British Weights and Measures Association
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The British Weights and Measures Association, or BWMA, is a pressure group established in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1995, [1] that campaigns for the preservation of choice in measurement. Their aim is to uphold the freedom to use the Imperial system rather than the compulsory imposition of the Metric system in the UK. BWMA maintain that people should be free to use the metric system if they want, but that it should not be forced upon them.[2]
Among other initiatives, the BWMA promotes the continued compulsory use of Imperial units (miles, yards, feet and inches) on road signs,[3] as well as the freedom for traders to serve their customers in whichever measures both parties find most convenient, regardless of the confusion over unit price that this arrangement results in. It gives detailed advice on how traders can undermine regulations mandating metric weights and measures [4] while campaigning for the demetrication of road signs [5] and supporting those who defy laws that mandate the use of metric measures [6].
BWMA support the Metric Martyrs - a group of traders prosecuted for offences under the Weights and Measures Actand the Price Marking Order. BWMA members have published a number of books aiming to explain the case for customary measures to a wider audience. These include The General Rule by BWMA President Vivian Linacre (Squeeze Press) and About the Size of It by Warwick Cairns.
These actions contrast with the UK Metric Association (UKMA), which campaigns for the completion of Metrication in the United Kingdom for all legal and official purposes. Indeed the BMWA regards those who campaign for metrication as "Metric Culprits." "Culprits" include the British Standards Institution, The Competition and Consumer Affairs Directorate at the Department of Trade & Industry, metric conversion organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States and prominent companies such as Sainsburys and Northern Foods. The Irish Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, who metricated road signs in the Irish Republic in 2005, is also listed amongst the "metric culprits" [7].
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[edit] Patrons and Honorary members
[edit] Patrons
- Gwyneth Dunwoody[3] (d. 2008)
- Vice-Admiral Sir Louis Le Bailly[3]
- Sir Patrick Moore[3]
- John Monson, 11th Baron Monson [3]
[edit] Honorary members
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Database of archives of Non Governmental Organisations - BWMA". DANGO. 2007-04-17. http://www.dango.bham.ac.uk/record_details.asp?id=831&recordType=ngo. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ "British Weights & Measures Association - Annual Awards". Press release. 2004-05-21. http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=123374. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Metric Transport and Signs". British Weights and Measures Association. http://www.bwmaonline.com/Transport.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ http://www.bwmaonline.com/Business%20-%20Survival%20Guide%20to%20Metric%20Law.htm
- ^ http://www.bwmaonline.com/Transport%20-%20Windsor%20Great%20Park.htm
- ^ http://www.bwmaonline.com/Legal%20Campaign.htm
- ^ http://www.bwmaonline.com/Metric%20Culprits.htm
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Letter to Prime Minister". British Weights and Measures Association. 2006-04-16. http://www.bwmaonline.com/Letter%20to%20the%20Prime%20Minister.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
[edit] References
- Cairns, Warwick (2007). About the Size of It: The Common Sense Approach to Measuring Things, Macmillan, ISBN 978-0230016286
- Linacre, Vivian (2007). The General Rule: A Guide to Customary Weights and Measures , The Squeeze Press, ISBN 978-1906069018
