The tide of Euro-sewage has been held back. The EU, as we all know, is whlatsome and abhominable to God. It combines the moral probity of the French, the compassion of the Germans, the competence of the Italians, the excitement of the Belgians and the sex appeal of the Dutch. But we have manage to stop them getting their thieving, stinking Euro-mits on our pints, miles, pounds and ounces.

From the Evening Standard:

Brussels will today give up the fight to make Britain drop pints, pounds and miles.

The right of Britons to use imperial weights and measures will be enshrined in EU law under plans being announced by the European Commission.

Traditional measures will remain legal "until Kingdom come", the Commissioner responsible for the move told the Daily Mail last night.

The decision was hailed as a victory for the "metric martyrs" and campaigners who have refused to accept successive governments' attempts to abolish measurements dating back to the Middle Ages.

But the European Commission said it had acted merely to "get the Government out of a hole" and claimed it never targeted Britain's well-loved imperial system.

Well they would say that, wouldn't they?

A directive published today will be put to the Council of Ministers to be approved by EU member states within the next few months.

It will confirm the UK's right to carry on using non-metric measures such as the pint, the mile, and pounds and ounces.

But shops and traders will have to stick to current rules which require those using Imperial weights and measures to show their equivalents in metric as well.

British governments have repeatedly asked for delays in implementing the switch to metric agreed by the EU nearly 30 years ago.

It is galling that we need "permission" from the Eurocrats to keep proper weights and measures. Gauling even. Metric is invaluable for scientific uses, but for the rest we should tell them where to stick their kilos of bananas. Still, although the Eurocrat quoted above is lying - his lips are moving, so you can tell - he has a point. The UK is far too zealous in implementing EU diktats. We should ignore them, as the French do.