[ad_1]
LONDON — The British government has said it is taking steps to revert to the traditional imperial system of weights and measures by allowing shops and market stalls to only sell fruits and vegetables labeled in pounds and ounces instead of the metric system’s grams and kilograms. The move has been hailed as an example of the country’s new post-Brexit freedoms.
The plans, announced Thursday by Brexit-overseeing minister David Frost, were applauded by Brexit supporters, many of whom have argued for decades that the switch to the metric system is a sign of the European Union’s unwelcome intervention in everyday life in Britain. .
While the European Union currently requires members to use the metric system only, it allowed the UK to label its products in imperial as well as metric units when it became a member. There were also exceptions for traffic signs and beer.
As part of its exit from the European Union, the British government is reviewing the thousands of EU rules it currently holds and determining whether they best serve the national interests. These rules include an EU ban on sales in imperial units, which the British government says will enact changes “when the time comes”.
Since Britain formally left the European Union on 1 January after nearly 50 years of membership, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has articulated a vision of a “Global Britain” that will thrive without being shackled by the rules imposed by the 27-member bloc.
British officials have pointed to developments such as changing the color of British passports from the European Union’s burgundy to the UK’s traditional blue, released in 1988, as bold and triumphant symbols of the country’s new freedom.
But critics, including 48 per cent of voters who didn’t support the UK’s exit, said such progress seemed small and didn’t help much at a time when employers were in trouble. struggle to fill thousands of jobsvacant, in part due to the immigration of European Union immigrants since the vote to leave the bloc.
Among the country’s concerns fragile economic recovery Various new time-consuming and confusing procedures that make importing and exporting goods to and from the European Union more difficult, shortages in British supermarkets and cracks on unresolved trade rules for Northern Ireland.
However, Brexit minister Mr Frost said on Thursday that the move towards the imperial system will be part of the broader changes the UK is making. To “take advantage of new Brexit freedoms”.
In announcing his intention to pass legislation to change the rules, he said, “Bullying regulations were generally designed and passed in Brussels with little regard to the national interests of the United Kingdom.” “We now have the opportunity to do things differently and ensure that Brexit freedoms are used to help businesses and citizens succeed.”
Tony Bennett, member Active Resistance to MeasurementA small group that has been pressing for years for the UK to return to its former weights and measures said it celebrated the improvement.
Mr Bennett said the campaign to leave the European Union and return to imperial measures was about preserving what he saw as the gradual erosion of British culture and tradition.
“The system of weights and measures is integral to our daily life, as well as to our written culture, our language,” he said, referring to phrases such as “an inch is as good as a mile” and “moving forward”. He estimates that he and his group have placed stickers on thousands of signs in UK public parks and roads using the metric system over the past two decades.
Proponents of the metric system say that since many countries use it, its use is necessary for companies to compete globally. Those who are passionate about the metric system also point to the fact that the UK began its transition to the metric system in 1965, eight years before joining the European Union. Others said there are more pressing issues to focus on, such as cuts to utilities.
A survey by YouGov in 2015 A percentage of British adults say that young people tend to prefer the metric system, with over 60 percent of those aged 18 to 39 saying they will measure short distances in metres, compared to less than 12 percent of those over 60.
[ad_2]
Source link