Quote Originally Posted by horst nordfink
Yes, they're autonomous enough at the minute, but if it became a federal state, then they would lose that.

Because of EU regulations, you can be arrested and given a criminal record for selling vegetables/meat/fish in imperial measurements, which people in Britain know, rather than in metric, which is alien to some. This is the kind of pointlessness of the EU that irks people.
See, I told you the EU was an anti-Empire!

Although standardization of weights and measures is normal imperial behaviour...

Really whats the fuss? Imperial is a ludicrous system, metric is so simple even an Australian can learn it! Took us less than a decade to forget the Imperial altogether. People use terms like "yard" and "six footer" in a vague literary way. You can still get pints (if you like holding onto you beer long enough for it to get warm that is).

I think a common system of weights and measures is a simple step toward shared values in other areas. Its a gross oversimplification, but the basic premise of the EU (make red tape, not war) is a thrilling, bold, wonderful change from the previous motto of Europe/christendom/the West (lets disembowel each other at least twice a century for something serious like who has the best invisible friend, a dead ArchDuke or Jenkins ear).

People point out the similarities between the EU and the Prussian Zollverein, perhaps it is merely a precursor to empire? Is there an Irish Bismarck waiting in the wings?