Metricate Britain
Metricate Britain so Britain is in line with the rest of the world in regards to the universally recognised and understood measurements of the Metric System.
Why does this matter?
Metrication may seem a rather minor and unimportant topic compared to other things happening in Britain, however having a unified and universal system of measurements, is probably one of the most understated and misunderstood issues which has repercussions in every aspect of Britain and for the British people. It is fundamental for the future of Britain to fully adopt a common system of measurements used throughout the world. If Britain is to remain a key player in the international community and to be able to compete on a global scale and to allow for economic and academic prosperity, adoption of the International System of Units is imperative to secure Britains place and relevance within the international community.
Contrary to popular belief, the Metric System has nothing to do with the EU, nor is it a continental European idea, it is infact a British idea, devised nearly 350 years ago in England by John Wilkins, one of the founders of the Royal Society. Like many other great British ideas, from recent history, the jet engine and the hovercraft, Britain failed to grasp the potential of the Metric System and allowed other nations to take the idea further and to be at the cutting edge of science and technology.
Britains apathy, particularly of each and every successive government, even as far back as the Victorian Era has failed itself by not adopted the Metric System to which since the post war period has been to the detriment and decline of British industry which will never recover to its previous level as British based manufacturers outsourced their factories to cheaper, more efficient Metric nations. Not to mention the incrediable financial wastage of having a dual measurements and the potential threat to life – in calculating dosages for medicine and lack of understanding of warning signs on bridges and tunnels which in turn cause financial loss and social hinderance.
Britain in the seventies experienced the change over to decimalisation, forty years on, Britain is one of the most important financial states in the world. A changeover which affected population down to a personal level. Metrication is well within our grasp and it is in our interest to changeover!
Suggested by MetricisBritish and tagged business, education, finance, government, health, industry, international community, international trade, isaac newton, james watt, john napier, john wilkins, louis haroldgray, metric, metrication, michael faraday, motoring, roger cotes, technology. 1 Comment. Image source
Good idea.. If the Government had put the same effort, resource, and priority into metrication that it put into decimalisation of money, then we would have been almost totally metric now.
The best method to metricate, is to have a program that occurs over a short number of years (12 to 15 years max). Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India that changed successfully to metric used short sharp programs, over about 10 years,that used enforcement, with no voluntary uptake. However here we use “voluntary gradualism”, with dual labelling, which means people keep with the old Imperial units, and dont change to metric. Instead of quickly killing off the Imperial units, we would rather slowly strangle them to death, over the last 40 odd years. In my opinion, the move to metric measures is inevitable. The ultimate goal of metrication, is to have people “think in metric”. If they think in metric, they will measure in metric, without conversions. They wont think in metric as long as Imperial measures are seen around us in the community. The international language of measures in the global communty is metric. If the UK is to be a world leader they must fully adopt metric measures. It will take however, a Government of strong leadership, and strong will, to look beyond the short term, and see that the future is a metric future, and that the metrrication process stared 48 years ago, needs to be completed.