Monarch From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2001, 362 posts, RR: 6 Posted (10 years 3 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 1054 times:
Iain Duncan Smith has broken his silence on the euro and called on Tony Blair to stage an early referendum on Britain's membership of the EU single currency.
The Conservative Leader made the appeal as Gordon Brown prepares to deliver his long-awaited verdict on the five tests set for euro entry, and the Prime Minister retains his enthusiasm to scrap the Pound.
In a keynote speech in London, Mr Duncan Smith described the so-called tests as "a sham", and insisted there was no way any of the five requirements have been met.
Renewing his long standing pledge that a future Conservative administration would keep the Pound and not take Britain into the euro, he explained: "Quite simply, it's because we believe that surrendering our ability to set interest rates according to our economic needs would be bad for British jobs, the British economy and the British people."
But acknowledging that the only test that really matters to Tony Blair is whether he can win a referendum, Mr Duncan Smith declared: "I think that is an important test too. The Prime Minister would rather leave things so he can seize the window of opportunity he is hoping will arise - and go for a vote when he thinks his chances of winning it are greatest."
He continued, "but I think Britain needs more certainty than that. I know British business is demanding more certainty than that. In fact I think the PM is taking a gamble in which the only loser will be Britain. So if Tony Blair still believes we should join the euro…if he chooses to prolong the uncertainty…if he chooses not to deal with our public services as his first priority…then he should say so, and get on with calling a referendum to find out exactly what the British people think."
Bobrayner From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2003, 2227 posts, RR: 7 Reply 1, posted (10 years 3 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 1023 times:
Iain Duncan Smith
Who's that?
a future Conservative administration
Ahh. I guess he's either a comedian or a congenital optimist...
our ability to set interest rates according to our economic needs would be bad for British jobs, the British economy and the British people
...who is unaware of the benefits of freer trade and travel.
The sooner Britain adopts the Euro, the better, IMHO.
Monarch From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2001, 362 posts, RR: 6 Reply 2, posted (10 years 3 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 1026 times:
Britain will never adopt the Euro! It's won't be good for our country and the British people don't want it!
Ahh. I guess he's either a comedian or a congenital optimist...
Whatever, seems you don't live in Britain that you onviously don't what it is like to live under a disgraceful Labour Government - Britain wants a change and she will get it!
777236ER From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (10 years 3 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 1017 times:
Once again the Tories harp on about something that's really really reeeeealy uninteresting and boring! Yes, the Euro is a big issue, but there are bigger issues right now!
Whatever Brussels wants to think, the European and British economies are too independant. As seen right now, the UK is in somewhat of a boom (or at least, is still growing pretty strongly) while the European economy (economies?) are bottoming out. An EU central bank lowering interest rates now would destroy any hopes of having steady inflation in the UK.
...who is unaware of the benefits of freer trade and travel.
The loss of free trade and travel is a small price to pay for a stable economy.
The sooner Britain adopts the Euro, the better, IMHO.
A Belgian telling the British what to do? No offence, but why should we listen to you?
Monarch From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2001, 362 posts, RR: 6 Reply 4, posted (10 years 3 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 1011 times:
"So if Tony Blair still believes we should join the euro…if he chooses to prolong the uncertainty…if he chooses not to deal with our public services as his first priority…then he should say so, and get on with calling a referendum to find out exactly what the British people think."
Look at the above highlighted in bold - the Tories are only counter attacking Tony Blair's dreams and pointing out that Public services need to come first
Bobrayner From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2003, 2227 posts, RR: 7 Reply 5, posted (10 years 3 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 1005 times:
A Belgian telling the British what to do? No offence, but why should we listen to you?
Because I'm living in Brussels for the beer and chocolate and fun things like that (oh, and for work), but my heart is still back in Britain. And maybe some other organs too.
onviously don't what it is like to live under a disgraceful Labour Government
Didn't seem too bad. Remember what life was like under the Conservatives?
