Go metric

[malumbu]

One of the biggest things that has frustrated me over the past decades is the UKs backward thinking of adopting units of measurement based on the natural world, rather than those for people with 12 or 16 fingers, or based on the body dimensions in the middle ages. I go out of my way to use metric, and would happily dump miles too. As Canada did (OK half heartedly) but a more modern country Ireland.

The little Islanders have used this as a justification not to join the rest of the world. I was looking through a 1970 Ford Cortina owners manual, loathe to get rid of it but I really need to chuck this sort of thing away when I surprisingly noted that 50 years ago everything was metric. Why haven't we grasped the nettle?

Which brought me to the metric society, and a surprise that we tried to go metric well before we joined the then common market. In 1965 the UK decided to move to base 10 both for currency and units of measurement, sadly only the former was taken forward in totality, I expect there were howls of protest then too. In the early 70s there was even a campaign on Kellogs cereal packets to get kids to remember conversions from Imperial to metric - wish I could find a link.

There's a nice history here https://ukma.org.uk/ which includes a link to a not particularly successful survey, but hey ho.

Thanks for indulging me.

[Sue]

That has reminded me of being in primary school and doing pounds shillings and pence sums.

What a stupid system.

And as for all those weird things you used to get on the back of exercise books .....

I still remember totally useless things like 1760 yards in a mile ....

[Spartacus]

Blimey give some people a yard and they will take a meter 😱

Imagine the cost of doing this (every road sign, road map....) what about nautical miles (global standard) and then what ? Everyone drive on the right ?

Madness, all madness and I'll wager a groat it won't happen

[JohnL]

Even if we returned to ?SD it wouldn't matter as everything below a ? is pretty much loose change and irrelevant :)

Except everything worth ?4 would be priced at ?3 S19 D11

[malumbu]

We wont shift to driving on the right. Most of us know that the left is sensible and goes back, to at least, Roman times. Other countries just kowtowed to the US/Henry Ford. I once walked from Guyana into Brazil over a strange junction that converted the road from left hand to right hand drive and vice-versa.

The resistance to the metric system is this bloody island nation superiority complex nonsense. Nonsense.

Costs are relatively modest. All our text books are in metric. Everything you buy is metric. Just needs the Daily Express to come on board.

[ianr]

> Except everything worth ?4 would be priced at ?3 S19 D11

More likely 79/11d with or without the d. Otherwise ?3 19s 11d, or ?3/19/11d or ?3.19.11d. or ..., again with or without the d.

[JohnL]

ianr Wrote:

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> > Except everything worth ?4 would be priced at ?3

> S19 D11

>

> More likely 79/11d with or without the d.

> Otherwise ?3 19s 11d, or ?3/19/11d or ?3.19.11d.

> or ..., again with or without the d.

gulp

[ianr]

I'm not sure what the gulp's for, if not for perceived superannuated dwelling on trivial childhood memories (backed up by some search results in the https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk index). It all seemed quite straightforward at the time, anyway, and more mind-exercising than the current arrangements. And base ten units aren't all that new. Ten square chains to the acre?

[malumbu]

They are filming in Peckham near to the station and one of the bargain shops is having a makeover. Advertising products in the window in pennies, circa early 70s, but a big historical mistake as they have forgotten the 1/2 penny.

Which reminds me of how backward we are in getting rid of unwanted denominations. The pre-decimal ha'penny dropped in 1970 would now be worth about 8 pence. So forget the emotional attachment, ditch the copper. I'd say it was again about Island mentality, but the US cent is even more worthless, and ditto the Euro countries (although in Ireland I understand they round up and down to the closest five cents.)

[JohnL]

I have a bucket of coppers sitting there from pub change over years.

[malumbu]

I was taking stacks of change to the bank before lockdown. I know many who used to empty their pockets into a bowl, but never cash it in. There must be ?100 millions like this across the country. Bring in back of the sofa..... Car..... fallen behind the drawers.....

[Sue]

malumbu Wrote:

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> The pre-decimal

> ha'penny dropped in 1970 would now be worth about

> 8 pence.

8 pence? Not as much as that, surely?

Anyway, never mind the ha'penny. I remember buying a ball of wool in Tyrells (sp?) in Streatham for sixpence three farthings 😂

It is very disconcerting when your childhood is history.

If it had been Sharmans, a bit further up the road, my money would have gone whizzing up to the cashier on the floor above in one of those pneumatic tube things 😮

[JohnL]

Anyone remember we kept some of the old currency after decimalisation - the florin became a 10p, the shilling 5p and the sixpence was 2.5p for a while.

[malumbu]

The tanner (6d/2.5p) was removed from circulation in 1980. We still used the old shilling and two shillings until they reduced the size of the 5p and 10p in 1990 and 1992 respectively. The old shillings before 1947 I recall were worth more in the silver content then monetary value and therefore effectively removed from circulation many years earlier as they would have been melted down.

