Just arranging my travel plans for the summer (3 weeks in UK, Paris & Rome) and just realised I'm going to have to get Sterling as well as Euros. <BR>When are you Brits gonna get the Euro? <BR>Do you have to apply or something? <BR>Is it because the rest of Europe doesn't want you to? <BR>It'll be soooo much simpler If I could just take Euros!

LOL, the Brits are strongly resisting pressure to convert to the Euro, mostly out of national pride but also because pound is stronger than the euro. So sorry that you're inconvenienced.

The politicians and economists believe Britain's adoption of the euro is inevitable. The average man in the street, based on reading the British press, seems not to want it for several reasons. They would have difficulty spending currency which doesn't have the Queens's picture on it, they feel that loss of the pound would be just another indication that Britain is not really a world power anymore and they don't want decisions regarding their economy being made in Brussels and not in the City of London.<BR><BR>That having been said, how different is it really than what we have in this country when dumb witted politicians have resisted doing several things the rest of the world has done because of the same kind of pressure from constituents. Years ago the US should have adopted the metric system, the Celsius scale (it makes much more sense to consider freezing 0 than the arbitrary number 32). Our treasury could also save millions if we ditched the $1 bank note and used a $1 coin (think of how much easier it would be to kill yourself by buying cigarettes in a vending machine). But we resist too.<BR><BR>Many Brits, again by reading the newspapers, still feel very put upon by the government's instituting the metric system on them (everything except distances) and there are even those who wish the pound was still broken into 20 shillings and each shilling broken into 12 pennies. But they joined the 20th century and it's time we did the same.

It's kind of like "When will the USA adopt the metric system?"<BR>

I really do think that this is another classic example of Americans never taking the time to understand the real issues facing other countries. We are so insular its frightening.<BR><BR>The UK will adopt the Euro ONLY when it is economically advantageous for them to do so. The issue has nothing to do with the loss of "the queen's head" on their currency units, loss of world power (we all know that the UK hasn't been a world power since the end of the Victorian era!!) or some sentimental longing for the past. If you really think that changing a currency to make life easier when you travel abroad is an overwhelming reason for doing so then I suggest some education in basic economics is on order.<BR><BR>The decision to delay entry, was at the time, the correct one for the UK. If you really DID read quality newspapers you would also understand that many early adopters of the Euro in Europe (including the citizens of Germany and France) have as many doubts about its benefits as the UK and Denmark <BR><BR>Please do think carefully before you post messages of this kind - you are parading your ignorance in front of a very large audience and re-enforcing some unappealing American stereo-types to the rest of the world.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <BR><BR>

Shall we have a poll on whether Jeff or xx.xx is the one "re-enforcing some unappealing American stereotypes"?

Re : metric system<BR>As a retired engineer, the US standardization to the metric system was recommended at least 40 years ago!<BR>We are now partially "metricized" but I really don't understand why we're not 100% converted.<BR>Guess it's like the very old (& inefficient) way of posting gasoline prices as $xxx.9 per GALLON!!

oops: $x.xx.9 per gallon.

For any non-trolls who are really interested, click on http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_827000/827391.stm<BR><BR>There is a debate about the pros and cons of adopting the Euro between three politicians who hold three different opinions.

It is not about convenience, or the Queen, or about being or not a world power. It only has to do with economic reasons. The main two that come to mind are:<BR><BR>-The economic cycles (recession-growth) in the UK are much more simmilar to those in the US than to Continental Europe. It would make more sense to adopt the USD than the Euro.<BR><BR>- The strength of the Pound. The pound is overvalued against the Euro. That means that for the British imports are cheaper than local products, and British exports are extremely expensive for the rest of the world. You cannot peg the Pound to the Euro as long as the pound remains that strong.

Well, the UK hasn't completely adopted the metric system. Call me crazy, but I do believe that roads there are measured in miles, not kilometers.

