When I started this blog in the first week of 2007 it was originally intended to chart one year in the life of a metric-educated Brit in his day-to-day attempt to use the metric system and to avoid the use of imperial measures. I've now been writing almost every week for the last 2 years... and although the content has changed my aim has not.

But this week I'm going to take a brief look at the bigger picture.

When I started back in 2007, the EU Units of Measurement directive was still set to bring an end to supplementary units by the end of 2009... not any more. However, as much as the national press and anti-metric campaigners might insist that the mile, the pint and the pound have all been saved, there is still much that will happen when the latest changes to the EU directive are, as required, passed into British law at the end of this year. To summarise:

• Metric remains the only legal system of measurement in Britain and Northern Ireland. Shops and market stalls who sell goods by weight or volume must still use metric measures for the actual transaction and must show any pricing in metric. Imperial measures, which currently may be used ONLY as supplementary indications (i.e. must not be more prominent than or instead of metric) will continue to be legal.
• Bars/pubs will still be able to sell draught beer and cider in returnable containers (glasses) by the pint and half pint. As it stands, sale of these goods in metric units remains illegal but all other liquids must be sold in metric quantities.
• Doorstep milk deliveries, where they still exist, will still be in pints.
• Precious metals may still be traded in carats.
• Inches, feet, yards and miles will continue to be used on road signs.

So, it seems that nothing will actually change at the end of the year, but...

• The acre will cease to be a legal unit of measure. However, because it was only used previously in land registration and has long been replaced by the hectare this should not be a problem.
• The clause in the previous version of the EU directive which meant it only covered public health, safety and administration, has been removed. Hence the requirement to use metric measures will (or at least should) be extended to all walks of life

While the first of these changes won't have much of an effect, the second should as it covers things that aren't currently covered by the law such as advertising. This will mean that estate agents who advertise land by the acre and housing by the foot will now be required to use hectares and metres instead (however, they will be able to retain imperial indications "for information only"). At the same time we should start to see smaller companies who still insist on selling things (such as window blinds and curtains, turf, etc.) by the inch, foot or yard, selling in metric units.

Or this is the theory.

There are a number of things happening now or in the near future which may change this. First, the NWML (National Weights and Measures Laboratory) has just closed a public consultation on the subject of weights and measures which may, depending on the responses, extend the range of imperial measures used to sell beer - or, hopefully, finally allow publicans to sell metric units if they or their customers wish.

The second thing is that the Department for Transport is planning a consultation on road signs. This will hopefully herald a wholesale re-writing of TSGRD (Traffic Signs General Regulations and Directions) - the law controling how road signs are used; hopefully pressure may be put on the DfT to extend the use of metric and perhaps even make it legal in cases where it currently is not and to hopefully make it clear that metric signs on footpaths, rivers, canals, etc. are all completely legal so that local authorities can erect such signs and prosecute the ARM (Active Resistance to Metrication) for being the vandals that they are.

All of this is, of course, dependant on the voice of reason being heard above the vocal minority that is the anti-metric campaign. It has been my experience in the last 2 years that the British public, when it has the facts explained to it, is actually quite open on this matter. While many do say "We like the pound, the mile and the pint", it's often too easy to point out that this is only because they're used to the names and that they don't really understand the underlying systems that they represent. Too often I've been told that "1 mile is 1000 feet"... the ensuing explaination is always interesting. But, and I don't think I'm the only person who's noticed this, in the last 2 years it seems as though the British public has tired of the continuing antics of the "metric martyrs" and that most just think we should all get on with it!

There is also change in North America. The USA will have it's first Democratic president in 8 years by the end of January and president elect Obama is being seen by many as a hope for real change in that country. Clearly metrication isn't going to be the highest priority for any world leader at the moment but it does seem that there might be scope for some change in that area in the next 4 years. And, of course, any change there would be a catalist for change here... if Americans and their products become more obviously metric then the British public will soon follow!

At this point I'll wish a healthy and prosperous new year to all of my readers... and hope that we can achieve a more metric world by the time that 2009 is done!