The British "government" (hah, what an oxymoron that has become !) is running a public consultation on switching back to imperial units, because they're a bunch of bigoted twats who hate all that is good and true in the world. I record my responses here (omitting the questions for businesses, which I skipped) for posterity. You can submit your own here.
1a. Are there any specific areas of consumer transactions that should be a priority for allowing a choice in units of measurement, and why?
No
Please explain why
Are you mad ? A CHOICE in units of measurement is the worst of all worlds. The best solution BY FAR is to present both options, i.e. metric and imperial. The second best is to insist on only one of the other - that way, only some people have to learn a system they're not used to. Giving businesses a choice is just plain daft - that way everyone has to learn both systems and no-one's happy. Literally nobody sane wants this. Insist on both, if you must, but giving a choice is absolutely absurd.
1b. Are there any specific areas that you think should be excluded from a choice in units of measurement, and why?
Yes
Please explain why
All of them. Please see answer to 1a.
1c. If an item is sold in imperial measures, should there be a requirement for a metric equivalent alongside it?
Yes
Please explain further if you wish
Imperial measures mean very little to me. I wouldn't really care if they had an imperial equivalent alongside, but if they didn't have a metric value, I'd prefer to find an alternative that did. Why in the world would I want to purchase something in a measurement system that's (a) objectively far more complicated than the metric system and (b) hasn't been widely used in 30 years or more ? For heaven's sake...
3b. Are you more likely to shop from businesses that sell in imperial units?
No
Please explain further if you wish
No. I'd assume they'd have travelled through time from the Dark Ages, and wouldn't be aware of modern business practises, consumer care, basic hygiene, literacy, and quite possible would see modern science as some kind of wizardy and try to burn me at the stake. I'm not going in there !
3c. Do you foresee any costs or benefits to you from businesses being permitted to sell: (i) solely in imperial units? (ii) in imperial units alongside a less prominent metric equivalent?
(i) Solely in imperial units
No, that's idiotic. At least half the population no longer has any clue about imperial units and the switchover would cause unnecessary costs and make it harder to export goods to modern, sensible countries which use the objectively simpler and universal standard metric system. I mean honestly, good grief. Whoever proposed this change is so out of touch it's just not funny.
(ii) In imperial units alongside a less prominent metric equivalent?
Eh ? Why would it have to be less prominent ? Why isn't there option (iii) to make them of equal size but on opposite sides of the packaging, or something ? That way everyone's happy and no-one has grounds to complain. I mean, I guess this "less prominent" malarkey isn't complete nonsense, but I cannot for the life of me imagine how it's going to improve anything.
3d. Do you have experience of buying solely in imperial units?
No
Please expand on your response if you wish
I live in the present day and not in a medieval hut.
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