Pro-Euro or Euro-Skeptic?

[Oola]

I was talking to my aunt yesterday about the EU, as it turns out my step-uncle is standing to be a counsellor, and I was wondering what his views were on certain subjects.

I can't decide about the EU - I vote either Green or Lib Dem (although David Cameron has got me thinking...but not sure I could ever vote Tory having been raised in Thatcherite Britain!) but am no way as Pro-Europe as the Lib Dems are.

I think good trade links with the rest of the EU is a good idea, but I hate the thought of so many of our laws and regulations being controlled via Brussels. One thing in particular that REALLY annoys me is the fact that Spanish fisherman can fish in our waters, when our lot have to throw a load of it back. How does that work?! Also open borders make me feel a bit uneasy - mostly for national security and employment/immigration reasons.

I am definitely not for the Euro - I like my GBP Sterling, and I just have this innate feeling that we're an island for a reason, and that we should keep out currency. We've survived this long with it, and although our living expenses are high, I imagine with the introduction of the Euro, because they would need to round things UP, it would become even more expensive.
Just wondering what other people's views are - am I missing something? I admit I don't know that much about it, but what I have seen, heard and read I don't feel comfortable with. Also would be interesting to see if anyone has been through the switchover to the Euro, and how they'd found it's changed their lives for better or for worse.

[fife]

Hi Oola,

Alot of my family live in Ireland who are now in the Eu, every time i go over there i can't believe how expensive it is, bread and milk are twice the price over there. Speaking to my relatives there have definitely been plus sides to them joining but alot of negative as well. So like you not sure really if we would benefit.

[SummerSkye]

Hi Oola, we have family in Spain and the euro has made everything very expensive. It may be alright once the adjustments are made and people are earning the euro but for people living on savings it was very hard. My aunt's retirement money was worth almost half and everything seemed to increase in price. We noticed it on visits too, with the peso our Australian dollar was about the same value whereas with the euro we lose almost half as well, making visits very expensive. The one currency was supposed to make life easier for travellers however as most people use Visa anyway it makes little difference. Politicians seem to be pushing for a world controlled by one government and this makes me uneasy as do open borders; too much power to one body will surely lead to corruption of some sort.

[jazzactivist]

I am pro-European, and Scotland seems to be more so than England. To me, a lot of the social policies in Europe are much better than in the UK and I think that the British government should be accountable to a wider body, not just to our own small island. Coming here from another country I am not attached to £ sterling, as it is all just money. However, I agree with comments here that changing to the Euro makes everything more expensive, but it shouldn't. A friend of mine in Germany said that the change over had an immediate detrimental effect on the lives of people in her family. Her children at university were able to live independently of her under the old currency, but had to move back to live with her soon after the change, also her parents were able to manage OK on their state pension but after the change to the Euro she has to help them out more by buying some of their shopping, paying some bills etc. If we are to change to Euros I think that there should be a clause that costs should be like for like.

[Healing Hands]

I was at one time I was pro Euro but now that I have seen the countries that have gone into the Euro and how expensive the countries have become I am now a Euro Sceptic. I want to keep our GBP I do not want my food bill to go up anymore then they are, I do not want to go out and eat and find that it is costing me more, I do not want to go and buy clothing or things for the house that cost more.

I visited Ireland when they went into the Euro and found it quite expensive the second time I went back it was even more expensive, same goes for Spain and France countries that I visit frequently and found how much more they have to pay.

Sorry that I have only just around to posting this and the others but it has been the only time I have been able to sit down I put these up and put some tought into them.

Oola I certainly would not want to go back to the Thatcherite years, NO THANK YOU!