Oh no!! Brexit not going quite as well as hoped

[Rusty Nails]

It's madness to me...we still go for a pint or measure things in miles if we choose to.Dont see the big deal.

It's not a big deal, except in the minds of some little Britishers with a fetish about our "glory days" which Brexit will allow us to return to....i.e. the people that voted Boris into power so no wonder he, and Rees-Mogg, the Member for the 18th century, suck up to them. In reality I doubt that Boris gives a toss about a return to imperial measures, but it's all part of the image of the return to the "glory days".

I'm of an age where I still automatically think of basic measurements in terms of imperial, but even a fogey like me can still convert to metric with no problems, and see the benefits.

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

On the other hand, I'm 56 and first started work as a Decorator for the local authority (Council) and the chap I worked with as an apprentice was probably mid fifties at the time in '82 all measuring of wallpaper was taught in imperial. We were also given standard minute values for every painting task which again was imperial, per running foot of window bar for example.

My father was an engineer and worked in 'thou's ' which we all know isn't a thousanth of a centimetre.

But there you go, I'm sure the Cycle chatters know better and of course if another little piece of 'Britishness' can be removed from the world the more you folk like it. 👍

It's a shame you had to ruin an interesting story with a dig at people you don't agree with.

 

[winjim]

It's another pointless distraction and more than that, it's utter bollocks.


View: https://twitter.com/PippaMusgrave1/status/1530656801322057729?t=FwWdGB5WM62ebjJI-KWMQg&s=19

 

[Xipe Totec]

It's another pointless distraction and more than that, it's utter bollocks.


View: https://twitter.com/PippaMusgrave1/status/1530656801322057729?t=FwWdGB5WM62ebjJI-KWMQg&s=19

Never let little details like facts get in the way of a juicy lump of divisive, chest-beating, Tory culture war bullsh!t.

 

[BoldonLad]

It's not a big deal, except in the minds of some little Britishers with a fetish about our "glory days" which Brexit will allow us to return to....i.e. the people that voted Boris into power so no wonder he, and Rees-Mogg, the Member for the 18th century, suck up to them. In reality I doubt that Boris gives a toss about a return to imperial measures, but it's all part of the image of the return to the "glory days".

I'm of an age where I still automatically think of basic measurements in terms of imperial, but even a fogey like me can still convert to metric with no problems, and see the benefits.

Exactly (from a fellow old fogey)

 

[Deleted member 28]

You could always move to America, or Liberia, if you love imperial measurements so much.

I didn't say I loved anything, I was pointing out that just because one fifty odd year old had never worked in imperial that it doesn't make it the norm, and people wonder why I make the comments I do?

 

[Mugshot]

people wonder why I make the comments I do

Not sure about that.

 

[Bromptonaut]

I didn't say I loved anything, I was pointing out that just because one fifty odd year old had never worked in imperial that it doesn't make it the norm, and people wonder why I make the comments I do?

In all seriousness, how familiar were you with Imperial measures before their use was required in your work? I would suggest that for most people in their mid fifties, unless required to do so for work etc, would be fuddled by imperial weights and to some extent going beyond feet for dimensions of rooms etc.

I remember doing stuff in feet/inches and ounces, pounds and stones as well as of course pre-decimal money early on at primary. Addition was just about doable but multiplying/dividing and mixing money with pounds/ounces was a real struggle. Probably contributed to a fear of, and struggle to manipulate, numbers that lasted into my late twenties. I was, at one time, almost hyperventilating at the prospect of doing the end of day office cash balance.

Later, when I had the time/lack of pressure a crib sheet for formulae and access to a decent calculator I gained the confidence to sort out longer reconciliations etc.

 

[Deleted member 49]

I'm 53 and did a engineering apprenticeship in feet and inches,I have another trade that I work in Imperial also.I can use metric but not visualize it as well if that makes sense.I see distances in miles and height in feet etc.Whats the point here though ? Nobody had ever stopped anyone using what they want have they ?

 

[BoldonLad]

Other than a return to our “glory days” (which didn’t happen in my lifetime), I struggle to think of an advantage in a return to imperial units of measure. I have therefore to think “why do it?”, it is a self inflicted handicap.

 

[Mugshot]

View: https://twitter.com/Bbmorg/status/1530846153738158081?s=20&t=9QjZ5HCjDgnJs4Bm00N3bg

 

[winjim]

All imperial units are really derived SI units anyway. Unless we're suggesting we go back to having a physical standard.

I see the same arguments every time this is mentioned though. Nobody's making you do complex engineering calculations, we're talking fruit and veg here. I'm 44 and I talk colloquially in terms of feet and inches, pounds and ounces. If I had to use them I could but that's not the point. I even mix and match at work, I frequently need 1m of 1/16" OD tubing, or use 7mm, 8mm and 1/4" spanners. You've got the US to thank for that. Innit weird though, considering the whole independence thing that they took British measurements and not French? A few years too late I guess and a bit left wing.

 

[Deleted member 28]

I'm 53 and did a engineering apprenticeship in feet and inches,I have another trade that I work in Imperial also.I can use metric but not visualize it as well if that makes sense.I see distances in miles and height in feet etc.Whats the point here though ? Nobody had ever stopped anyone using what they want have they ?

No one has said they have, just some people see it as another opportunity to slag off anything to do with being British and try to belittle those that don't.

All the drawings I work to in my industry are obviously metric and like you it isn't a problem, in fact when I'm measuring something I use whatever is easiest.

If something is smack on 6" for example I'll use that but if a metric size is simpler I'll opt for that instead, not when following a drawing obviously.

 

[Deleted member 28]

In all seriousness, how familiar were you with Imperial measures before their use was required in your work? I would suggest that for most people in their mid fifties, unless required to do so for work etc, would be fuddled by imperial weights and to some extent going beyond feet for dimensions of rooms etc.

I remember doing stuff in feet/inches and ounces, pounds and stones as well as of course pre-decimal money early on at primary. Addition was just about doable but multiplying/dividing and mixing money with pounds/ounces was a real struggle. Probably contributed to a fear of, and struggle to manipulate, numbers that lasted into my late twenties. I was, at one time, almost hyperventilating at the prospect of doing the end of day office cash balance.

Later, when I had the time/lack of pressure a crib sheet for formulae and access to a decent calculator I gained the confidence to sort out longer reconciliations etc.

Good question, as a kid you would buy apples in pounds, your Dad would talk about how many miles something was and how much petrol cost per gallon.

He would blow the car tyres up to so many lbs per square inch and buy a gallon of paint, paraffin or creosote for the fence.

You would buy sand by the Tonne for example, need I go on?

So to answer your question quite familiar.

 

[winjim]

No one has said they have, just some people see it as another opportunity to slag off anything to do with being British and try to belittle those that don't.

All the drawings I work to in my industry are obviously metric and like you it isn't a problem, in fact when I'm measuring something I use whatever is easiest.

If something is smack on 6" for example I'll use that but if a metric size is simpler I'll opt for that instead, not when following a drawing obviously.

The slagging off is IMO not because of anything to do with Britishness but because of the utter pointlessness of the whole thing. We're told we have to move on from the parties and the Gray report, there's a war on, a cost of living crisis, there are more important things to concentrate on. And the more important things are... pounds and bloody ounces. It's up there with blue passports in terms of complete meaningless nonsense. It's a distraction.