Should the UK have one measurement system or two? We highlight a paradox in UK government policy.
Continue reading “A paradox of our measurement muddle”The 1972 White Paper on Metrication – 50 years on
2022 sees the 50th anniversary of the 1972 White Paper on Metrication – a policy document that set out the Government’s plans for the nation’s metrication programme in the 1970s.
The publication of the White Paper was approved at a Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday 11 January 1972.
Continue reading “The 1972 White Paper on Metrication – 50 years on”
A pint of champagne?
It is said Winston Churchill preferred his champagne in pint bottles. Now there is a proposal to bring them back. Ronnie Cohen comments.
Continue reading “A pint of champagne?”Does the UK’s mixed use of metric and imperial give us a unique ‘superpower’?
When arguing against the completion of metrication, opponents sometimes claim that the UK’s current muddled use of metric units for some things, and imperial for others, gives us an advantage that should be envied when it comes to measurement, in that it somehow makes us ‘bilingual’ in both systems.
Continue reading “Does the UK’s mixed use of metric and imperial give us a unique ‘superpower’?”
Inconsistent motorway emergency features
Smart motorways illustrate the some of the consequences of the UK’s two-system measurement muddle. Ronnie Cohen explains.
Continue reading “Inconsistent motorway emergency features”Highway Code conversion confusion
Ronnie Cohen looks at consequences of the UK’s measurement muddle for The Highway Code.
Continue reading “Highway Code conversion confusion”1980s – a turning point
Ronnie Cohen remembers how the loss of consensus on both the reform of the UK’s measurement units and on its membership of the European Community changed the course of history.
Continue reading “1980s – a turning point”Has Severn Trent Water heard of litres?
Like many homes, my water supply is metered, and I am billed according to the amount I use. Each unit on the meter corresponds to 1 m3, or 1 kilolitre.
Metric Views 