Sterling Versus The Euro

[Bizarra]

Yes , I know that it a touchy subject,but PLEASE don't shout at me I live on the Island beside you, the one nearest America.

I can get on a boat or plane & go practically anywhere in Europe with the money in my pocket (not much @ moment),

but if I want to nip over to the UK or even over the border, I have the hassle & cost of getting Sterling , in advance. It must be the same problem, in reverse, for you in the UK.

Do you think you would be better off joining the rest of us Europeans?

What does anyone think ?

[martin_longbow]

Technically you dont need to get sterling because by law we must accept euros over here. I have actually spent euro's in the uk but the rate is not favourable, I think they rip you off in the conversion

But yes to answer the question I think it would be easier if we all used the same currency, Me I am Scottish and do not have a problem with it, as we have to get English sterling when we visit England as the English shop keepers generally wont accept Scottish notes, and I have had horrible experience of this.

I do not understand why but my fellow country men seem very fond of the english pound for some reason, but to make this country easier for tourists to visit and spend their dosh we could adopt the Euro and dont understand why we have not as yet.

When I was in the retail business I accepted English Scottish and Irish notes, as long as they were real it was good enough for me.... never had a problem at the bank, that was before the Euro was adopted across most of the EU.

[Kev Mc]

Having travelled to 3 countries that use Euros in the past 5 months, yeah, it'd be easier for me. I'm not sure about the economic factor though & I do like the individuality the pound sterling gives us

[PaulT]

I do not understand why but my fellow country men seem very fond of the english pound for some reason, but to make this country easier for tourists to visit and spend their dosh we could adopt the Euro and dont understand why we have not as yet.

I don't think anybody objects to the idea of a single currency, but a lot of us are really not very happy with the idea of our monetary policy being controlled by an organisation which does not have UK interests in mind, the European Central Bank.

Pro EU-politicians see the benefits that the single currency can bring, but it's too early to try and squish a lot of completely different economies together under a single monetary policy. This means that borrowing rules, for example, are already being broken to allow countries to join whose economies aren't on the same level as those of France and Germany.

Nice idea, way too soon to implement it.

Paul.

[Phoenix999]

As far as I am concerned we should have taken up the Euro at the outset.... the more countries that use the currency would make it stronger and could, given time, rival the US dollar.

The only people that really benefit from keeping the £ work in the city and trade in the currency markets.... us normal people on the streets rarely gain :(

[PaulT]

The only people that really benefit from keeping the £ work in the city and trade in the currency markets.... us normal people on the streets rarely gain :(

Are you saying that the ECB interest rate which would be right for Greece, for example, would be right for the UK? *All* of us gain by not using the Euro yet.

Paul.

[Karma Supra]

Paul hit the nail on the head.

I also think a Lot of English will see it as yet another part of our national identity eroded away.

Its never bothered me when I go abroad... The Germans hate the Euro. I know Germans that still convert prices into marks when working out how expensive things are :)

[vmail]

the best option would be to carry both euros and sterling in your purse

Ive currenly got euros, sterling, dollars and yeni türk lirasi in my wallet and then top up the local currency when Im running low

[Kev Mc]

the best option would be to carry both euros and sterling in your purse

Ive currenly got euros, sterling, dollars and yeni türk lirasi in my wallet and then top up the local currency when Im running low

What if you've never left England in your life & have no intention of ever doing so? I'd rather keep my wallet full of money that I can spend

[Phoenix999]

The only people that really benefit from keeping the £ work in the city and trade in the currency markets.... us normal people on the streets rarely gain :(

Are you saying that the ECB interest rate which would be right for Greece, for example, would be right for the UK? *All* of us gain by not using the Euro yet.

Paul.

I never mentioned Greece but whatever they do needs to be good for them as would whetever we did, if we were to change of course, would need to be good for us.

