The British retreat on metrication from the early 1980’s, starting with the abolition of the Metrication Board, is a symptom of British exceptionalism. Ronnie Cohen looks at this issue, or should we say problem?
Continue reading “Imperial dimensions of British exceptionalism”Author: Ronnie Cohen
Stuck in an imperial past
Ronnie Cohen wonders if nostalgia for Britain’s imperial past is damaging its future.
Continue reading “Stuck in an imperial past”The UK’s metric conversion – a comedy of errors?
Ronnie Cohen looks at the story of the UK’s metric changeover during the half century following the establishment of the Metrication Board in the late 1960s. If any other country needs a lesson in how not to do the job, this is it.
Continue reading “The UK’s metric conversion – a comedy of errors?”What I want to see in the new Highway Code
On 1 March 2021, the government launched a public consultation on its review of the Highway Code with the aim of improving safety on motorways and high-speed roads. Ronnie Cohen comments on the proposals and makes some of his own.
Continue reading “What I want to see in the new Highway Code”How metric units fit together
After celebrating the arrival of decimal currency in the UK 50 years ago, Metric Views now goes back to basics on decimal measurement. No, we shall not be looking at nautical distances or Gunter’s chain! Continue reading “How metric units fit together”
Decimal changeover lessons
Following on from last week’s informative article about the UK’s introduction of decimal currency, we look at some of the features contributing to that success and draw comparisons with the changeover to metric measures.
Continue reading “Decimal changeover lessons”50 years of decimal currency
On 15 February 2021, we mark 50 years of decimal currency in the UK.
Continue reading “50 years of decimal currency”Unfamiliar US weights and measures
Defenders of the imperial system occasionally cite Americans’ continued use of non-metric measurements to justify Britain’s dual system. Ronnie Cohen is not convinced.
Continue reading “Unfamiliar US weights and measures”COVID-19 and the search for a vaccine
As the UK’s vaccination programme hits the headlines, Ronnie Cohen takes a look at the microscopic elements that are affected by viruses and the vaccines developed to fight them.
Continue reading “COVID-19 and the search for a vaccine”Road speed units mix-up could have been fatal
We begin the year with a cautionary tale – a recent incident that highlights a possible consequence of the UK’s ongoing measurement muddle.
Continue reading “Road speed units mix-up could have been fatal”
