I so don't want the Euro, however I can see that it would be a very good idea. But I just don't wanna change from the pound cuz then i'd have to get used to euros and everything will be confusing and I won't know homw much money i'm spending without comparing it to the pound which would no longer exist

I agree with Bip () . There's no way i want to extinguish the pound and join the Euros. They say that we wouldn't be able to trade with other European countries because of the different currnecy, but what about America and Japsn - they have different currencies and works for them?

Keep the Pound !!!!!!!

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by Dangermouse
Keep the Pound !!!!!!!

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Amen to that

Not in favour of the euro really, nothing to do with "Keep the pound" or other sentimental reasons, but I really don't think that the system will be beneficial to us, nor do I think that it will work in the long-run, unless europe ended up becoming something similar to the whole "United States of Europe" deal.. I don't like that idea either.

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by bipolar
well tomorra we find out if we're gonna be joining the euro

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This is untrue. Tomorrow what will be announced is whether the Government intends on pursuing a campaign to persuade people to vote yes to the Euro in a referendum. There will be no Euro without a referendum. Personally i'm not even sure i think we should have a referendum... this country runs under a Representative democracy not a Direct one... the people don't know and don't really want to know the ins and outs of joining the Euro. It should be a decision for those we voted in, not for the people who voted.

Personally I wholeheartedly believe we should join the Euro. It will make trade easier with other European countries, it will make functioning as a European citizen easier. Everything will be easier.

I really don't understand British (particularly English) peoples' obsession with the pound and British sovereignty. The pound is just a currency. It's bits of metal and paper. At the end of the day it makes no difference whether we are using pounds, euros, yen or dollars. Money is money. Changing to the euro will not remove or diminish anyone's national identity.

I believe the further integration of the European Union is a very good thing and I look forward to a day when it's not a European Union, it's just Europe. Not a group of nations, but one nation.

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by Maffrew
(quotes)

This is untrue. Tomorrow what will be announced is whether the Government intends on pursuing a campaign to persuade people to vote yes to the Euro in a referendum.

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sorry my bad joining it/pursuing it's still one step closer or kinda the same thing, i tend to usually keep right away from government politics if i can so apolgies for getting it wrong i was just going by what the new channel said initially and got the link when i popped online (not being sarcy or bitchy)
from what little i do know (and i admit it is little) Blair was voted in for amongst other thing his promise to keep us FROM the euro and now he's for it and being the little lapdog of bush i can see him trying for the position to try and run europe too, so what DOES happen if we all become one? who is the person to be head of or run things? or should that be how do europe decide who if there is to be someone?
(please note though im actually just asking what people think of joining the euro at the same time)

also i am not of sound mind and my theasaurus part of my brain (which used to be vast) is not fuctioning (and neither is the spelling part it seems )


(Edited by bipolar 08/06/2003 22:23)

Well I'm totally in favour. But I'm Dutch and therefor have already been using the Euro for a little while

In a few weeks you get used to the new coins and it really does have economic advantages. Also it will save me having to change money everytime I'm over to meet my girlfriend

I say..... use the euro..... and also finally start using the metric system properly!

In London a whole bundle of shops already let you pay with the Euro anyways just to accomodate visitors from abroad. I think it's an unevitable thing.

It might be too late to actually start driving on the Right side of the road but it's certainly not too late to start using the euro

I'm all for the euro. Partly this is pure selfishness (I'm an accountant, and my company is owned by a German company, and has an Irish subsidiary, and I'm sick of doing currency calculations), but I also think that not being in the euro has harmed our economy terribly over the last few years. First manufacturing was hit by the pound being too strong: our exports were too expensive to be competitive, and a lot of factories closed down, or at least had to make cutbacks. And now the pound's weakened, every business that relies on reselling imports to the UK market has found its costs increased by around 15% over the last few months. It would be good for export industries if many were left, but more and more businesses are realising that investment in the UK leaves them open to foreign exchange risk in any overseas business they do, whether buying or selling, whereas a factory located in Germany or France has a much bigger area of operations where there is no currency risk.

Anyway, when I voted Labour in 1997, one of the reasons was that I thought they were more pro-Europe than the opposition

Far as I remember Labour were voted in with the promise of a referendum so if they try to get out of that there will be an uproar.

As things stand now I'm against the euro for economic reasons more than anything else...if it ever strengthens up and stops fluctuating, and some of the member states stop being such a drain due to not even fulfilling the entry requirements, then it's a possibility.

so on the financial side of things those (who live in the uk) that are FOR the euro are not bothered by the fact that you could lose ALOT (in my dad's case, for example, thousands) in the change over of currency?

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By Spikeo
As things stand now I'm against the euro for economic reasons more than anything else...if it ever strengthens up and stops fluctuating, and some of the member states stop being such a drain due to not even fulfilling the entry requirements, then it's a possibility.

