first thoughts - euro and eu questions
WORKERS, MARCH 2004 ISSUE
Rugged, ripe Britain is performing only less well than Canada and Australia and is a haven for capitalist investment. We thrive while the eurozone, also very capitalist, takes a dive.
So a Foreign Minister says well done, Britain is much better than the eurozone. A Chancellor then says, logically, he has no thought about entry to the euro till after the next General Election.
Then the Prime Minister's two best friend zombies Stephen Byers, he of the fish bones, and Mandelson (Millennium Dome and property) start saying this is the time to convince everyone that the euro will save us all. Just as they do this France flogs off what is left of power supply to pay their euro debts and the European Central Bank goes into panic mode.
And then Blair's second favourite zone, the US, recognises that the eurozone is a bit daft and puts all its dollars in the non eurozone places. Just at this moment the European Commission calls on all existing big spenders in the EU to spend more to help pay for the new enlargement of the EU.
As they do this, the British government wonders how best to afford the investigations into the deaths of migrant labourers and the restocking of devolved Scotland by all sorts of new workers from overseas.
Don't be under any illusion, the euro and EU questions are still essential, even despite their bourgeois and confused government detractors.