How is the Euro going in Portugal ? I ask because when we were on Xmas holiday there I found a lot of dissatisfaction not just with elderly Algarve folk but some young ones too - 2 young girls were very unhappy that they had not been given the chance to vote in a referendum like others (France,Germany).
My son who has been teaching in Holland is finding the same there -his Dutch students said they missed their Gildas and were very interested in looking at Neils English currency especially the notes; said how interested they were in our culture too & the Royals (which Neil isnt!). But now,Neil is feeling differently about the Euro (hes always been for it as we are) & he actually feels sad because of his students wanting their own currency again-they told him they didnt have a referendum!
One of the other tutors at the Uni, said he thought we were a stubborn country for not going in yet.The polls say a majority are still against it here and i wonder if/when we will have our referendum - Im still in favour & enjoy using it on hols -but will i still feel the same when its time to vote ?
Is it because we are an island race,& feel real separation from Europe? But then Ireland is too & they seem happy with it.
I feel very European & would rather be part of the Euro scene than an extra state of United States! or are we destined to be an island alone? Help!!

In general people are afraid of innovations. They first consider the disadvantages, they don't realize the advantages. (cfr. the decimalization about 30/40 years ago)
After 13 monts of euro, we feel us very happy with it, we even think more and more "in" euro's. Of course you need to get used to it, which is not always easy for older people, but mainly it is a question of openess to changes.

Imagine, you drive by car to Carvoeiro. You don't have to worry about cash in francs, pesetas and escudos. How easy isn't to compare fuelprices?

At the end of this month, I'm going for a long week-end to Glasgow.
I don't know how much cash money in English or Scottish pounds I have to change in order to have sufficient and not too much. You have the same problems by travelling to the continent.

A good advice, don't be too conservatif, after a while you will feel you good.

Gerrit
Belgium

A bit of a heavy topic for this particular site but:

Judging by how the prices have shot up at all the shops in Portugal since converting from Escudos to Euros, I would say the argument against the Euro is quite compelling. I agree in theory a single common currency makes a great deal of sense in the operating of day-to-day lifestyles of Europeans, but if it is such a good idea why stop at Europe ! Surely the logical arguement would be a common global currency!

What many people fail to grasp is the non day-to-day effects of changing to the Euro, but the behind scenes damage that such a move will have. The handing over of the UK's right to Brussells to have our economy managed to suit the greater good of Europe as a whole, and not the UK itself is far reaching. (This one size fits all philosophy cannot work to the benefit of each and every participating country. some one has to miss out) No longer being able to control our own interest rates will have a dramatic effect on our economy, inflation, mortgages and jobs.

Already Portugal and Germany have fallen foul of their own rules because they have found the constraints of this policy has caused their economies harm in reality.

We are an island race, and besides sharing a common language we do have more in common with the USA than Europe. If I had to pick a currency to align ourselves to, I am sure the Dollar would be the safer long term option.

deleted

David is right. All having one common coin is one thing. The BIG problem is losing control over economy by the inability to juggle domestic interest rates.

Dear Peckham Girl

Change for changes sake is not a good argument for such a serious issue, remember the old saying " If it isn't broke, then there's no need to fix it ! "

Regards

David

´porque juntos somos mais fortes´....

If we really were so much stronger, why are we in the current situation? The philosophy behind it all is a farce.

OK, I don´t get why some people feel compelled to classify a subject as "too heavy" for carvoeiro.com. If two or more people are interested sharing views on a topic of their choice and their common interface is the forum on carvoeiro.com, then by all means do so.
This forum is just as accesible as any other and the quality of any forum itself is defined by its users input. From my perspective, the better the quality of the input is, the more fun a forum is and the less work a moderator has. (this topic sure beats the average "hows the weather down there?" debates, no offence )

Back to the topic:
I got the feeling that the unity of Europe got to a stage where some steps were taken by force rather than calmly reflecting on each of the logical steps before taking them.
European union:
Personally, I think language barriers, legal discrepancies and cultural/moral differences where much more important than a common currency.
What good is a currency that allows me to compare fuel prices when travelling through various european countries if I am unable to explain to the french mechanic what I want him to check on my car?
A common language was found a long time back, local governments seem to have varying degrees of difficulty in actually implementing changes to a school system that will allow for every student to learn reasonable quality english. Why do german TV stations translate every movie, series and documentary into german when in Portugal english movies, series and documentaries prove as a valid basis for more advanced language skills amongst the younger generations?

