Right. Who out there actually has a problem with going to a bar and asking for a pint of beer (the problem being with the pint rather than the beer)? Or in my case, a half pint, because I can only drink girly quantities. There are some units that just make sense. And if you were Winston Churchill, the pint was the perfect unit for champagne — a normal bottle was too much at lunch but a glass was for weeds.
It’s been interesting to witness the reaction to the PM’s suggestion that we should have a consultation about the wider use of imperial measurements. Or as the late Caroline Aherne used to cry: “Let’s have a heated debate!” Obviously it’s to divert attention from you know what, and it’s less interesting than the other diversionary gambit, talking about more grammar schools, but it’s still important. It’s because weights and measures are the currency of life.
