Cyprus shows how metrication should be done

John Frewen-Lord tells us about his experiences of living in Cyprus and how they completed metrication successfully, unlike the UK.

If any of you watch TV’s ‘A Place in the Sun’ then no doubt you will have seen Cyprus feature fairly regularly as one of the destinations that offer lots of sunshine combined with a Mediterranean lifestyle. My wife and I, in our twilight years, decided to take the plunge, and join roughly 150 000 other British expats in moving to the Greek side of the island, doing so last year (2025). We now have official Cyprus residency. [What follows relates only to the Greek part of Cyprus, with about 80% of the total population. The island was invaded by Turkey in 1974, and the Turkish side, about one-third of the island and not officially recognised by any country except Turkey, can be a bit problematical in terms of exiting back to the Greek side, and therefore remains more-or-less ‘off-limits’ as far as non-Cypriot expats are concerned.]

Continue reading “Cyprus shows how metrication should be done”

What role did the BBC play in the UK’s transition to the metric system in the 1970s?

It may come as a surprise to many readers that, 50 years ago, the BBC had an Inter-divisional Metrication Committee. It’s precise remit is not clear, but in 1976 it published a 68-page booklet with the intriguing title, Metrication – A Producer’s Guide.

Continue reading “What role did the BBC play in the UK’s transition to the metric system in the 1970s?”

Media blast from the past

In the early years of the Metrication Programme, which began in 1965, the press was not hostile to metrication. They published articles that sounded supportive or neutral. It was only a couple of decades later when metrication progress ran out of steam and the consensus on metrication broke down in the 1980’s that the press turned against metrication. Here we look at some of the earlier and later newspaper articles that reflect the changing attitudes to metrication in the UK.

Continue reading “Media blast from the past”

Why UK Metrication Programme failed according to AI

I consulted Microsoft Copilot to ask its opinion on the reason for the failure of the UK Metrication Programme. I asked it, “The UK started the Metrication Programme in 1965 and planned to complete metrication in 10 years. Why has the UK failed to complete its transition to the metric system? What went wrong?”. It gave great insights into the factors that caused the UK to fail. Its response, with AI formatting and emphasis, is reproduced below.

Continue reading “Why UK Metrication Programme failed according to AI”

Richmond Project

Last year (Saturday 1 March 2025), The Times devoted a page to the Richmond Project, a charity that is being set up by the former prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty. The project’s purpose is the improvement of numeracy. Such a project poses quite a challenge. On 12 January 2026, the Sunaks were interviewed on the BBC Breakfast program about the progress of the project.

Continue reading “Richmond Project”

The end of the traditional pint

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the end of the traditional ale pint.

On 1 January 1826, the traditional ale gallon of 282 cubic inches was replaced by the smaller imperial gallon; equal to the volume of ten pounds of water. This meant a reduction in the size of a pint of beer, from about 578 ml to about 568 ml.

Continue reading “The end of the traditional pint”

Is the metric system the tool of the (Sea) Devil?

In Matt Groening’s The Simpsons, Grampa Simpson famously decries the metric system as being “the tool of the Devil”.

In Russell T Davies’ latest Doctor Who spin-off science-fiction mini-series, it seems the metric system is the tool of the Sea Devil too.

Continue reading “Is the metric system the tool of the (Sea) Devil?”

Metric speed limits – 55 years of dilly-dallying

55 years ago today, the Government announced that,

“Speed limits on Britain’s roads are not to be metricated in 1973, as had been planned by the previous administration, and the Government has no alternative date in mind.”

 
In the 55 years since that announcement, successive governments have failed to set a new date for the changeover to metric speed limits. We reproduce here an extract from UKMA’s main website:

Continue reading “Metric speed limits – 55 years of dilly-dallying”

Met Office website drops metric wind speeds

The new version of the Met Office’s weather forecasting website no longer has the option to show wind speeds in metric units. All wind speeds are now in mph-only. Previously, users could choose from a list of different units, including metres per second and km/h.

Continue reading “Met Office website drops metric wind speeds”

A “Quite Interesting” mess

If, like me, you are a regular viewer and fan of QI, the BBC’s long-running “Quite Interesting” trivia game show, you are probably frustrated by the seemingly random choice of measurement units that the programme uses to convey the sizes of things. Viewers are expected to be familiar with a whole host of units that haven’t been taught in schools for more than 50 years.

Continue reading “A “Quite Interesting” mess”