The European Union is set to confirm it has abandoned what became one of its most unpopular policies among many people in Britain.
It is proposing to allow the UK to continue using pounds, miles and pints as units of measurement indefinitely. The European Commission will announce later it is leaving all future decisions to the British government. The decision is being seen as a victory for supporters of the ancient imperial system, the so-called “metric martyrs”.
Pint saved
The UK had been due to set a date for phasing out all its imperial measurements within three years. This would have meant setting a deadline for ending the traditional delivery of pints of milk – and the sale of pints of beer in Britain’s pubs.
Every one of Britain’s road signs would have had to be changed from miles to kilometres – a move which opponents warned would be both expensive and confusing. But it was the move, begun in 2000, to make Britain’s market traders sell their produce in kilograms rather than pounds and ounces which caused outrage among traditionalists.
Sunderland grocer Steve Thorburn inspired the “metric martyr” movement with his defiance of the order to abandon the imperial measurements. In 2001, his scales were confiscated and he earned a criminal conviction for selling a pound of bananas from his market stall.
He died unexpectedly from a heart attack three years ago, and while the campaign he founded failed to win traders the right to ignore metric weights altogether, it has brought some results.
The traders will continue to be allowed to show both metric and imperial prices for their goods.
‘No problem’
Under the plans which have now been scrapped, even displaying the price of fruit and vegetables in pounds and ounces would have become grounds for a criminal prosecution. The decision to back down was made by Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen.
His role includes trying to improve the EU’s reputation in member states – and in an interview with the BBC, he admitted the EU had been making itself unpopular on an issue that didn’t really matter. “I organised a huge consultation, and the result was that industry told us there was no problem with the existing system.
“I want to bring to an end a bitter, bitter battle that has lasted for decades and which in my view is completely pointless. We’re bringing this battle to an end.”
‘Extremely misleading’
However, campaigners on both sides of the debate have played down the significance of the announcement.
John Gardner, director of the pro-imperial British Weights and Measures Association, said: “I’ve seen the European Commission statement and what they’re saying is it will be allowed to use imperial measurements as additional information. “We think that the European Commission statement is extremely misleading.
“From our point of view the situation hasn’t changed and the campaign goes on. “If a trader tries to conduct his business in just imperial measurements that will be illegal.”
‘Business as usual’
The UK Metric Association said the statement does not mean that traders can go back to weighing and pricing in imperial measures, and it will be “business as usual”.
Chairman Robin Paice said: “While we regret this proposal to prolong the current muddle of metric and imperial units, it will only delay but not stop the inevitable move toward all-metric shopping. “Many of the big supermarkets have already stopped giving obsolete imperial prices, and we expect this trend to continue. There is no question of going backwards.”
Britain first mooted plans to convert to an all-metric system in 1965. That led to generations of schoolchildren being promised that they would be the last ones who would have to learn two different systems.
Wow, the EU have actually let us just get on with something!