Legal aspects, going back to the european traveller; heck we have not found common ground on simple things like speed limits yet.

Culture/morals: This is a subject I will not touch, not because it is "too heavy" for carvoeiro.com, but simply because it has prooven too heavy in general (it seems that a lot of people still walk through life like sheep in a herd, refusing to accept reality in various aspects). A common ground on educational systems will probably help even out these profund differences - but these things take time.

In conclusion, I think the euro was a step way ahead of its time. Chances are it will all break apart very soon.
Whats done is done, and we will have to live with it, for now. A consumer complaining about disadvantages due to the change of currency has failed to recognize his/her power as a consumer.
As for the UK - a referendum will only reflect the emotional opinion towards the euro as very few people can actually grasp the profound economic implications David has mentioned. People elect representatives to make qualified decisions on their behalf - one hopes that the people making the decisions actually take the time to reflect and analyze at least some of the aspects involved (but I admit I have lost hope in most politicians...)

I am definitely for the Euro.

If all Forum users send me just one each I'll promise to spend them wisely

gambrinus..intersting points...as my daddy used to say, "if you loose control of your money, you have lost control of everything". common language, common currency, = literaly, a united states of europe. do you think europe can do that? how? (my computer just fell through the table..is this "heavy" or what?)... now about the weather and my car rental.........

Cowboy, get a sturdy table - the "heavy stuff" is comin in by the truck load
Sure, we want to unite - we are not gonna call it United States of Europe though, too american - the french especially will be pissed off -you renamed the french fries and are pissing on everything french (although Evian belongs to the Coca-Cola Co. )
I hear Subway wants to rename frech bread to Liberty Loaf....

Seriously though - the concept of united states works well for Americans - 6 centuries ago they left their home land to go to a brave new world - everyone had one thing in common - start a new life from scratch. Build a new nation. Hats off, you did a good job of it too. OK, so success leads to big-headedness, but who can blame you

Europe is a bunch of nations that never really got along - most of these countries have been at war with each other at some point. the shape of the countries as they are now was stamped into the old continent after the 2nd WW (by americans )

How, you ask, will these nations unite to one?
Once they find a common ground - something they all will be prepared to fight for. Maybe a complete economic stand-still across Europe will provide such common ground. Maybe a common enemy - history has proven that people will only be prepared to change something when it is completeley inevitable.

First it was the "Common Market" then the "EEC, European Economic Community" now in it's latest guise it is the "EU" European Union.

The original concept was for a European "FREE TRADE" area / agreement, and this is what we originaly (rightly or wrongly) signed up to. I am all for free trade, but the EU has gone way beyond this. This EU monster has been changing not to suit "free trade" but I would suggest the self interests of politicians (eg's Leon Brittan, Mr & Mrs Kinnock,) who find the EU a lucrative career progression, after there domestic careers are over. I have no doubt in the coming year(s) Blair will end up residing in Brussells.

There was no need for the politicians to take Europe down this road of a federation of countries at all

question...is the euro's value relative to each country? (product x costs 5 euros in portugal, and the same product costs 15 euros in that country north of spain. )...or are they trying to make all prices uniform? if so, how can it be done without a central athority? what powers of enforcement (coersion) are given to to it? what form is to take? what is the basis of it's athority in the first place?....and once in it, will you be able to leave...and at what price? gambrinus (doesn't anyone use short easy to spell names )... see your point on the u.s and europe..you nailed it dead on...we don't have that europen history here..we left it all behind...took the best of europe's ideas and discarded the rest...and now here we are.... mabey this will unite europe...we sure are in the doghouse over there.