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Brexit matters

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brad465

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Amazing but not surprising, this country is such a joke now.

i'll just have to boycott any shops which go imperial only, i won't have any idea what they are selling in any case.
My thinking is this is another dead cat story (and quite a desperate one at that). At the moment the Tories have slipped in the polls, even being behind Labour in a YouGov one, then there's food shortages, inflation on the rise, perceived problems with covid this winter and more, there's certainly no shortage of problems the Government needs a distraction from.
 

johncrossley

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My thinking is this is another dead cat story (and quite a desperate one at that). At the moment the Tories have slipped in the polls, even being behind Labour in a YouGov one, then there's food shortages, inflation on the rise, perceived problems with covid this winter and more, there's certainly no shortage of problems the Government needs a distraction from.

I was just about to post the same thing! Who is going to be interested in selling goods in imperial measures only anyway, other than a few market traders?
 

AlterEgo

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Nope, because if the UK was still in the EU we would have the EU Covid app and so we be able to go anywhere in the EU without quarantine or testing.
No, we wouldn’t necessarily. States can impose their own restrictions on other states, as we keep hearing very often about how sovereign EU states are despite being in the EU.

Government rescinds petty and daft law shocker.
 

johncrossley

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No, we wouldn’t necessarily. States can impose their own restrictions on other states, as we keep hearing very often about how sovereign EU states are despite being in the EU.

That may be in theory, but it can be seen that all current EU states have agreed to accept the EU Covid app so had the UK still been a member it would be pretty likely to be still the case.
 

najaB

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Who is going to be interested in selling goods in imperial measures only anyway, other than a few market traders?
People who put ideology ahead of any sense of pragmatism and who would gladly sell the country down the river if it means getting one over on old Johnny Foreigner.

Oh dear, I seem to have described the current Tory party!
 

AlterEgo

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Is there an EU country that doesn't allow vaccinated visitors from all other EU countries to enter without quarantine or testing?
A better question is why there has been a delay with the civil servants who seem to have lagged behind countries like Switzerland into getting acceptance. Membership of the EU is neither here nor there if you just pull your finger out and make the application sooner than has happened.
 

Bald Rick

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A better question would be - are there any other countries that are not in the EU and not in Schengen that have been accepted into the EU covid travel scheme?
 

johncrossley

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A better question is why there has been a delay with the civil servants who seem to have lagged behind countries like Switzerland into getting acceptance. Membership of the EU is neither here nor there if you just pull your finger out and make the application sooner than has happened.

Membership of the EU seems to matter to the Netherlands:


Checklist when travelling from a high risk area within the EU/Schengen area​

1. No EU travel ban​

You may travel to the Netherlands, the EU travel ban and does not apply to you if you are are coming from a country/region in the EU/Schengen.


1. EU entry ban for high-risk areas outside the EU/Schengen area​

A European entry ban is in effect for some people, barring them from travelling to the European Union or the Schengen area. You may only enter the Netherlands if the purpose of your trip falls under one of the exemption categories. For example, people who have been fully vaccinated can be exempted from the EU entry ban.

2. Mandatory quarantine​

Self-quarantaine is mandatory if you travel/return to the Netherlands after staying in very high risk countries. This requirement also applies even if you have been vaccinated. You must be able to show a completed, printed and signed quarantine declaration. You may be fined if you do not have a quarantine declaration or if you do not comply with the mandatory quarantine requirement.
 

AlterEgo

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Membership of the EU seems to matter to the Netherlands:




The Netherlands is accepting the UK’s vaccine proof and hence passengers who are vaccinated are de facto exempt. I legally entered the Netherlands yesterday at Schiphol airport for three hours and was admitted. They accepted the QR code although the rules strictly suggest paper confirmation only is acceptable (I had this too).
 

johncrossley

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The Netherlands is accepting the UK’s vaccine proof and hence passengers who are vaccinated are de facto exempt. I legally entered the Netherlands yesterday at Schiphol airport for three hours and was admitted. They accepted the QR code although the rules strictly suggest paper confirmation only is acceptable (I had this too).

