacob Rees-Mogg. I would hate to be made to refer to Imperial units because I don’t think in Imperial (presumably he does) and the Esq. thing is alien to me.

However, things like “Check your work”, having two spaces after a full stop and no comma after “and” are fair enough. I’m not sure about all the banned words or phrases but perhaps they are overused (to the point of being sloppy).

The RSA two spaces after a full stop rule makes more sense to me. It looks better when there is a clear separation between sentences and it is easier on the eye especially when you are trying to read a big block of paragraph.

^I'll guess that despite the excellence of his schools, he may be pretty much functionally illiterate when it comes to science, but it could be hilarious if people did this. How should they translate eg 'nanotechnology', 0.000000000000621371miletechnology?^

We laugh, but passport sizes are laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization which specifies a size of 125 × 88 mm. However you will see American sites quoting the measurements in inches - which looks clumsy - 4.921 × 3.465 in.

This size is the B7 format - which for those who don't know was invented by the Germans about a century ago.

The blue passport brigade are going to be disappointed, they can't have the clunky old passports back with the little windows on the front and the photo stuck in with pritt stick.

Of course JR-M's staff should also go back to using paper in foolscap and quarto sizes.

A law enacted by the, guess what, Conservative Government in 2000.

. I bet JR-M doesn't realise that.

There are several ministers who have style preferences - JRM is just more extreme than most. Gove had his preferences leaked when he was education secretary, and one of the Lords at the department I was at didn't like the use of contractions (ie. use "did not" instead of "didn't"). We adhered to those preferences, because you wanted the minister to read the substance of what you'd written rather than get distracted by grammar that would irritate them.

I find Grant Shapps' request for submissions of only two sides and no annexes more worrying - he clearly doesn't give a shit about the detail...

Oh do stop jaxhog, that must be one of those fiendish Eurolaws designed to undermine our democracy and bring our wonderful country to an end by nefarious means. Hurrah for the return of our wonderful illogica and annoying Imperial measurements, gifted to us by the Romans I believe.

I use two spaces after a full stop. It makes writing easier to read.

Not on MN though obviously! Lol!

WTF is going through anyone's head when they let him have any power? Maybe it's a thank you from Boris for not running for his job?

I use two spaces after a full stop. It makes writing easier to read.

Isn't that one space?

Are computer memory sizes imperial or metric (GB, MB, TB etc) ? I realise that 1GB = 1024MB but it's used everywhere ?

I once had a boss who wouldn’t let anyone write “I feel that ...” because he said that our opinions and decisions should be based on logic rather than feelings.
I agree with your boss here, in a manner of speaking. It tends to be used by women, who use it to mollify their speech.

My DDs ridiculedshrugged off my observation that we still use old imperial weights and measures.

So I asked them a few questions;

How tall are you?
What do you weigh?
What size shoes do you wear?
What is you bra size?
What size screen is your MacBook Pro?
What is the speed limit on the motorway?
How far is it to town?
What's the recipe for a Victoria sponge cake?

I won the argument.

All men are to be addressed as Esq.? Muddy waters there - perhaps Jacob was daydreaming in class when that particular piece of grammar was taught.

@PCohle, if necessitates extensive use of a Thesaurus for Senior Civil Servants to come up with alternative words to 'Very', I'd suggest the staff members concerned get downgraded to AA level before they're trusted to report upon anything more complex than the number of sugars they take in their tea.

1. He's a preening ninny
2. Two spaces after a full stop is unequivocally wrong and a good sign of the kind of person who will mindlessly stick to a rule they half remember rather than thinking for themself.

I realise that 1GB = 1024MB but it's used everywhere ?

Actually, pika, the official definition is that 1GB = 1000MB , but in IT the binary definition you've quoted is also used. This is something I only learnt in recent years, and it's a bit confusing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabyte

The problem here is the subtext. It tells us what his priorities are, where his attention is, how he treats people.

If I think about the state of our politics for more than a second I quickly feel very, very angry. I feel angry with the government, I feel angry with the complete lack of a viable opposition. I just hate the situation we're in with no way out.

slate.com/technology/2011/01/two-spaces-after-a-period-why-you-should-never-ever-do-it.html

A good article for those who haven't read it.

underthebridgedowntown find Grant Shapps' request for submissions of only two sides and no annexes more worrying - he clearly doesn't give a shit about the detail...

I checked his qualifications and he has an HND from Manchester Poly. This has qualified him to a number of ministerial jobs but I would suggest that constructing a written argument, or reading one, is possibly a skill that has eluded him.

I rather like some of JRM's "rules" but the imperial measurements is nonsense. His actions are at times a bit consciously stereotypical upper-middle class but he himself is of solid middle class stock, hyphenated surname and all.

I'm a two spacer. Like a pp I learned it when I did my City and Guilds touch typing (which I got a distinction in). It's automatic now and I'd find it hard to stop. Don't care what others do.

I like JRM and Leader of the House of Commons is the perfect job for him. One thing no one will be able to challenge him on are the rules - he really knows his stuff. I'm looking forward to his exchanges.

Two spaces after a full stop is archaic. See how silly that looks

Has anyone pointed out that MN strips out double-spacing anyway. I do it out of habit, but the double-space that I just typed after my previous full-stop will appear as single when I post.

(So, the silliness that Pinktinker was trying to illustrate is erased by MN! ).