The government actually IS doing a consultation on bringing back imperial measurements!

[Kendodd]

I thought it was a joke.
AIBU to think this is a complete load of bollocks waste of money?

The questions don't even give you the option of saying just keep metric.
Example question -
For Consumers,

a) If you had a choice, would you want to purchase items:

(i) in imperial units?

(ii) in imperial units alongside a metric equivalent?

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1079711/choice-on-units-of-measurement-markings-and-sales-consultation.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjchIqM1pT4AhXIPsAKHWSZBW0QFnoECAUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw05usEgoqbR2NHfgE3SzAYH

Haha. From the outside that's exactly what it looks like to me. Bonkers.

Bottom feeding politics and an insult to the majority of people given all the issues that we're facing at the moment. Apart from a few readers of certain right wing publications who will blindly toe the Tory line, I am struggling to think who else will care.

I really hope that all the corporations push back from this.it’s not like he’s going to listen to the people. What a stupid idea to actually try to implement.

What amuses me the most is the number of people saying it's brilliant that pints are coming back.

Bozo's fanboyz are very keen not to challenge the link between low intelligence and voting Tory.

Same!

No US cups are different.

I bought an American cook book, I have metric cups (Australia sometimes use them) and the recipes didn't work.

It’s an insulting waste of public money 🤬

Oops sorry my precious post was in response to this one - meant to say in my previous post I do the same thing as you Siam.

Businesses do not have money to replace all of their labels or alter machinery to change standard sizes. Are supporters of this bollocks happy to lose their jobs to pay for the changes?

These Brexiteers are next level dumb.

My god, like you I thought it was just a silly sideshow. The boss of Asda has already weighed in on this situation (sorry 😉). Why? Just, why? What is there possibly to gain?

They are consulting on it, they want to find out what people think.

When we went metric it was forced on people, shopkeepers were prosecuted for continuing selling produce to (mostly elderly) customers in pounds and ounces, people who had always used pounds and ounces, had weighing scales in Lbs and Oz, and who were confused and angry. If they had had the consultation then, 20 years ago, the result might have been different, but I cannot imagine any significant numbers of people want to go back now.

I'm old enough to have been taught LSD money and avoir dupois weights at primary school. Do I want to switch back to old money and weights and ditch metric? No way!

Do I care if pubs sell beer in old style pint glasses and shops want to sell potatoes in pounds as well as kilos? No, not really, but I don't want to be forced to go back to using only imperial measures.

Its difficult to understand where on earth this has come from, maybe PPs are right and it's to do with a US trade deal.

The most important thing is for them to take notice of what people actually say in the consultation, and not to twist and bend the truth to force another unwanted change on us.

3 Consultation aim
3.1 The Government wants to hear from a broad range of individuals, businesses and organisations that interact with consumer transactions based on quantity, including businesses, trade associations, consumers, consumer organisations and Local Authority Trading Standards.
3.2 The consultation will feed into the announced review to identify where the Government can provide greater choice around the units of measurement used.
3.3 The consultation seeks to understand the areas where the current legislation has been burdensome to consumers and businesses, and any barriers it has created. It is an opportunity to share views around this, as well as identify potential areas of inclusion and exclusion for review.
3.4 From businesses, the consultation seeks to understand the likely uptake of selling solely in imperial measures, or in imperial units with a less prominent metric equivalent; and the costs and benefits related to both options. It also asks for businesses views on potential impacts to their customer base and suppliers.
3.5 From consumers, whether the introduction of the use of imperial units (as the only or primary unit of measurement) will change their shopping habits is of interest.
3.6 For Local Authority Trading Standards, we are interested in understanding any potential impacts on regulatory activity, including any costs or benefits.
3.7 The Government are also keen to hear views on specific areas that should be included in any potential policy around imperial units, as well as specific areas that should be excluded.

I’m intrigued by those who seem to think that pounds, ounces, feet, inches and miles constitute the whole Imperial system of measurement.

shopkeepers were prosecuted for continuing selling produce to (mostly elderly) customers in pounds and ounces

No sympathy here. This was completely unnecessary.

Old dear walks in and asks for half a pound of cheese. Shopkeeper weighs out approximately 224g and charges that. Happy days.

I used to occasionally order in ounces. It's not a problem - the shop just converted. I suspect those prosecuted just wanted to make a point.

They would actually have needed the consultation at least 50 years ago. I cannot think of anything which has change over to metric in the last 20 years.

With proper information about what it meant, it should not have been a problem. Although I admit there most certainly was profiteering when we changed over to decimal money.

I still use a mix , so it's never gone away , but I daresay someone is going to make a few quid (ours) on the consultancy and they will decide that it would be too expensive and stupid to change anything . Imperial will die a natural death in a few years .

i was pretty sure that those prosecuted were actually giving short measure, which is what drew the Weights and Measures people's attention. I can't find anything quickly which supports this.

Giving short measure has been a crime for decades, if not centuries.

There are still two planks, and they're still short, whether you measure them in inches or millimetres.

I can well believe this.

An ounce suddenly became 25g because that's easier to do sums with than 28g.

So if people were given 200g but charged for half a pound... naughty.

Chocolate bars all shrank but remained the same price 🤷‍♀️

When we went metric it was forced on people,

It was forced on people because most of the world moved to a unified system of units, which was essential for a world where science and engineering is arguably more important (given both have far greater impacts on our lives behind the scenes) than how Jo public bought their fruit and veg.

We've ended up with a ridiculous mix n match as we're still partially stuck with the Americans and a hangover from an old system. It's time to get rid.

The stupidly of this results in a system where we purchase fuel in litres but then buy cars based on mpg 🤦. Ask anyone what their litres per 100 kilometres is and 🤯

I can't get worked up about this. We all use a mixture of metric and imperial, I'm not fussed either way.

I guess the idea of a consultation exercise is to consult but I don't have an issue with a business choosing to use imperial measurements if they wish.

Me too.

For those people who, on a previous thread, ridiculed those of us who indicated this was a bad idea because 'It isn't going to happen' - how are YOU feeling about this now?

@ldontWanna is there a problem with being very British? Other cultures aren't criticised in the way British people are for not wanting change.

It's people weights I struggle with. I prefer stones/pounds, especially for babies/children.

I can't see people ordering half a litre of beer (or thereabouts) instead of a pint! 😁