There was a strong case for moving to a new pound that was half the old pound to make it easier when we went decimal, but the government at the time (Wilson) shelved this as it would have been a PR disaster.

[Spartacus]

Oh man

Two point five four centimeter worm sure wouldn't have the same stylistic symmetry 😱

[malumbu]

Eclectic link but had to turn it off when the kids were singing thurdy two. It's thirty damn you. It's got a t in it. Damn Americans damning down our language again. And typical for a toosday.

[Spartacus]

Interestingly, and I don't believe her, but someone I know swears blind that Americans speak the Queens English as it was when the founders left on the Mayflower and it's us who've dumbed it down.

My counter argument with her is that she's referring to queens the NY district and not ER ii the Queen.

[TheCat]

malumbu Wrote:

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> They are filming in Peckham near to the station

> and one of the bargain shops is having a makeover.

> Advertising products in the window in pennies,

> circa early 70s, but a big historical mistake as

> they have forgotten the 1/2 penny.

>

> Which reminds me of how backward we are in getting

> rid of unwanted denominations. The pre-decimal

> ha'penny dropped in 1970 would now be worth about

> 8 pence. So forget the emotional attachment,

> ditch the copper. I'd say it was again about

> Island mentality, but the US cent is even more

> worthless, and ditto the Euro countries (although

> in Ireland I understand they round up and down to

> the closest five cents.)

Australia got rid of 1 and 2 cent coins in the early 1990's....so 5c is the smallest coin now over there....

I recall the biggest complaints at the time came from retailers....who either had to choose re-pricing their $9.99 products to over $10 (obviously visually unappealing for the bargain hunting customer) or had to reduce prices down to $9.95.....perhaps surprisingly to some....nearly all of them chose the latter....

[malumbu]

Damn. Australia being more progressive than the UK. Damn. And adopting decimalisation earlier. Damn. You will be becoming a republic next. Well that I do approve of. I bet you have also adopted metric units. Not really sure what I am going on about, perhaps somebody could help.

[TheCat]

malumbu Wrote:

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> Damn. Australia being more progressive than the

> UK. Damn. And adopting decimalisation earlier.

> Damn. You will be becoming a republic next. Well

> that I do approve of. I bet you have also adopted

> metric units. Not really sure what I am going on

> about, perhaps somebody could help.

Australia is totally and completely metric, I'm sorry to break it to you mal.

But to be fair to the British system, those two twins from scotland wouldnt have been anywhere near as successful if they had to sing about walking 804.67kms.....

[legalalien]

With the possible exception of beer measures, TheCat?

TheCat Wrote:

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> malumbu Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Damn. Australia being more progressive than

> the

> > UK. Damn. And adopting decimalisation earlier.

>

> > Damn. You will be becoming a republic next.

> Well

> > that I do approve of. I bet you have also

> adopted

> > metric units. Not really sure what I am going

> on

> > about, perhaps somebody could help.

>

> Australia is totally and completely metric, I'm

> sorry to break it to you mal.

>

> But to be fair to the British system, those two

> twins from scotland wouldnt have been anywhere

> near as successful if they had to sing about

> walking 804.67kms.....

[malumbu]

Two 570 mls of lager and a packet of crisps please.

Although most of us would be happy if they rounded up the metric pint to 600mls (noting that litres are not a proper unit, we'd have to do it in fractions of a cubic metre so then it would get confusing....)

[alex_b]

legalalien Wrote:

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> With the possible exception of beer measures,

> TheCat?

Well they use Schooner and Pot from what I can remember (which are confusingly different sizes between States).

[TheCat]

alex_b Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> legalalien Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > With the possible exception of beer measures,

> > TheCat?

>

> Well they use Schooner and Pot from what I can

> remember (which are confusingly different sizes

> between States).

Yes...good spot legal....schooner, pot, middy, pint, jug, schmiddy....much dependent on which state you are in when are ordering said beer....

As alex_b mentions, the crazy South Australians actually don't even have the decency to call their measures by a different name...the SA "schooner" (285 ml) is the same size as other States' pot / middy / half pint. The SA "pint" (425 ml) is the same size as other States' schooner, which is three-quarters of an imperial pint.

Also, the emergence of the schmidy was a total rort...it evolved from slick bars in the late 90's/early 2000's selling a measure between a schooner (425ml) and a midi/pot (285ml)...but charging the same as a traditional schooner.....

Of course, the best system is in my home state of Queensland, where you just order a jug (1.14L) and a few pot glasses for the table....

Pints and schooners are more popular the more south you go. With pots/middies being standard in the northern states. All related to temperature....a pint will be totally warm before you're halfway through it up north.

So...I appear to have gone off on a tangent there, but, to conclude, I will retract my earlier statement, and rephrase..... Australia is totally and completely metric...except for beer, where it's thunderdome rules....

[Sephiroth]

This digression is making me want to go back to WA