I, for one, look forward to the day I don't have to see the Queen on our 20 dollar note in Canada. That doesn't mean I loook forward to the North-American dollar that is being touted, either. (I believe that it's the only reason our dollar is being kept artificially low, for the conversion. Our economy has been stronger than that of the US for awhile. You know that's true when Americans have to resort to the very thing they've accused us of over the years: protectionism thru tariffs.<BR><BR>That being said, congratulations to the EC for bringing on the Euro. They jhave become a force to deal with on the economic scene. (I now keep my euros next to the US greenbacks: on hold for the next trip!)

I think the world should convert to the dollar, ahhahahhahhaha. Also, everyone should speak American, I mean English so it will be easier on me.

This is just from a travellers point of view: I wished every country would keep their national identity, including currency. This is what makes it fun. If I want it to be the same all over the world, why not stay at home. Make no mistake about this, some of the european countries will lose a lot of what makes them unique. This common market and currency thing is just the beginning.

Why should the Brits adopt the Euro? The pound is stronger than the Euro and thus the national economy is as well. A nation has the right to maintain its sovereignty. Heck, most Brits don't even consider themselves European.

The original post is yet anothher example of mind-numbing ignorance. One might equally enquire as to when the Americans are going to drop the US dollar in favour of the peso?

In this case, I don't think this is ignorance. There is a heavy debate going on in the UK regarding this. And most economists believe UK conversion to the Euro is inevitable. The only question really is how soon.<BR><BR>It is understandable that this is a decision best made by the British government and its citizens and certainly a factor should absoutely not be convenience to tourists. The topic is, however, most appropriate for discussion and it is interesting to hear the feelings of British people on this matter.

&gt;Heck, most Brits don't even consider &gt;themselves European.<BR><BR>Well, now, thank you for telling me that we have been towed away in the night. Have we ended up in America, Africa or Asia? <BR>

"The pound is stronger than the Euro and thus the national economy is as well. "<BR><BR>Actually, not really. The pound is too strong for the economical well-being of the UK. A previous poster was right when he stated that the UK couldn't convert to the Euro at the current exchange rates.It would be suicidal, since UK products wouldn't be competitive on the european market.<BR><BR><BR>A strong currency isn't a "good thing" per se. It's a consequence, not a cause of a healthy economy (at least it should be...actually, a currency could be strong for reasons not totally related to the state of the economy).<BR><BR>As for the poster stating that asking when the british will get the euro is arrogant and similar to "when the US will get the peso", I don't think so. I don't think there's much of a debate in the US about keeping the dollar or switching to the peso.<BR><BR>As for the conditions for applying, there are several of them, related to the inflation rate, the level of the debt in percentage of the GNP, etc..I doubt the UK wouldn't pass the test, and assuming it actually wouldn't, the EU would find some way around. The conditions have already been relaxed to allow some countries in.<BR><BR>Basically, the UK will switch to the Euro when they'll want to. I personnally don't think they can avoid it. Nor that it would make sense, economically speaking, to keep refusing to join the club. Being dependant on the exchange rates variations isn't a good idea on the long run. One of the main advantage of the US is that it isn't very dependant on them. Mainly because imports and exports are limited relative to the size of this country's economy (or expressed otherwise, because the US has a very large internal market). That's the whole point of the Euro.

Of course British people are European. Perhaps many of us don't go around thinking about this 24 hours a day, but the geographical fact remains, and there's no point in arguing about it. Europe, however, is not synonymous with the Eurozone or with the EU - Icelanders, Norwegians, Swiss, Czechs, Serbians, Poles, Latvians, Bulgarians, and a host of other non-EU'ers are all solidly European. Unfortunately, some EU'ers (and some commentaters outside of Europe) conflate the terms "Europe" and "EU" - leading to ridiculous errors like the announcement on my BA Prague-to-London flight last week: "Holders of Czech and other non-European passports must fill out a boarding card to enter the UK."