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Original poster

People can stop panicking about this Imperial measurements thing!

374 replies

Echobelly · 17/09/2021 22:30

The proposal to reintroduce Imperial measurements is a fucking stupid idea and waste of time but Lordy, my social media is alight with people going 'OMG, they're going to force everyone to learn Imperial and it's ageist and ableist and will wreck trade and it'll be so expensive to recalibrate all out scales' etc etc.

I mean, hold your horses folks - they're allowing people to use imperial which wasn't allowed under the EU, just so they can say we can now do something we couldn't do under the EU. It's not being mandated. It's totally empty symbolism.

A handful of red-faced market stall holders will use it to make a point, no one else will care, nothing else will happen. I mean, I hate this bloody government and this ridiculous, retrograde idea but please be better than those people who don't read beyond the headlines.

Sorry, just the inaccuracy of response to this is bugging me!

OP posts:
Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 15:42

How it’s 50 years since most industries went metric. I doubt if you could find anything in your possession made to imperial sizes.

My clothes are.

Otherpeoplesteens · 18/09/2021 15:44

[quote Lockdownbear]@Otherpeoplesteens I can't believe they needed an enquiry to tell them using two separate measures could cause an issue.

And your right about the carrots, you know by looking at the bag is I enough or too many - I'm still gobsmacked people buy apples in any sort of weight - surely they are bought in numbers.[/quote]
I can't believe anyone in the 21st century is seriously considering reintroducing a second, archaic, system of measurements alongside an existing global standard. But then this is a government that became the first in modern history to deliberately erect new trade barriers with its biggest trading partner, so I guess it's about par for the course.

bonbonours · 18/09/2021 15:46

Imperial is fucking stupid and involves tricky maths so a lot of people don't really understand it even if they know they're 10 stone or five foot five they might not actually know how many pounds in a stone etc.

Metric has been taught in schools for several generations and it really is time to let go of imperial. If I had my way they'd change all road signs and speed limits to km not miles or yards.

Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 15:52

@Otherpeoplesteens
"I can't believe anyone in the 21st century is seriously considering reintroducing a second, archaic, system of measurements alongside an existing global standard."

They're not reintroducing anything. They're not doing away with the metric system. They're just removing an EU edict that can prosecute and fine people for selling in imperial measures. Radical times!

Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 15:58

[quote Annoyedanddissapointed]@Porridgealert it's not all just pounds but some just seem to be ok😁. But yeah😂 i cook for a regiment (well... Just 2 of us). I think there is a difference between american oz and uk oz and i just hate oz😂
It's not rational i guess[/quote]
@Annoyedanddissapointed. Haha. I was imagining you baking a Victoria sponge just in pounds!! That would keep you going for a while.
I agree about things not being rational. Sometimes I see a recipe and choose to cook it in ozs, another recipe I'd cook in grams. I have no idea what influences my choice. I never cook in cups, though. Haven't got my head around that yet at all.

lannistunut · 18/09/2021 16:27

@ArblemarchTFruitbat

I can use both, but I don't see the issue for anyone who can't so long as they own a smart phone. Just use an online converter - two seconds to convert one to the other.
Hahahaha, brilliant! What a mad idea, that we all have to make all this fuss to appease the brexity bellends.
lannistunut · 18/09/2021 16:30

'EU edict' is one of my favourite phrases! Brexiteers genuinely live on another planet. Imperial was always allowed, there was no edict Confused

FuzzyPuffling · 18/09/2021 16:41

When I'm cooking I use a set of original 1920s balance scales with proper physical weights in ozs.

I love any recipe that's in imperial measures.

And the scales are far more attractive on my shelf than modern digital ones.

Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 16:43

@lannistunut

'EU edict' is one of my favourite phrases! Brexiteers genuinely live on another planet. Imperial was always allowed, there was no edict Confused
It was although maybe directive would be a better word. Its still legislation that comes from the EU. The EU wanted a standardisation of weights and measurements across countries and that's why metric had to be displayed, and imperial was optional. (I think metric had to be larger but the courts changed that to equal sizing.) All packaging had to show contents in metric, again imperial was optional. The things that were kept, eg pints for milk and beer and miles, were exempted because it would have cost too much to change.
lannistunut · 18/09/2021 16:50

Yesv@Porridgealert, as you've explained, imperial was always allowed.

Brexiteers just make stuff up! They claim all sorts of things were 'banned' under 'edicts' when actually, they were not.

Lockdownbear · 18/09/2021 16:52

I think one of the arguments for beer was a pint is slightly smaller than 0.5 lt. Along with the tradition of going for a pint.

Changing to kilometres would be a massive cost. Millions of road signs would need changed. And it would take time for all cars to have kilometres as the main digits on the speedometer, so a massive safety risk.

