Do you think UK should join the Euro?

[Big RICHARD]

Originally posted by sexeh
not at all. it's a rip off. we should keep control and not follow suit.

Do we have control now? I don't have any control, you most likely don't have any control, unless your name is Gordon Brown. Why do we insist on thinking that we control anything?

[Saracen]

Originally posted by Blub2k
Only if they behave themselves which unfortunately the Brits are not too good at, I think that after Blairs recent antics that the UK should actually be thrown out of the EU.

Which particular antics do you mean?

[Gr44]

i think we should, just not yet, goverment is trying to slow down the boom cycle if that works it could be much more effective, giving us a steady growth of income rather than fluxuations

[Gr44]

Originally posted by Blub2k
Only if they behave themselves which unfortunately the Brits are not too good at, I think that after Blairs recent antics that the UK should actually be thrown out of the EU.

lol Britan is one of the strongest countrys in the EU, doubt we would be thrown out without a much stronger reason.

and i assume you mean the war with Iraq?

[Blub2k]

Yes the attempt to split Europe down the middle (divide and conquer strike a note with anyone here?) to cement US hegemony would be what I was specifically talking about, EU is not about the UK and if they dont want to play by the rules of the group then they should be turfed out. Get with the Euro as currency and get back to democratic principles.

[Gr44]

aye but like i said, it aint gonna happen unless something big happens, the UK is a big part of the EU, fact. it may not be right/fair, but it is still a fact

[pikacu]

yes.... since Uk is part of europe. no point to be isolated.

[Saracen]

Originally posted by pikacu
yes.... since Uk is part of europe. no point to be isolated.

That's why all those lemmings jump of a cliff to their deaths.

Me, I'd be the lemming standing at the top of the cliff looking down thinking "idiots"

There are plenty of good reasons for being 'isolated' in this particular issue.

[shiato storm]

cool, if we get thrown out of the EU then that means we don't have to adhere to all those bloody stupid eu regulations. they are just so petty and idiotic it most of them really hold no value other than to f-off everyone in the country...
also, when the rest of europe switched to the euro businesses jumped on the chance to increase all their prices - and I'v no doubt that if we changed here it would be exactly the same...everything would be expensive.
on the plus side it would be an easy way to see how much we really do pay for a car in this country compared to europe etc. but thats just a minor point.

I think britain should stay away from the eu, euro and everything else. and don't get me started on those damn illegal [or otherwise] immigrants...

[spikegifted]

...and the remainder of the EU will put up their import tariffs of goods and services imported from the UK and this country will ended up in economic hell...

Good thinking, buddy.

[Blub2k]

Aaaaah Spike, now dont ruin illusions, why should reality get in the way of a good misinformed rant?

Those asylum seekers ......I tell ya................

[G4Z]

lol, I must admit my knowlege of economics is limited (ok practically non-existant) but I think we should be joining the euro, I think the timing is probably one of the major issues. In a purly ideological sense I want the UK to part of europe, I dont think we should have a veto either because with 25+ member states what we will have is an unworkable system. I think in the UK we like to think we are more important than we nececcarily are and we should be prepared to lose out in the short term to gain in the long term. At the moment europe is almost in a position to compete with the USA and I think we should, if only to make it harder for the US to implement some of its more dubious economic policys (bannana anyone...?) that affect developing countries.

[Saracen]

Whether to be part of Europe or not is more of a political decision than an economic one, though. After all, the original EEC was a TRADE community which would allow Europe to compete with the USA, or anybody else. We don't need common borders, common legal frameworks or a common army (etc) for that. What is going on with Europe now is not about competition, but about political power.

I DON'T, personally, want to be part of a United States of Europe, but that is largely a political preference on my part rather than an economic one. My objections to the Euro are two-fold :-

1) Political
2) Economic.

The economic arguments are certainly not 100% clear cut either in favour or against. There are points for and points against Euro membership, but I believe they balance out significantly against. Then there are the political arguments, in that Euro membership is without doubt a mandatory step in the formation of a Untied States of Europe, and since I'm against that, AND I believe the economic case for joining the Euro is VERY far from made, I have to vote NO to joining the Euro.

Oh, and I don't pretend to be the world's greatest authority on Economics either - but I do have a Degree in it

[DaBeeeenster]

Originally posted by Saracen
Whether to be part of Europe or not is more of a political decision than an economic one, though. After all, the original EEC was a TRADE community which would allow Europe to compete with the USA, or anybody else. We don't need common borders, common legal frameworks or a common army (etc) for that. What is going on with Europe now is not about competition, but about political power.

I DON'T, personally, want to be part of a United States of Europe, but that is largely a political preference on my part rather than an economic one. My objections to the Euro are two-fold :-

1) Political
2) Economic.

The economic arguments are certainly not 100% clear cut either in favour or against. There are points for and points against Euro membership, but I believe they balance out significantly against. Then there are the political arguments, in that Euro membership is without doubt a mandatory step in the formation of a Untied States of Europe, and since I'm against that, AND I believe the economic case for joining the Euro is VERY far from made, I have to vote NO to joining the Euro.

Oh, and I don't pretend to be the world's greatest authority on Economics either - but I do have a Degree in it

Why are you against a United States of Europe?

[Saracen]

Originally posted by DaBeeeenster
Why are you against a United States of Europe?

A variety of reasons, but among them is that I don't like mass centralisation of power. Too many decisions are already taken by national MP's living in the Ivory Tower of Westminster, when they could and should be taken at local level, and I see things only getting worse if we add ANOTHER layer of beaurocracy on top of that, and stick it in Brussels.

Besides which, let them sort out the total farce that the current EU administration is and get THAT working right before they try to grab even more power.

Oh, and add to that the fact that the arrogant <bleeps> that have taken us into the current degree of Federalised Europe have yet to actually bother to ask the British people if they WANTED to go in! This is not a party-political point - both major parties have conspired in this. MP's are supposed to represent the wishes of their constituents, not decide (in their arrogance) what is best for us and ram it down our throats whether we want it or not.


Do the British people, as a whole, want to be part of a United States of Europe?

I don't know (and as we haven't had a referendum on it, neither does anybody else), but personally I'm of the opinion that the answer is "No". This seems to be supported by most opinion polls (which, I grant, is far from a perfect way to assess the wishes of the people, but in the absence of a referendum, it's the best we've got), but the clincher for me is that we HAVEN'T had a referendum - as I believe if any government in recent years had thought they could get a "Yes" vote on such a referendum, they'd have held one!

[spikegifted]

I, personally, don't have much of an opinion about an united states of Europe. However, I have to agree that there is already excessive layers of control and at the same time excessive centralization of power.