Can The UK Please Switch To Full Metric

I'm tired of how the UK uses both systems. Using both metric and imperial is just nonsensical. The reason it was done i suppose is that a straight switch to metric would have confused many people but now we have an entire generation who fully understand metric and even a lot of the older generation get it. Metric is far more simple, based upon the 10 system. It is also more easily accurate, just take a look at nanometers and the CPU manufacturing industry.

I was in a local shop yesterday that had pounds and kg's on their signs and i can understand why they are doing it. Older peopel are more comfortable with pounds but if we keep going with this then we'll never get rid of the archaic system that is imperial.

We use MPH in cars, we measure height in feet and inches, we measure weight in stone, pounds and ounces. This really has to stop. We are an advanced country, the metric system was a brilliant invention and so very simple and accurate. We are able to easily convert small metric units to large metric units, even for people who have trobule with mathematics it is easy. It has the same structure as money afterall being based on the 10's system.

The USA, Myanmar and Liberia are pretty much the only countries who don't use this system in full. My fellow UK citizens, can we please start using metric in everything we do? Time to leave imperial behind.

No thanks, I will use what ever the hell measurements I want while ever I have a choice in the matter. I will continue to use MP/H, feet, inches, Stones, lbs and ounces. Your welcome to modify your speedometers so they display KM/H and so on or use your metric system though.

reply to post by Marshall Ormus


Many cars now have both as we attempt to slowly shift to this idea. Yes freedom is important, please go and review my thread history to see how much i want freedom. This isn't about freedom however. There are many forms of measurement that you maybe are unaware of. We abandoned them because they weren't accurate or applicable. Imperial is no longer as accurate or applicable as metric.

To stay with imperial measures is more about familiarity than a logical reasoning.

I agree, and so do most of my friends, I don't and never did want to change, and I wont either, if I remember right, didn't the Government drop plans for the whole idea to be introduced because too many people said no? Europe is behind it all, and thats enough for me to say no.

Same as the above member, I like pounds, ounces, stones, inches, it's the way I was brought up, so ill stay that way, never did me any harm whatsoever.

Everyone to their own I guess, I'm sure you will do just fine, and nobody will complain, but I like it as it is.

[edit on 9/2/2009 by azzllin]

reply to post by azzllin


Many industries along with science use metric. They use it because it is the more logical and easily used system. The government stopped going on about it because they had a small revolt by market traders and British extremists. People who see anything challenging the system as being unpatriotic.

Europe wanted it but we were thinking about it before then and science was using it many years before europe suggested it. Europe doesn't get everything wrong, and i say that as someone who isn't a fan of the european court.

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984

Gawd bless em metric martyrs i;ll ave a pound a nanas n two of spuds, fanks mary poppins

Here in the Philippines officially we're metric. But we use American when measuring human height. 5'11 instead of 180 cm. etc. We also use inches instead of centimeters. We use both feet and meters. We don't use yards and pounds, though.

I agree you should phase out one or the other.

The problem with the imperial system is that there isn't one system. The metric system also has variants however in science there is only one and event he variants accept the multiple of 10 system.

The metric system is logical, easy to use and consistent. A probe going to mars bounded off of its atmosphere because we use multiple system on earth. I agree with freedom as some have suggested this goes against it but we need some standards to succeed in science and metric is accepted by nearly every country on the face of earth because of it's obvious advantages.

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984



We actually use a mix in the UK, It's weird.
I quite like it as it is at the moment...doesn't bother me too much.
I have KMH/MPH on my vehicle so it's all good.

Milk says 2 pints and 1.14 litres, so you can always convert or double check anyway!

I pride myself in being able to use both quite comfortably, my real concern is why we still use the Gregorian Calender.

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984

If its purely and genuinely about accuracy then leave the metric system to the really important areas where accurate measurements are life or death (Engineering, Medicine...etc) and the non-life or death stuff to remain as Imperial. I don't need to view your post history or anyone else's as I don't care to add to someones ego you could have set up a system that frees an entire continent's people from tyranny but its not important or relevant when your talking about something entirely different.

It is about freedom, freedom of choice. I am aware that there are measurements that have fallen out of use, but enforcement of a new system is a different beast to a measurement simply falling out of favour or style within a society. If your so much for Freedom as you say you are you will leave those who want to use Imperial measurement using it, those who want to use Metric using that and those who use both using both.



[edit on 9-2-2009 by Marshall Ormus]

reply to post by blupblup


The mix is weird and the reason for it seems to be a mix of having an older population when the change came in and the market traders who hated the change. Both of these groups however are dwindling as many older people now use KG instead of LBs. In the next 30 years the older generation who use Lbs will disappear and we will be left with a rather pointless system. It will be in the lives of younger people but not something they need to rely upon.

It needs change.

Knowing imperial is still relevant though, In Canada we have now metric since the the mid 70's.

But many feature in the house such as plumbing still needs the use of Imperial system, for measurement such as plumbing....beams in the wall, etc....

It takes a long time to completly swich from one another.

reply to post by Nimrod


Agreed it takes a long time. However we have had a very long time. School children have been taught this system in the UK for many years and so by now i would think we could adapt.

[edit on 9-2-2009 by ImaginaryReality1984]

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984


Not very nice there at all.
I'm sure they were only giving their opinion?


Oh, You edited it... good job.



[edit on 9/2/09 by blupblup]

Why spoil a good thing, what did the imperial system do to you?

Simple fact of the matter is the metric system was pushed through by the EU as much as the euro was, if we give in to the metric system as the only system then how long will it be before we give up the pound system and have the euro as our currency, then how long will it be before we become a european state who's laws are dictated by brussels?

I'm not taking the mickey out of the USA here but were only a couple of submissions away from becoming part of a super state governed by a globalist nonces where by which independant state laws are over rulled by a "Federal" body which doesn't recognise our laws (if you catch my drift)

I understand that the metric system is a whole lot more accurate and as added it will take a long time for the entire country to give way to nothing but the metric system however my point here is that if we give it up wholey then as ive stated what goes next, and then what do we become/become part of after that?