I put my thoughts across and if you don't agree with them then I say fine

[GIDDLEPIN]

If 1 Euro bought 1 litre of petrol in ALL European countries, then yes I would be all for it

But it don't and never will, so.......................BROLAX (sp) ;)

[martin_longbow]

I do not understand why but my fellow country men seem very fond of the english pound for some reason, but to make this country easier for tourists to visit and spend their dosh we could adopt the Euro and dont understand why we have not as yet.

I don't think anybody objects to the idea of a single currency, but a lot of us are really not very happy with the idea of our monetary policy being controlled by an organisation which does not have UK interests in mind, the European Central Bank.

Pro EU-politicians see the benefits that the single currency can bring, but it's too early to try and squish a lot of completely different economies together under a single monetary policy. This means that borrowing rules, for example, are already being broken to allow countries to join whose economies aren't on the same level as those of France and Germany.

Nice idea, way too soon to implement it.

Paul.

I was for the principal of using the same currency as everyone else, you were the one that mentioned the EU controlling monetary policy. A different issue that I agree with you on, nope if we were to adopt the currency I am for keeping the monetary policy under our control or your control as its set by the bank of England and the UK Govt. Thats another concern up here is the independent lot who want to govern ourselves but could you imagine the mess they could make of that..... :o

[Robert6920]

Hi I'm English but live in Ireland (for seven years now, how time flies) and I still have mortgage in UK, as well as here, now. I'm paid in Euro, but ever month I send a sterling draft, always for the same amount, to UK. Boy, am I a happy bunny at the moment!! At the beginning of the year, €1000 would have bought me about £670. It now buys £778. That's one heck of a difference (and long may it continue, from my narrow perspective) I travel a fair bit in Europe, you don't even have to think about currency conversion and you know exactly the relative cost of the same item in different countries. My daughter's still in the UK and she is wrestling with the exchange rate "problem" and where to go on holiday.

I know, very parochial but it's high time the UK got over it's Sterling/Imperial measures hang ups, IMHO. I remember asking for 2.4m of 4 by 2 timber at one stage!

Ireland embraced the Euro, the changeover took about a fortnight (they made the shops take both punts and euro, but they could only give Euro as change.) Most people ran out of punts, etc within a matter of days. We also change to kilometres recently. That worked well, too. Don't get me wrong, the Irish are intensely proud of their country/traditions etc; it's just that they seem to be able to let go and embrace change

[Boro Sera]

you've got it in one Robert - The English fear change !

however, there's a simple solution. We switch to the Euro but print our own notes - like the Scots do with Sterling.

We could retain all our national identity by incorporating a picture of the Queen, some drunk hoodies, teenage mums and morbidly obese kids !

[edwardio]

This arguement will go on for years. Yes the English are proud of our traditions and are past. I think what gets most English folk if more to do with what we were to what we are now. 'Long ago' we were an empire and over time that has greatly reduced, therefore I think that if we fully joined Europe and lost the control we have now, would be like being defeated resulting in us be controlled by others. At present most would say Europe is controlled by France & Germany and as the English generally dislike the French & Germans, I'm sure that doesn't help!

I agree with PaulT. If joining the Euro was 100% in the best interests for us and meant that nobody in this country would lose out, I'm sure the people would accept it with open arms. At present we all know that a lot of the English people are annoyed about the amount of Europeans moving into the country anyway, so until that can be resolved for everyone I can't see joining the Euro as a good step.

I'm sure life would be easier for people who travel all over for Europe for everywhere to take the Euro, but life is never that easy and there are too many factors to take into account. Before when the Government 'mentioned' having a referendum on having the Euro, I heard a lot of people say they'd vote NO and I'm sure the Government could work that result out as well. Therefore to just join it without the public's support would be political suicide.

So I say that we'll join it one day, just like one day the world will unite as a single body (well by the time the sun goes supernova!), but that day isn't any time soon. Besides the treasury has just released the design for our new coins, with the plan to have them in place for a number of decades.