Vaccinated visitors from the UK can enter but still have to quarantine. Vaccinated visitors from EU/Schengen don't have to quarantine.
 

alex397

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All this seems to be part of the ‘culture war’ this government is encouraging. Ideally we should move to a system thats in line with most other counties. Anyway, imperial measurements are still common in this country anyway. Miles, feet, inches etc, which is just confusing when teaching children.

I may just start talking in kilometres instead of miles now just to annoy the Brexiteers.
 

najaB

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Anyway, imperial measurements are still common in this country anyway. Miles, feet, inches etc,
Miles for long distances (and hence speed), and pounds/stones and feet and inches for measuring people are the only common ones that I come across.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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All this seems to be part of the ‘culture war’ this government is encouraging. Ideally we should move to a system thats in line with most other counties. Anyway, imperial measurements are still common in this country anyway.

I may just start talking in kilometres instead of miles now just to annoy the Brexiteers.
Are you old enough to remember those old-style school exercise books with ruled lines and a bright red cover that had all those wonderful imperial measures such as bushels, pecks, rods, poles and perches printed in conversion charts on the back cover.
 

alex397

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Are you old enough to remember those old-style school exercise books with ruled lines and a bright red cover that had all those wonderful imperial measures such as bushels, pecks, rods, poles and perches printed in conversion charts on the back cover.
The fact I’ve never heard of those measures probably shows I’m too young to remember that :D
 

GusB

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Are you old enough to remember those old-style school exercise books with ruled lines and a bright red cover that had all those wonderful imperial measures such as bushels, pecks, rods, poles and perches printed in conversion charts on the back cover.
I don't think there will be many here that had a 19th-century education. Perhaps Jacob Rees-Mogg would remember! :p
 

najaB

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Are you old enough to remember those old-style school exercise books with ruled lines and a bright red cover that had all those wonderful imperial measures such as bushels, pecks, rods, poles and perches printed in conversion charts on the back cover.
Ours had fewer imperial measures alongside metric conversions.
 

eMeS

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Ours had fewer imperial measures alongside metric conversions.
I'm 83, and I've got vague memories of rods, poles and perches. Possibly length and area measure?
But educated as a physicist / engineer, I'm accustomed to metres, litres etc. Still, if I'm correct, our railways are measured in miles and chains?
 

Bald Rick

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Still, if I'm correct, our railways are measured in miles and chains?

Strictly speaking, measured on the ground in metres and mm, but reported for location in miles and chains, or miles and yards.
 

XAM2175

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The chain that you mention above has a UK statute length of 22 yards, as defined in the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and is the accepted length aof a cricket pitch.
Yes. It's being used to express a distance measured in metric units.

The yard, by the way, is legally defined as being exactly 0.9144 metres.
 

birchesgreen

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My thinking is this is another dead cat story (and quite a desperate one at that). At the moment the Tories have slipped in the polls, even being behind Labour in a YouGov one, then there's food shortages, inflation on the rise, perceived problems with covid this winter and more, there's certainly no shortage of problems the Government needs a distraction from.
Oh yes for sure, this is cover for some rather more serious EU rules they want to do away with.
 

XAM2175

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Oh yes for sure, this is cover for some rather more serious EU rules they want to do away with.

Here we go:

Rules on genetically modified farming, medical devices and vehicle standards will be top of a bonfire of laws inherited from the EU as the government seeks to change legislation automatically transferred to the UK after Brexit.

Thousands of laws and regulations are to be reviewed, modified or repealed under a new programme aimed at cementing the UK’s independence and “Brexit opportunities”, David Frost has announced.

Measures include permitting the voluntary printing of the crown stamp on pint glasses and reviewing the EU ban on markings and sales in pounds and ounces – with legislation “in due course”.

