One People, One Nation, One Leader . . . ?

[just john]

After the recent EU financial upheaval isn't it evermore unlikely that UK would sign up to the Euro?

As German Socialist MEP Martin Schulz was complaining about the UK’s role in reducing the size of the EU budget next year and asking: "Does the UK decide everything that happens in the EU?", UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom called Schulz an "undemocratic fascist". Calling out, in German, the infamous Na2i slogan, "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer" - One People, One Nation, One Leader.

Afterwards Mr Bloom commented: "Schulz is an unrepentant Euro nationalist and a socialist. He wants one currency, one EU state, one EU people." Mr Bloom went on: "These Euro nationalists are a danger to democracy. These people are fanatics. People have got to wake up to this fact. My father, as a Spitfire pilot, fought for freedom against Na2i domination of Europe. As an MEP, I will fight against the destruction of democracy across Europe."

UK Independence Party MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Godfrey Bloom has been expelled from the European Parliament chamber for calling German Socialist MEP Martin Schulz an "undemocratic fascist".

 .examiner - yorkshire-ukip-mep-expelled-from-european-parliament-for-fascist-jibe-

[Kitty]

He's a very naughty boy...

[just john]

quite so; extremists on both sides, there is a third way . . . trading agreements without linking into a single currency . . . .

[woolybanana]

Perhaps allowing Germans into the driving seat is dangerous, given their propensity to bossiness and disciplining the disobedient?[6]

[Kitty]

[quote user="just john "]trading agreements without linking into a single currency . . . .[/quote]

Shall we call them the "European Economic Communities" - EEC?

[Quillan]

[quote user="Cathy"][quote user="just john "]trading agreements without linking into a single currency . . . .[/quote]

Shall we call them the "European Economic Communities" - EEC?

[/quote]

Didn't we have one of these till 1993 when it then became the EU.

I have to say that I was very anti the Euro before I lived in France and inside the Euro Zone. Now I love it, I also love the EU and think its the best thing since sliced bread. Anything that competes and 'sticks it' to the US is good for me. That aside there is a mentality amongst us Brits about changing currency, probably because many of us remember when decimalisation came in and the prices all got rounded up, up being the operative word. The Euro is so much easier to work with from both a business and personal point of view, no more grief of changing money when you visit another Euro country, no more worrying if the exchange rate goes against you the day before you go on holiday.

[just john]

I was with the EEC, but the weaknesses and problems of the Euro are being exposed. Isn't it that one currency doesn't fit all? Greece can't have the same value currency as Germany; Politically one set of values can't fit all either,witness the control that is being imposed on Ireland now? Perhaps if there was a three tier euro, say gold, silver, bronze which would enable countries to float up or down, perhaps not?

[woolybanana]

Either that or there is one standard - the German one!

[Quillan]

If you were to have three standards you might just as well have three different currencies, in fact you might just as well do away with the Euro completely. The Euro is neither weak nor strong depending on which facet of it you are talking about. In fact its a very stable currency unlike sterling and the dollar, I don't think countries like China would be buying in to the Euro as much as they are if they felt it was going to collapse.

Likewise you can't possibly compare Greece to Ireland with regards to their debt problems, Greece run up massive public debt where as Ireland's debt is mainly private/personal debt. Ireland knew this (their finance minster said so on TV tonight) three or four years ago but did nothing to stop house prices and personal debt from spiraling out of control.

[just john]

Exactly, though I think China is investing in Germany more than the Euro, while I worked in China I was amazed to see the amount of German plant, BMW, VW, Heidelberg et al,

[Anton Redman II]

I am sure there are people on the forum who can speak and write German better than me, say roughly 99.8 % of the population,  but as far as I am aware the correct translation of Reich in the context of National Soclialism is Empire rather then Nation.

I do not see how for instance Greece which has sustained roughy 12 % inflation for the last 30 years but has devalued versus Sterling and the DM can expect to remain a viable holiday destination unless they cut wages. We went to Rhodes two years ago from France but can well understand why people go to Bodrum, which is only 2.5 hours by hydrofoil;

[Thibault]

[quote user="Quillan"]

Likewise you can't possibly compare Greece to Ireland with regards to their debt problems, Greece run up massive public debt where as Ireland's debt is mainly private/personal debt. Ireland knew this (their finance minster said so on TV tonight) three or four years ago but did nothing to stop house prices and personal debt from spiraling out of control.

[/quote]

This is one of the reasons why the Euro is in trouble.  If you think of the wide spectrum of countries now in the Euro from Germany (the strongest) to the "PIGS" then the idea of having one central bank setting one interest rate for the whole lot seems crazy.  Added to that, for political reasons, the "economic joining requirements" were waived for some weaker economies like Italy and Greece, so the Eurozone started from a position of weakness. 

The Eurocrats cannot even get members to comply with the required percentage of GDP allowable for the public deficit - I think it is around 3% and France has not been complying with this for some time, for example.  There is no tax harmonisation either.  So the whole thing has been rocky from the start. 

Anyone hear the deafening sound of chickens coming home to roost?