Weather....

[John Brown]

I don't believe the monarch gets to make those decisions. You might be better off talking to Jacob Rees Mogg. He wants to bring back cubits and hogsheads and the like. It's the one benefit of leaving Europe that he managed to identify.

Personally, I was raised on Fahrenheit, and then had to switch to Centigrade. I think it was a cunning plan to stop us all noticing the gradual warming of the planet. Likewise shifting to decimal currency obscured inflation, at least for things costing less than 1 pound, which was pretty much everything back then.

I like to give my age in hexadecimal, 45. Makes me feel younger.

 

[D_W]

I know the king has no real authority with any of that. Which is what makes the question even better.

"King Charles - I can't call you your majesty because we fought over the right to not do that a long time ago and i don't want to disrespect my ancestors - but, in all honesty, can you really blame the failure of Brexit on anything other than the omission of changing measurements back to standard, including making zero great again by using Fahrenheit and perhaps jailing people who refuse to do it? or at least making them wear a tshirt with a french flag on it?"

 

[D_W]

"we're really not asking for anything reasonable, such as baking or frying things that you prefer to boil to remove all flavor".

 

[mikej460]

The only f wit with any political clout (and even that is debateable) that promotes such loony ideas here is Jacob Reece-Mogg, who wants the UK to return to imperial. As it is we Brits stumble on in many cases using both, converting on the hoof 'twix the two (I use Google it's far easier). However, we have converted to centigrade and decimal currency - but weights and measurement remains a stumbling block, but hey we've only given it 52 years...

 

[John Brown]

"we're really not asking for anything reasonable, such as baking or frying things that you prefer to boil to remove all flavor".

You'll have to do better than that to get a rise out of me. I've eaten American food, remember.

 

[Jameshow]

Celcius for me at least I know when it's about to freeze the most useful temp to know...

10 is mild, 20 is warm, 30 is hot job done.

No contest!!

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Resistance to metric measures is the preserve mainly of the over 50s. No great surprise.

YouGov research

I would hazard a guess the average age of forum members is somewhat older than 50 - and like me have got used to converting inches to centimetres and back again.

Why only half the job was done and we still have miles, pints and gallons defeats me.

The centigrade scale has the benefit that water changes state at 0 and 100 degrees C.

Daniel Fahrenheit in in the early 1700s was succeeded by Anders Celsius in 1742 - I don't understand why it took the Brits 250 years to grasp the benefits is beyond me. Our Atlantic cousins are still working on the implications, I guess.

 

[D_W]

The only f wit with any political clout (and even that is debateable) that promotes such loony ideas here is Jacob Reece-Mogg, who wants the UK to return to imperial. As it is we Brits stumble on in many cases using both, converting on the hoof 'twix the two (I use Google it's far easier). However, we have converted to centigrade and decimal currency - but weights and measurement remains a stumbling block, but hey we've only given it 52 years...

Of course. I'm joking about it. The only reason we're using so much standard stuff here is that it's everywhere. I would also imagine the huge benefit of metric system is lost a little bit when calculations can be done in software - there's just not much challenge to anything.

 

[mikej460]

Of course. I'm joking about it. The only reason we're using so much standard stuff here is that it's everywhere. I would also imagine the huge benefit of metric system is lost a little bit when calculations can be done in software - there's just not much challenge to anything.

It was our old currency system that drove the change in 1971. There was a huge educational effort to switch the UK population over to decimal currency. Unfortunately it led to instant price increases as goods and services were 'rounded up' and many instances of low level fraud. Little effort was made on moving to metric measurement so we settled on the bipartite system that exists today.

 

[D_W]

It was our old currency system that drove the change in 1971. There was a huge educational effort to switch the UK population over to decimal currency. Unfortunately it led to instant price increases as goods and services were 'rounded up' and many instances of low level fraud. Little effort was made on moving to metric measurement so we settled on the bipartite system that exists today.

I've asked a couple of times how the old currency worked and I have to admit, whatever someone tells me, it's gone quickly. I'd need a wallet card with a diagram to make it work.

But perhaps the whole of english language is that to the germans who like to use their words like legos and pronounce them as they're written.

Any change (re: the comments of fraud) will lead to a modern version of shaving the edge of a coin ....at least. Often worse. Change and misdirection is the tool of cons.

I'm reminded of that by a recent bill in our congress - or really many lately. the "inflation reduction act". It's nothing of the sort and there isn't anything in it to reduce inflation. It just complicates some things already in place so that only the larger players will have the resources to manipulate it.

 

[J-G]

It was our old currency system that drove the change in 1971. There was a huge educational effort to switch the UK population over to decimal currency. Unfortunately it led to instant price increases as goods and services were 'rounded up' and many instances of low level fraud. Little effort was made on moving to metric measurement so we settled on the bipartite system that exists today.

That is a somewhat simplistic (and inaccurate) view. Decimalization of the UK currency took 122 years to come to fruition.

In 1849 the first 1/10th of a Pound (2/-) coin was issued - known as a 'Florin'. 38 years later (1887) a 4/- coin (1/5th Pound - Double Florin) but that wasn't popular due to its weight & size and was discontinued in 1890.

