Has the financial shenanigans of the past two years changed your mind about the Euro?

[DodgyAgent]

The whole 'Eurozone' thing always struck me as being more a political tool than a financial one. An attempt to stave off future conflicts by being one homogenous state.

It was a political tool to enable the French and Germans to control the economies of Europe. it was part of a plan to create a centralised power base for the EU. The war in Europe bit was a front. The French and Germans did not want their economies threatened by the entrepreneurial spirit of the British and the Americans.

[lukemg]

'I don't like having to change my currency' - Are you having a laugh, this is what makes you pro-Euro ??? This is irrelevant compared to the compromises involved in joining.
These include -
1. A fixed monetary policy that an individual country can't control to get them out of the tulipe, only way out is huge loans and agreement to cut spending in half.
2. If you happen to be one of the stronger nations it's still no picnic as you carry the no-tax paying, barely productive southern countries on your economic back.
Did the fun of the ERM not send a slight warning ?

Having to change your notes is as nothing compared with having none to change...

[Jog On]

I think the fact that it has survived the last 2 years and all the speculative shorting when it's been in trouble shows that it has some strength.

Personally it wouldn't make much difference to me to change currency as I don't travel around Europe too much or change money into Euros that often.

I think the PIIGS thing still has a lot to play out but at the same time if Greece was the 'test case' and it works out OK then the others shouldn't be so bad. I don't really know much about the politics side or the fundamentals.

I think that if effectively 1 country (Germany) is bailling out another (Greece) then there should be some common ground policies like retirement ages etc. I'd be upset if I was a german working until I'm 65 to help prop up a country where they retire at 55.

Oh and things like this as well:

Sarkozy spends £250,000 of French EU budget on shower he did not use | World news | guardian.co.uk

[DodgyAgent]

'I don't like having to change my currency' - Are you having a laugh, this is what makes you pro-Euro ??? This is irrelevant compared to the compromises involved in joining.
These include -
1. A fixed monetary policy that an individual country can't control to get them out of the tulipe, only way out is huge loans and agreement to cut spending in half.
2. If you happen to be one of the stronger nations it's still no picnic as you carry the no-tax paying, barely productive southern countries on your economic back.
Did the fun of the ERM not send a slight warning ?

Having to change your notes is as nothing compared with having none to change...

The utterly stupid of Europe have been hoodwinked into thinking of the Euro as a wonderful solution to having to swap money when they go on holiday. They now talk of it as if it is a simple "right" that they should have. No attempt to understand the complexities of economies/currencies that make such a seemingly onerous task absolutely necessary.

[DodgyAgent]

I think the fact that it has survived the last 2 years and all the speculative shorting when it's been in trouble shows that it has some strength.

Personally it wouldn't make much difference to me to change currency as I don't travel around Europe too much or change money into Euros that often.

I think the PIIGS thing still has a lot to play out but at the same time if Greece was the 'test case' and it works out OK then the others shouldn't be so bad. I don't really know much about the politics side or the fundamentals.

I think that if effectively 1 country (Germany) is bailling out another (Greece) then there should be some common ground policies like retirement ages etc. I'd be upset if I was a german working until I'm 65 to help prop up a country where they retire at 55.

Oh and things like this as well:

Sarkozy spends £250,000 of French EU budget on shower he did not use | World news | guardian.co.uk

The Germans call it schadenfreude. We call it "come uppance". The Germans want to continually raise their standard of living by manufacturing goods that they expect everyone else to buy. They wont consume anything themselves yet they expect the rest of us to buy their stuff. To further their own ambition they then want to stop competition from other countries (who also happen to buy their goods) by imposing the Euro on them. their banks then lend the so called Piigs the money to buy their goods.

So all the while the Germans are looking after number one and having everything their own way. We can begin to see the hypocrisy of the Germans here. So it serves them damn well right that their efforts to control Europe have backfired and that they are now having to bail everyone else out of a mess that they created in the first place.

[milanbenes]

DA,

you don't half spout some cobblers

how are you doing ?

Milan.

[markmm]

I hear that in Germany some bank customers are refusing southern European Euro notes. No country has ever left the Euro and im sure it would cause a market crash as well as destroy the country in questions economy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/dan...leave-the-euro

[AtW]

They wont consume anything themselves yet they expect the rest of us to buy their stuff.

If that was true Germans would have to import a lot of stuff, which would be counter productive for export lead economy - the whole point is that you do stuff for export and yourself.

Unless you are a 3rd world country where people who make goods for the west simply can't afford to buy same goods - in Germany people can afford to buy their own stuff.

[DodgyAgent]

DA,

you don't half spout some cobblers

how are you doing ?

Milan.

Milan

Milan

I am fine, enjoying life as a little englander

[DodgyAgent]

If that was true Germans would have to import a lot of stuff, which would be counter productive for export lead economy - the whole point is that you do stuff for export and yourself.

Unless you are a 3rd world country where people who make goods for the west simply can't afford to buy same goods - in Germany people can afford to buy their own stuff.

The Germans do not consume like we do. They keep their cars forever and they save the rest, which their banks lend to Greeks, Irish and Spanish to buy cars and property. They in turn cannot afford to repay the debts and then the Germans have to bail them out.