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Yup, witness Germany's floundering after re-unification, the weaker East Germany hit the country very hard, and the same will happen to the euro when all the weaker countries join later.
I simply think the differences between the countries are too different for the euro to be stable for the time being, later on when there is a little clarity (long-term clarity at that) then maybe, but for the time being I think there are too many unknown variables.

(Edited by Stoo 08/06/2003 23:27)

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by bipolar
so on the financial side of things those (who live in the uk) that are FOR the euro are not bothered by the fact that you could lose ALOT (in my dad's case, for example, thousands) in the change over of currency?

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Don't understand this. How would you lose money purely through a change of denomination from pounds to euros?

I'm struggling to think of investments that would automatically depreciate although that doesn't mean there aren't any.

As for joining the Euro... I tend to agree with Maff that a referendum is a bad idea. The documents considering the issues that were delivered to the cabinet and now to members of parliament ran to 2,000 pages.

Now personally, I don't trust the British Public to make a decision on what is a complex political and economic argument (in fact I don't trust them to make simple decisions either). Resorting to a referendum is not a boost for democracy, it reflects a failure of our system of government.

Personally, I suspect that in the long run our future lies in greater European Integration and Euro membership and that when it happens the effects will be mildy beneficial.

What I do know for sure is The Sun is opposed to it, so I'm guessing that it is probably a good idea.

I'm generally for the Euro, I'm not sure why really. While I do know the gist of the pros and cons, I don't think I really understand them properly because I don't know enough about any of it. So, I just want it because it would be nice to have a new currency and be able to go to European countries without having to change money and to generally just feel more European. Also, this sounds really petty, but I generally don't like the people that I know that are against it and they seem to be for all the wrong reasons ('WE MUST PRESERVE OUR NATIONALITY!') or because they know nothing about it (even less than meee). No offense to anyone here who's against it, I'm sure you're nothing like the people I'm thinking of. And even if you are, you have every right to be, don't be bothered by my pettiness
Obviously if I get the chance to vote in a referendum on it (18 in 2 months!) I'll look into it more and make a decision based on real reasons, not just because it would be 'nice' It's just a shame that many of the people voting won't and will vote with ignorance.

Firstly, on Referendums.

Replacing the Pound with the Euro impacts on our constitution. Financial controls and tax rates (within boundaries) will be decided by the council of ministers and the European central bank, not by the British government or the Bank of England. Whether Parliamentary Representative government is a good thing, or whether Referendums are is not the point. By rule of law government cannot change our constitutional status without a referendum. This is why we had a referendum to join the E.U., on devolution and on Irish independence.

On the actual issue of joining the Eurozone.

I've had mixed feelings on this for some time. There are two reasons why we should consider it: Economical and Political. Both are perfectly valid and need to be considered separately. The economic case is .. uncertain. Yes, a single currency would make sales with the Eurozone cheaper, and create a level playing field of competition. However, there are a number of weaker economies, and we would lose a number of financial controls. What is good for the rest of Europe may not be best for the U.K.. However, this is also true for the pound. The value of the pound in the south-east is not the same as in the south-west, the north, or Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. What is best economically for one area is not necessarily best for another. Throughout the eighties the economical needs of the north were ignored at the expense of the south. And in many ways this is still true today, though not to the same degree.

Politically, I have been concerned for some time about sharing sovereignty with some of our European neighbours. While France and Germany are not particular different from ourselves, and the Dutch and Portuguese have much to admire, the lurch to the far-right by Italy and Spain I find very worrying. And the politics of Eastern Europe are a world away from us, with many of them having highly theocratic governments compared to our secular one. Many of the issues I disagree with (cack-handed break up of the telecoms industry, privatisation of the postal service) come from the Council of Ministers and not Westminster. Further, Europe is a long way from being a democratic body. Too little power is given to the parliament and too much to unelected officials. There is also the issue of formalising a constitution, which, despite Tory claims, is a long way off.

And let's be clear about this, taking on the Euro currency without moving towards a federal Europe is about as pointless as cooking a full breakfast and then throwing it straight in the bin. To retain control of our economy we need a strong democratic structure in Europe, and the transference of sovereignty to Europe. And before anyone goes off half-cocked about federalism, don't forget we are already living in one. The United Kingdom. Transferring sovereignty to Europe is not that big a step from having already done it to Britain.

Anyway, gone on enough. Basically, as I've pointed out above, I've been wavering on this for some time. Events in the last year has forced me to the position of saying I would vote yes for the Euro, whatever our economic situation. The runaway aggression of the U.S. government has left me concluding we need a power block that is capable of standing up to them, to stop the slide to a third (holy) world war. China will not involve itself, as it cares nothing for issues outside its region. Russia is a spent force and has been for roughly 15 years. The only region economically and militarily strong enough would be a United Europe, and as such I really think we have no choice.