Friday, 24 February 2006 - 11:57 AM GMT

Miles and Pounds are European anyway. Roman to be precise.

Every country had its own mile and pound before Napoleon.

But as the UK has no future it probably doesn't matter what units they use.

Friday, 24 February 2006 - 7:38 PM GMT

Here is one of many reasons why your "Build until there is no more space in the south of England" plan won't work.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4744862.stm

So we can assume that this plan of yours will end up in the bin alongside your "Let's nation build in Iraq" plan which has resulted in civil war.

I noticed you have not mentioned the Hamas win in the Palestinian election. Bit of a slap in the chops for you that was. What you expect of Islam is never going to happen.

Stick to poker David. You know a little about that.

Leave politics, religion, economics and the environment to others.

Saturday, 25 February 2006 - 1:32 AM GMT

Regarding the Hamas victory, I'm left stunned by your 'bit of a slap in the chops for you that was' remark. When did you start reading this site? On Dec 21 last year, I wrote this:

https://members.tripod.com/overlay_uk3/sleepless/index.blog?entry_id=1312774

which concludes:

"Fundamentalists can shout empty slogans like 'Islam in the answer' and never be disputed as long as they are kept out of power. Islamism must be given the chance to fail, democratically."

I want these nutcases to get power democratically so that their empty ideology is exposed for what it is. That can't happen as long as they are out of power. Once they are in office instead of oppostion, their inevitable mistakes and failures will make them lose their lustre. You talk as though the Hamas victory is some sort of disaster for the West. Actually it's a disaster for Hamas. It's all downhill from here. In a few years time Palestinians will be utterly disillusionsed with them.

David Y.

Sunday, 26 February 2006 - 7:09 PM GMT

Alternatively, the Palestinians "voted" for Hamas because they are either tired of democracy getting nowhere or just enjoy rubber stamping their favourite extremists into power.

There are "votes" all over the Islamic world. Nothing changes. Muslims are incapable of change.

Monday, 27 February 2006 - 5:53 AM GMT

There really isn't any reason TO change to kilometres, either. I, too, was at school in the 70s, but I really have no 'sense' of what a kilometre is. Distances and speed limits should be convenient and easily understood in a society. The comparison with the old imperial money system doesn't really wash, you don't have to convert miles to something else in the same way as knowing how many shillings to a pound.

And by the way, going back a few entries, Canada really hasn't 'swung to the right'.

Monday, 27 February 2006 - 10:52 AM GMT

I agree 100%.

We should change to a full metric system. Each incremental change does cause a certain (small) amount of disruption and confusion which is soon forgotten. Examples include the switch from gallons to litres of petrol. Lets go for a final push that will get a fully metric system applied once and for all.

As someone who lived in France for the best part of eight years, like most expats I found myself "thinking" in kilometers after a few weeks.

It's no big deal, and much better to our current situation of a mostly metric system with some leftovers like miles...

Lets get it over and done with by some arbitary date like 2010.

- roGER