A big hello to the silly season

As always, the coming of August brings the arrival of the silly season and like the first daffodil of spring, a Daily Express journalist has been in contact with me asking me whether there is anyone in the European Parliament campaigning to make the UK change its road signs to kilometres.

Now the journalist was quick to mention the permanent derogation Britain has been granted on the use of imperial measurements for road signs and as such knew any change would be solely up to the British government and parliament. Yet the journalist still wanted to know if there was anyone in the European parliament who wanted Britain to ditch miles, even though this would be entirely irrelevant to the current situation.

So, sometime in the next month expect some ridiculous "save our mile" campaign in the Express suggesting there is a plot to force Britain to use the kilometre - even though the newspaper fully understands there is absolutely no threat whatsoever to the British mile.

Delighted to hear the metrication issue is finally dead! For too long the Eurosceptic right had made great play of the alleged EU plans to destroy imperial measures, despite the fact this was never in the pipeline.

I think we can all be grateful to Commissioner Verheugen for finally putting to bed a Euromyth that simply refused to go away.

Commissioner Verheugen said: "Let's get one thing straight from the off.

"Neither the European Commission nor any faceless 'Eurocrat' has or will ever be responsible for banning the great British pint, the mile, and weight measures in pounds and the ounces.

"These imperial measures form part of the traditions that are the very essence of the Britishness that all Europeans know and love.

"We at the Commission have decided the time has come to nail these myths once and for all by setting out in black and white what has always been our view: that Britain should continue to use imperial measures for as long as it likes.

"Much as it may dismay those who have peddled the metric myth for far too long, we have now proposed legislation enshrining Britain's right to retain pints of milk and beer, miles on road signs and dual indications of weights and measures from now until Kingdom come."

So hopefully everyone is now clear that: the pint lives, it was never going to die and that the European Union’s sole purpose is not to destroy British culture.

But what’s this in the Daily Mail? The "EU wants to get rid of the Queen from our passports"? Will Britain ever be safe?

It's nonsense of course and correctly spotted then thoroughly torn apart by none other than ultra-Eurosceptic blog EU Referendum who are fed up with "gullible Eurosceptics" who, "demonstrate only that, after all these years, they have learned nothing, and continue scoring 'own goals' with gay abandon".

And who's on the scoresheet for believing this poorly put together myth? Why, it's Devil's Kitchen who, having been taken in, unleashes a bilious rant which is potty-mouthed even by his standards, until he realises his mistake and backs down here.

Who would have thought it, one of the great Euromyths gone and another fiercely condemned by a leading Eurosceptic. I think I'll celebrate with 568ml of beer.

Two weeks ago the Sun was battling to save Britain from surrender to Brussels, yet this week, along with the Daily Mail and Yorkshire Post, they are hailing proposed new Europe-wide regulations on women’s clothes sizes.

Indeed Sun fashion editor Erica Davies, presumably tapping away in a quiet corner of the office hidden from the prying eyes of avowed Europe-hater George Pascoe-Watson, declares it is “the news every seasoned shopper has been waiting for”.

The Daily Mail headline reveals there will soon be a “dress size system that will really measure up” and happily acknowledges that the European Committee for Standarisation is responsible, without a diatribe following swiftly after.

The Sun’s article is perhaps not that surprising as its black and white attitude to everything means it will eventually come down in favour of Europe, especially on what is a sensible answer to on an issue which many women have found particularly irritating. But it is the Daily Mail that really impress, simply because their story informs people neutrally about what is planned. There is no hint of bias or mention of “creeping red tape” just a factually accurate story on something that will have a small but positive effect on people’s lives!

As for the actual story itself, the proposed regulations will end respective manufacturers sizing their clothes on their own terms. Currently a women’s size 12 in one store can be a size 14 in another and a 10 in another, meaning people have very little idea what size they actually are. The new regulations will mean clothes are labelled in actual measurements of wastes, hips and busts Europe-wide so people will know what size they are whether they are in Meadowhall or Madrid.

Of course, whether the measurements should be imperial or metric is a debate for another day! A bit contentious that one apparently.

You may have seen the recent discussion on this blog regarding metrication. It certainly appears to have captured the attention of the readership. I received the letter below this morning:

"Dear Mr Corbett,

The opinion Poll in Metro regarding metrication of road signs was in fact bombed. The reason I know this is that I did my best to flight the individual responsible. Perhaps it is the same person that pointed out the poll to you. You will find when Metro reported on the poll it was 50% for and 50% against, having been mostly pro-metric the days before. This obviously spurred some sad individual on to "bomb" the poll, hence it being the no1 voted for poll. I do think all reference to this "poll" should be removed from your comments."

I'll leave you to make your own minds up!

In my entry of 1st March I stated that "the metrication debate in the UK has run for over a hundred years, ever since the House of Commons first voted to go metric in 1863".

Confirmation that this issue will run and run has arrived with an email from a regular reader of this blog who has pointed to an opinion poll in "The Metro" which apparently shows only 38% in favour of metrication and 62% against. This is the exact mirror image of the opinion poll just one month ago in the Independent on Sunday which showed 62% in favour and 38% against.

As the figures fluctuates so wildly, it would suggest that views on this matter are not strongly held. Certainly I get very few letters or emails on this issue, but those that do write in on this subject are often passionate in their support or opposition, as the case may be, to metrication. As I said on 1st March, I don't quite share the venom of those who oppose us simply using the same weights and measures as the bulk of the rest of the world, and I am at a loss to see why they should think that metrication was all caused by the European Union.

A poll in the Independent on Sunday showed 62% in favour of Britain going completely metric, with 38% opposed.

The metrication debate in the UK has run for over 100 years, ever since the House of Commons first voted to go metric back in 1863. Meanwhile, most of the world has gone metric - even America for many purposes. (There's a fascinating article on the subject at Wikipedia.)

Yet the very idea of using the same measurements as the rest of the world seems to make some people apoplectic - at least if they think it is something to do with the European Union! Take Peter Hitchens in the latest Mail on Sunday (registration required):

"Bureaucrats and tyrants love metres and kilos and hectares, in the same way that they love concrete and wide, straight streets."

Pretty heady stuff for what most of the world thinks of as the simple convenience of using the standard measurements!

And he goes on - trying to blame what he thinks is unpopular on the EU:

"Our absorption into the EU means that we are undergoing many of the things a conquered people must endure; the introduction of foreign laws and customs, the obliteration of our own, the deliberate destruction of familiar landmarks like imperial measurements"

No doubt, many people will believe him that metrication is all because of the EU. But the Independent on Sunday's opinion poll shows that most of them might actually think better of the EU for it! Hard luck, Mr Hitchens!