"You really consider measurement systems to be an integral part of one's culture? "
Yeah. Saying "pints" and "miles" is more British than using boring, repetitive European measurements such as "litres" and "kilometres. or anything else that ends in "metre(s)."
It's just the same as the fact that saying "The cat" is more of an integral part of our culture than saying "Le chat."
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"Wow, you actually have French friends? I'm stunned."
No. I didn't write the article did I?
The author is saying that he knows many French people who come to Britain and they are disappointed when they see that certain things have been "metrified." They come to Britain to appreciate its DIFFERENCES - they don't want to see boring metres, kilometres, litres, etc etc like they are used to. They want to see Great British measurements such as yards, miles, pints. Many French tourists to London have also shown their admiration for the fact that Britain kept the Pound rather than adopting the Euro - the Pound is a symbol of Britain, and these tourists are glad that we don't have the Euro and just be the same as 12 other countries with no special differences in the currency - and that would be boring.
Whereas the other Europeans have the same currency and use Metric measures (so what symbols of their nationality do they have anymore?) us Brits have successfully fought off any European attempt to Metricate us or give us the Euro - much like we fought off Napoleon, the Spanish Armada and Hitler.
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"But they're right — there is not a huge amount of difference between life in Britain and life in France on the grand scheme of things any more (if there ever was, for that matter). Same seems to apply to most Western European countries, in my experience (notably Belgium and Germany). "
Rubbish - there are a lot of differences between living in Britain than living in France, or living in Sweden than living in Italy. Each country is unique and has its own cultures and traditions, although the EUSSR is trying to eradicate these differences by making Europeans all the same, with no cultural differences. It's trying to turn us into one giant, homogenised lump, whid would be boring.
Yeah. Saying "pints" and "miles" is more British than using boring, repetitive European measurements such as "litres" and "kilometres. or anything else that ends in "metre(s)."
It's just the same as the fact that saying "The cat" is more of an integral part of our culture than saying "Le chat."
------------------------------------------------------
"Wow, you actually have French friends? I'm stunned."
No. I didn't write the article did I?
The author is saying that he knows many French people who come to Britain and they are disappointed when they see that certain things have been "metrified." They come to Britain to appreciate its DIFFERENCES - they don't want to see boring metres, kilometres, litres, etc etc like they are used to. They want to see Great British measurements such as yards, miles, pints. Many French tourists to London have also shown their admiration for the fact that Britain kept the Pound rather than adopting the Euro - the Pound is a symbol of Britain, and these tourists are glad that we don't have the Euro and just be the same as 12 other countries with no special differences in the currency - and that would be boring.
Whereas the other Europeans have the same currency and use Metric measures (so what symbols of their nationality do they have anymore?) us Brits have successfully fought off any European attempt to Metricate us or give us the Euro - much like we fought off Napoleon, the Spanish Armada and Hitler.
--------------------------------------------------------
"But they're right — there is not a huge amount of difference between life in Britain and life in France on the grand scheme of things any more (if there ever was, for that matter). Same seems to apply to most Western European countries, in my experience (notably Belgium and Germany). "
Rubbish - there are a lot of differences between living in Britain than living in France, or living in Sweden than living in Italy. Each country is unique and has its own cultures and traditions, although the EUSSR is trying to eradicate these differences by making Europeans all the same, with no cultural differences. It's trying to turn us into one giant, homogenised lump, whid would be boring.