Bobrayner From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2003, 2227 posts, RR: 7 Reply 8, posted (10 years 3 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 988 times:
Now, I could further the debate with a level-headed response about the Tories bodging privatisations, feathering their own nests, running down healthcare & education, &c.
However, it would be much more fun to be petty, and pointing out that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. You can give me a grammar lesson once you've learned to spell "obviously".
(Didn't seem to bad from the perspective of somebody who ran away to Brussels and is now neck-deep in bureaucracy. Doesn't seem too bad from the perspective of somebody still facing Blair's reign of terror. )
777236ER From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (10 years 3 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 978 times:
Politics shouldn't really come into this, it's a purely economic argument, with a bit of boring old public opinion thrown in. Surprisingly, the public don't seem to care. Maybe everyone thinks its way off, or maybe they'd be willing to have the Euro, afterall such a thing has happened before.
Can't the Tories focus on healthcare or taxes or public transport? *hint hint*
Arsenal@LHR From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2001, 7791 posts, RR: 23 Reply 11, posted (10 years 2 weeks 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 936 times:
Public services and the Euro are now the governments 2 big issues. The Prime minister is not having a referendum now because he knows the British public will say NO. He is waiting to get the Euro debate started and convince the public for joining the Euro, and to be honest the euro debate hasn't even started in Britain. But let there be no mistake, a referendum must be held.
Banco From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2001, 14752 posts, RR: 55 Reply 12, posted (10 years 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 914 times:
The whole free trade argument for entry is a nonsense. Sure thirty or forty years ago a single currency might have had that effect, but now, with electronic banking it is completely irrelevant in this regard. Europe has free trade regardless of currency, the only downside to having a different one is the cost of exchange, but this is a minimal part of any business cost, and those companies working in both markets have both Euro and Sterling accounts.
When the Euro was launched it was sold to us a a rival to the dollar, it promptly disappeared without trace. British industry looked on enviously at the low level of the Euro. Now the Euro is going up, and European industry is becoming ever more more uncompetitive with British and American industry at just the time when they need help. Germany is straitjacketed by interest rates that are far too high, whilst Ireland has them too low.
Britain joining now would be economically disastrous. This is even before you consider the political issues, like loss of sovereignty, the irreversibility of a decision, plus the continuing hostility to joining evinced by the British people.
It stil comes back to one issue. The public don't like the idea. And whilst they see Europe struggling economically, and Britain doing relatively well, they see no reason to go in. Blair will not be able to sell this one, we won't be getting the Euro for quite a while yet.
She's as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot.
Alessandro From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (10 years 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 911 times:
I think TB is waiting until Sweden (in september) election and Denmark as well
(election when?) and the new members, before any referendum. The bigger the €uro zone is the better to join it.
MxCtrlr From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 2485 posts, RR: 40 Reply 14, posted (10 years 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 916 times:
Just weighing on here on the amazing similarities with this arguement vs all of the US government arguments:
Tories vs Labour Party (US - Democrats vs Republicans)
One party feels the other one is the worse party to be governed by (same in the US)
I guess we aren't as different as we like to think we are (on either side of "the pond").
Now, as to the argument at hand, why not do away with ALL nationalistic currencies and introduce "The Worldo" or the "Eartho" or the "Terro"? What's the point of forcing a country (one that is decidedly not part of any continent exactly) to adopt a "continental currency"? Will free trade suddenly stop because Britain doesn't adopt the Euro? We haven't adpoted the Euro here in the States but free trade still continues with European countries.
MxCtrlr
Freight Dogs Anonymous - O.O.T.S.K.
DAMN! This SUCKS! I just had to go to the next higher age bracket in my profile! :-(
Alessandro From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (10 years 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 899 times:
World currency would be nice, but I think many gov in the 3rd world wouldn´t
like that, after all, the currency union in Africa showed the difficulties (so called Franc zone).
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