Sunday, May. 20, 2012 |
Ten years of the euro: the sceptics got it wrong too
Page last updated at 04:49 GMT, Tuesday, January 3, 2012 - 09:49 EST
Guardian:
While eurosceptics are correct about the wisdom of Britain not joining the euro, their suggested alternatives are not credible
Throwing out piles of mouldering print as part of my annual new year rubbish-cleansing ritual I came across an upbeat pamphlet called EU:2010: An Optimistic Vision of The Future. Written in 2000 by Charles Grant, director (then and now) of the Centre for European Reform, it set out a vision of a resurgent Europe into which he hoped the second Blair government would take us around about 2005.
Ten years this week after the eurozone's notes and coins were finally launched – on 1 January2002 amid much excitement and optimism – Grant's pamphlet looks a trifle out of synch. Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron have all been forced to whistle in the dark with new year messages that seek to balance grim realism today with hope for a better tomorrow.
So the Europe: 2010 pamphlet is easy to mock with hindsight. But that is not my purpose, quite the reverse. Grant is a clever and sensible fellow whose booklet makes a number of smart predictions.
Read the whole story: Guardian
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Merkel 'suggests Greek referendum on euro membership'
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