The Brexit minister told peers the government had a “mammoth task” ahead to improve or remove laws inherited through 50 years of the “legislative sausage machine” in Brussels.

In the run-up to Brexit, the UK laid down 960 statutory instruments to roll EU laws over to the British statute books. The government is now looking at “developing a tailored mechanism for accelerating the repeal or amendment” of those, which may concern some MPs who fear the results of rushed lawmaking.

Government procurement rules, which have required contracts from national to local council to go to open tender, would also be modified, along with rules around data and artificial intelligence, Lord Frost told the House of Lords.

The Brexit minister also announced that members of the public could contribute to the bonfire of laws. A standards commission would be established and, “under visible and energetic leadership”, would be able to pick up “ideas from any British citizen on how to repeal or improve regulation”.

Frost said now was the time to deliver the Brexit promise to “unleash Britain’s potential” and “improve growth and prosperity for everyone”.

The moves hark back to longstanding pledges of successive Conservative leaders and Brexiters to loosen the grip of EU law, including David Cameron, who promised to light “a bonfire of red tape”, and Nigel Lawson, who called for a “massive regulatory cull”.

Frost promised a “review of the inherited approach to genetically modified organisms”, which include insects and soil bacteria used in farming, along with reform of “outdated EU legislation” around medical devices and clinical trials. This, he suggested, would help British research and development and help speed up access to lifesaving medicines for patients.

The Department for Transport would also be unveiling a new strategy to adapt EU standards for vehicles including cars and lorries to take advantage of “new transport technologies” and to ditch or repeal EU port services regulations, which the industry says have held back small ports because of onerous rules on cargo, mooring and ship-generated waste.

Frost promised to “supercharge” the artificial intelligence sector with the imminent publication of a national strategy to lead the world in the “AI ecosystem”. His announcement was a formal response to the initial recommendations from the taskforce on innovation, growth and regulatory reform, led by Iain Duncan Smith, one of the cheerleaders for lighter regulation.

“We now have the opportunity to do things differently and ensure that Brexit freedoms are used to help businesses and citizens get on and succeed. Today’s announcement is just the beginning. The government will go further and faster to create a competitive, high-standards regulatory environment which supports innovation and growth across the UK as we build back better from the pandemic,” said Frost.

Emily Thornberry, the shadow international trade secretary, questioned why the government was talking about Brexit opportunities while the country faced continuing shortages of staff and supplies and while exporters faced mounting losses on trade with the EU and businesses in Northern Ireland were “stuck in limbo”.

“Into all of that along comes the new paymaster general to talk about all the wonderful opportunities that await us because of the marvellous Brexit deal which is working so well at present,” she said.
 

johncrossley

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Surely the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement means there can't be too much deviation from EU law?

“I’d like a box of 50mg capsules of ibuprofen please”

”we don’t sell them here, I’ll give you some 0.00000395 qrt capsules instead”

For quite a while now, the UK pub trade has mostly sourced its glassware from the Czech Republic. Czech manufacturers were happy to manufacture glasses with a crown stamp if asked, but very few purchasers asked because, well, why would you? The reason it largely fell out of use is basically because there was no reason to use it, and nobody cared whether it was used or not.
 
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Ediswan

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The yard, by the way, is legally defined as being exactly 0.9144 metres.
I thought the formal definition of the yard is still 36 inches. The inch is defined as exactly 25.4 mm. Same final number, but a different derivation.
 

edwin_m

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Quoted in #3147:
Frost promised to “supercharge” the artificial intelligence sector with the imminent publication of a national strategy to lead the world in the “AI ecosystem”. His announcement was a formal response to the initial recommendations from the taskforce on innovation, growth and regulatory reform, led by Iain Duncan Smith, one of the cheerleaders for lighter regulation.
Can't help thinking they need to promote artificial intelligence, as the two people mentioned seem singularly lacking in the natural sort.
 

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