Annoyedanddissapointed · 18/09/2021 16:54

I think one of the arguments for beer was a pint is slightly smaller than 0.5 lt. Along with the tradition of going for a pint.

Pint is bigger.
And it always been a pint. Frankly, I think this is simply a media exercise so they can say they did something 🤷🏻 while pretending to the public that UK was fully deprived of their weird units😁

SecretSpAD · 18/09/2021 16:56

I'm 51 and grew up using both. Thought everyone in this country did the same. Can't remember being forced to describe my height in cm by pesky French people.....

Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 17:07

@lannistunut
Brexiteers just make stuff up! They claim all sorts of things were 'banned' under 'edicts' when actually, they were not.

No, I never said that people couldn't use imperial measurements, this is what I said...
They're just removing an EU edict that can prosecute and fine people for selling in imperial measures.
And people were prosecuted and fined for selling in imperial weights only. And that was because of an EU directive. That's not made up.

lannistunut · 18/09/2021 17:09

[quote Porridgealert]@lannistunut
Brexiteers just make stuff up! They claim all sorts of things were 'banned' under 'edicts' when actually, they were not.

No, I never said that people couldn't use imperial measurements, this is what I said...
They're just removing an EU edict that can prosecute and fine people for selling in imperial measures.
And people were prosecuted and fined for selling in imperial weights only. And that was because of an EU directive. That's not made up.[/quote]
Yes but the key word is 'only'. Who needs to sell in imperial only? Only slightly peculiar obsessives IMO.

lannistunut · 18/09/2021 17:11

The government only get away with this bollocks because the portion of the electorate they are appealing to don't understand.

Same as the blue passports we were not allowed, apart from the fact we were allowed them all along!

Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 17:27

Yes but the key word is 'only'. Who needs to sell in imperial only? Only slightly peculiar obsessives IMO

It's not illegal to be a slightly weird obsessive. And now it won't be illegal to sell in pounds only. And if it offends you, it won't be illegal for you to refuse to buy from them. Surely that is a win for everybody. 🙂

Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 17:31

The government only get away with this bollocks because the portion of the electorate they are appealing to don't understand.

I think actually they just don't care what you think. As for them not understanding, it seems like you're a person that if someone doesn't agree with you, you just think they haven't understood. 😂😂 Hey, you're not my sister, are you? 😂

Theoldprospector · 18/09/2021 17:39

Schools teach metric and imperial.

People still use both metric and imperial, and I very much doubt we will move to the metric system for all measurements any time soon.

People would not generally be happy measuring time using a metric system.

lannistunut · 18/09/2021 17:48

@Porridgealert

Yes but the key word is 'only'. Who needs to sell in imperial only? Only slightly peculiar obsessives IMO

It's not illegal to be a slightly weird obsessive. And now it won't be illegal to sell in pounds only. And if it offends you, it won't be illegal for you to refuse to buy from them. Surely that is a win for everybody. 🙂

Well no, it is insane.

But anyway, I guess we will be like this for a while, until the stupidity of this type of gesture politics is more widely acknowledged.

DdraigGoch · 18/09/2021 17:51

@Nat6999

Will we be going back to pennies & shillings? I can just about remember before we went decimal & we kept the old sixpence, shilling & two shilling coins.
Why not? 1p and 2p coins are worth a fraction of what the decimal ha'penny was worth when it was withdrawn from circulation. Why do we still bother having such tiny denominations? Is it really just so that shops can charge 99p?

Might as well withdraw copper coins altogether. Then your lowest denomination is 5p so why not rename it the Shilling?

And how do petrol stations get away with charging 0.9p?

lannistunut · 18/09/2021 17:53

@Porridgealert

The government only get away with this bollocks because the portion of the electorate they are appealing to don't understand.

I think actually they just don't care what you think. As for them not understanding, it seems like you're a person that if someone doesn't agree with you, you just think they haven't understood. 😂😂 Hey, you're not my sister, are you? 😂

I don't think everyone who voted Brexit didn't understand, I certainly don't think everyone who disagrees with me doesn't understand.

But anyone who thinks this pointless change will bring any tengible benefits is Confused. It is gesture politics.

Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 17:54

@lannistunutann. We've always had a dual system so I think it'll be more than a while before it goes away. 😉

lannistunut · 18/09/2021 17:55

@DdraigGoch they did consider removing 1p and 2p coins but the analysis was it would really harm charities who get a lot of loose change. Might be different going forwards if more switch from cash.

Porridgealert · 18/09/2021 17:58

But anyone who thinks this pointless change will bring any tengible benefits is confused. It is gesture politics.

What tangible benefits are you people saying it will bring?