I don't doubt that there were traders (and probably manufacturers) who took advantage of the change but there is no real reason to beleive that 'Rounding Up' payed any significant part in increasing prices in general. The Farthing had been discontinued in 1956 and very few commodities were priced to the Halfpenny - the New ½p was worth 1.2 old Pence so the 'granularity' of the currency was hardly changed.

 

[mikej460]

I've asked a couple of times how the old currency worked and I have to admit, whatever someone tells me, it's gone quickly. I'd need a wallet card with a diagram to make it work.

But perhaps the whole of english language is that to the germans who like to use their words like legos and pronounce them as they're written.

Any change (re: the comments of fraud) will lead to a modern version of shaving the edge of a coin ....at least. Often worse. Change and misdirection is the tool of cons.

I'm reminded of that by a recent bill in our congress - or really many lately. the "inflation reduction act". It's nothing of the sort and there isn't anything in it to reduce inflation. It just complicates some things already in place so that only the larger players will have the resources to manipulate it.

Ha! You asked for it...
2 half pennys in a penny
3 pennys in a threepence or thrupenny bit
6 pennys in a sixpence
12 pennys in a shilling
2 shillings in a florin or 2 Bob
2 shillings and a six pence in a half crown
10 shillings in a ten bob note
20 shillings in a one pound note
5 one pound notes in a five pound note or fiver.
We still have 5, 10, 20, 50 pound notes bur one pound notes have been replaced with one pound coins and equal 100 (new) pence.

Well before 1971 we had thrupenny bits, farthings (4 = one penny)and sovereigns were one pound and a shilling which equaled one guinea.

And daft buggers like Reece-Mogg wonder why we ever changed...

 

[mikej460]

That is a somewhat simplistic (and inaccurate) view. Decimalization of the UK currency took 122 years to come to fruition.

In 1849 the first 1/10th of a Pound (2/-) coin was issued - known as a 'Florin'. 38 years later (1887) a 4/- coin (1/5th Pound - Double Florin) but that wasn't popular due to its weight & size and was discontinued in 1890.

I don't doubt that there were traders (and probably manufacturers) who took advantage of the change but there is no real reason to beleive that 'Rounding Up' payed any significant part in increasing prices in general. The Farthing had been discontinued in 1956 and very few commodities were priced to the Halfpenny - the New ½p was worth 1.2 old Pence so the 'granularity' of the currency was hardly changed.

There's nothing on your argument to explain why my view was simplistic or inaccurate. Yes the old currency evolved over many, many years but decimalisation was a fundamental step change. I recall only too well the furore in the papers and from my parents about rounding up. It was pretty scandalous at the time.

 

[mikej460]

Ha! You asked for it...
2 half pennys in a penny
3 pennys in a threepence or thrupenny bit
6 pennys in a sixpence
12 pennys in a shilling
2 shillings in a florin or 2 Bob
2 shillings and a six pence in a half crown
10 shillings in a ten bob note
20 shillings in a one pound note
5 one pound notes in a five pound note or fiver.
We still have 5, 10, 20, 50 pound notes bur one pound notes have been replaced with one pound coins and equal 100 (new) pence.

Well before 1971 we had thrupenny bits, farthings (4 = one penny)and sovereigns were one pound and a shilling which equaled one guinea.

And daft pippers like Reece-Mogg wonder why we ever changed...

Oh and another old coin was the crown - 2 half crowns = one crown

 

[J-G]

Well before 1971 we had thrupenny bits, farthings (4 = one penny)and sovereigns were one pound and a shilling which equaled one guinea.

You missed out Half- and Third- Farthings - and the Crown (5/-) - and Guineas are still in use today - though I will admit that is only in the very conservative domain of horse trading

 

[mikej460]

You missed out Half- and Third- Farthings - and the Crown (5/-) - and Guineas are still in use today - though I will admit that is only in the very conservative domain of horse trading

And cattle and sheep auctions. I had to stop somewhere otherwise I'd be quoting groats etc!

 

[J-G]

... but decimalisation was a fundamental step change.

Yes started in 1849 - apologies for missing out the Groat (4d) - still minted today - I still can't remember who I loaned my coin collection to (about 15 years ago) which included an excelent example of an 1887 Groat.

You could also have included the Angel ( 3 to the pound - 6/8d - originally but varied over time ) last minted in 1642 - though I have heard that the Mint are to issue (may have already done so) and 'Angel' as a final tribute to the late Queen.

 

[John Brown]

I've asked a couple of times how the old currency worked and I have to admit, whatever someone tells me, it's gone quickly. I'd need a wallet card with a diagram to make it work.

But perhaps the whole of english language is that to the germans who like to use their words like legos and pronounce them as they're written.

Any change (re: the comments of fraud) will lead to a modern version of shaving the edge of a coin ....at least. Often worse. Change and misdirection is the tool of cons.

I'm reminded of that by a recent bill in our congress - or really many lately. the "inflation reduction act". It's nothing of the sort and there isn't anything in it to reduce inflation. It just complicates some things already in place so that only the larger players will have the resources to manipulate it.

Please! There is no such word as "legos". It's a mass noun, like "furniture".

 

[D_W]

Please! There is no such word as "legos". It's a mass noun, like "furniture".

In the US, it's Legos.

 

[John Brown]

In the US, it's Legos.

No it isn't. The people who make the stuff make the rules.