[martin_longbow]

you've got it in one Robert - The English fear change !

however, there's a simple solution. We switch to the Euro but print our own notes - like the Scots do with Sterling.

We could retain all our national identity by incorporating a picture of the Queen, some drunk hoodies, teenage mums and morbidly obese kids !

LOL at the thought of some very strange notes indeed :D

Its mentioned above, its about time we as a country took on the modern metric measures fully, we got an amalgamation of imperial and metric measures all over the place. Surely we have done the Brittish thing and waited long enough to ensure that this is not just a fad. Its not going to revert, and it look like we are not going to fully adopt what the rest of the Eu uses.

Funny we used to lead on a number of things, now we look like we drag our heels on a number of things. How can a country claim to be the financial capital of the world (London) when we still use measurement systems hundreds of years old?

[edwardio]

My mrs just raised a good point with me. She studied busniess and looked into Euorpean business, and said their economy is nothing like ours. In fact our economy is more like that of the States, so if we were to join any currency, it should be one with the US.

[Robert6920]

In fact our economy is more like that of the States, so if we were to join any currency, it should be one with the US.

That might not be the best argument in the world...... The dollar's tanking. Funny that oil's sold in USD, what's happened to the benefit of the sagging dollar not being passed on??

[Andie_M]

I don't believe the United Kingdom should change to the Euro. At all! We will be the ones who lose out!

[edwardio]

In fact our economy is more like that of the States, so if we were to join any currency, it should be one with the US.

That might not be the best argument in the world...... The dollar's tanking. Funny that oil's sold in USD, what's happened to the benefit of the sagging dollar not being passed on??

Well the way both economys workand function is very similar and very different for Europe. So for that reason joining the states with a single currency would be better in the working respect, that's all.

[Boro Sera]

If oil wasn't sold in Dollars then America wouldn't have an economy. When it runs out they'll be screwed. Not the kind of mast to pin your flag to !

[Bizarra]

I am totally in agreement with Robert, whom I see lives just up the road from me ( HI Robert !) The idea of joining Sterling with the Dollar would be suicide & would leave the exact same situation , i.e. the UK in Europe & using a different currency. If I remember correctly, that idea was mooted here too, & discarded.

The EU lay down certain ground rules,true, but our Minister for Finance & your Minister for Finance present rheir own budgets each year & ours made a right bags of it last time , by all appearances. :ffs:

What we have now is an United States of Europe, comprised of Countrys which have hated, fought, invaded,oppressed & occupied each other since Roman times, @ least. That is History. We hopefully learn from it & move on. We all have , as Robert said, our pride in ourselves & our country, & that is good. We should now also have pride in the fact that we are members of the EU, & pull together.

Yes , I agree that Germany & France carry a lot of clout in the running of the EU. If the UK accepted the Euro, it would be a counter balance to that.

I know that smaller countries, when joining, get preferential treatment, but that is to allow their economies to catch up. We in Ireland got help @ the start, & now our economy is booming. Long may it last.

[JappyBeast]

Keep the Pound - Keep our heritage!!

[Bizarra]

Keep the Pound - Keep our heritage!!

See the above !!!!

[Robert6920]

First of all, greetings to Bizarra, it's good to have some company this side of the Irish Sea!!

The fact is, and I feel I can say this as "an Englishman in ....well, Ireland" that the Irish are closer to Europe than the British, albeit not physically, but "emotionally". It's served them well and now the economy is doing well - yes it's slowing but it's still streets ahead of most of EU. Part of that is their pragmatic approach to life - adopting the Euro was no huge deal, nor was going fully metric. The UK continues to act as if it is a great Imperial power, a quater of the globe pink (cartographers of a certain age will geddit!) and "the sun never sets on the British Empire". My Mum (who's 82, God bless 'er) was born on "Empire Day", she still says!! Britain continues to more than pull its weight in the world, but sticking behind Bulldog Britain and "save the pound" won't save the country.

Save the cheerleader, save the world! ;)

Sorry, don't know what came over me!!