(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
In the United Kingdom, the Labor government has given the start of a campaign to win the people for euro cooperation. But how on earth will Tony Blair manage to get the reluctant British into a possible referendum already next year? It may seem that the British Prime Minister has embarked on yet another political venture.
- Not ripe yet
New Labor wants the British to take it all the way to what they call the heart of Europe. When it will happen, and by what means, they have discussed both long and well, thoroughly and democratically according to their own words. On Monday, Finance Minister Gordon Brown presented the results of five economic tests, and his own view on whether it is time for the UK to go deeper into the European project. It was a very well-mannered and energetic Minister of Finance who in Parliament emphasized the usefulness and value of euro cooperation. – In principle, we are in favor of euro cooperation, but the time is not ripe. Not yet, said the finance minister.
He promised another review in about a year. And a possible subsequent referendum if the economic conditions are right. If the level of interest rates and inflation becomes orderly, it looks like increased investment, trade, growth and jobs, the finance minister said.
Ridiculous
Gordon Brown was occasionally greeted by resounding laughter and noisy comments as he presented his assessments in the British House of Commons, as is often the case in this political forum. From his seat on the bench, the Conservatives' leader, Ian Duncan Smith, contributed with a loud "ridiculous". Then his party is also strongly against euro cooperation. And Smith, who commented willingly after the session, stated that economic conditions can be interpreted in many different directions. "The main reason Labor is not going to a referendum immediately is because they expect to lose it," Smith said.
So the Labor government has now made time. Time to argue, influence and market their European positions. It may be a political flower to put in the buttonhole for Tony Blair. But surely he can be far from it. And it is probably not without reason that these days he is referred to as a lonely optimist. Immediately following Gordon Brown's statement in Parliament, Sky News invited TV viewers to voice their views. When should we join the euro was the question. Never, answered 81 percent. 14 percent said now, while 5 percent thought it would do so sometime in the future.
Symbol Value
On a sunny morning in the small town of Royston, a few miles north of the capital and the political game of power in Westminster, most people seem concerned about the near-miss. And the impression of ordinary drowsy everyday is confirmed by Darron Diggons, who is the head of branch at Barclays Bank:
- It is my impression that people generally have a relaxed relationship with the debate about pounds or euros. From time to time we have customers who consult with us. There are people who are going to travel, or representatives of smaller companies who are going to enter the European market, says Diggons. He believes that the British pound has great symbolic value for some people. – But the young generation that grows up will probably look at this differently, he believes. And gives me some financial advice on a shopping trip to France. – Switch to euros before you travel, it's the easiest, even if you can pay in pounds in the supermarkets on the other side.
French business
Soon I'm sitting on the train south, along with British who are also going on a cautious French visit, primarily to improve their personal finances. The terminus is Dover in the far south, Dover with the beautiful white cliffs and all the ferries over to Calais. Most people who arrive at the quay have been on a French visit before, and therefore drive a car with plenty of space in the trunk. Because nobody talks about quotas in this part of Europe.
But at the reception at the ferry dock, a company representative laments: The ferries do not leave today. They strike over on the other side. There is something about pensions. Sorry. Oh, these Frenchmen.
Explanation Problem
Many Britons like to travel to euro countries. But to get them involved in a more binding collaboration, it will be difficult, right? Tony Blair was asked this question at a live press conference this week. – Yes, there is a big debate we must now take. We will explain the benefits much more clearly than we have done before, replied the Prime Minister, who made no secret of his passion for Britain's place in Europe. – We must take up the fight against anti-European feelings. And explain. We are not going to be overwhelmed. We are not going to lose our identity as a nation. And above all, we will not do anything until the financial conditions are in place.
- And what are the odds that there will be a referendum next year, a reporter asked.
- There is a certain possibility. The financial situation decides.
The press conference was an exquisite political performance. Tony was the ambitious, impatient dreamer of a place in the center of Europe. Gordon was the responsible, the finance minister with heaviness and ground contact, the guarantor that the British would not be included in something they did not obviously benefit from. The gentlemen had probably talked together beforehand. And they have been rewarded with a recent survey that shows that people have gained increasing confidence in the finance minister, a man they will probably listen to with attention for well over a year. But it will still be a solid task to get the British involved in a public debate on the euro and the European project. For the British live in the midst of their own everyday lives and are dissatisfied with schools, health care and asylum policy. The euro also disappeared quickly from the front pages this week, when it became known that the entire nation's icon, David Beckham, might disappear to Barcelona.
Euro for industry
Despite the pension strike in France, space is still being arranged for us shopping tourists. In time it is a short journey from the British Isles over to the mainland, and in a modern speedboat we cross the English Channel in just over an hour. On board, I'm talking to a bunch of friends hanging over the slot machines. – Whether we are for euros? We are Irish, and have euros already. But the pound is probably the best, think John and Pat Fox, who together with the others are going to Calais to have fun.
Graham Jones from the Durham district in the north of England has taken his daughter Sarah on a pleasant trip to France. He has no faith in replacing the pound with the euro, even though he has the impression that the pound has weakened. – It is probably industry and business that are eager for this, says Jones. – I wonder if the politicians are really so interested, he says, and adds that the opposition among the British probably has a lot to do with traditions and with national identity.
The McLeods from Scotland have really taken a chance on France. They are going on a three-week holiday trip around the country and are looking forward to it. They have also visited Norway once a long time ago. But isn't that where everything has become so expensive? – We like the idea of the euro, it must be the right way to develop European cooperation, they believe. The fact that they are enthusiastic about the EU is in no way in contrast to their own strong national identity. They correct and clarify several times as we talk. – Scottish, please, says the smiling. – We are first and foremost Scots.
Norwegian conditions
There have been high temperatures, strong emotions and at times close to Norwegian conditions in the Europe debate in the UK this spring. We have witnessed a position within Labor, the parties in between, and not least between the top politicians and the press. In addition, speculation has gone high and quite wild about the relationship between the prime minister and the finance minister. Some press agencies believe that they have been and still are strong rivals in a drag match where both want last words. Some Labor politicians have obviously felt overrun in the euro case, and have come out in the press. For a while it was said that the Minister of Finance was about to overtake the Prime Minister, and that the other members of the government were also not sufficiently heard.
The hard drive has probably picked up. Labor politician John Prescott showed the press photographers the sign meaning "get off". And for that he obviously had to endure a lot of publicity.
Former Secretary of State Robin Cook has made his voice heard on behalf of the impatient British Labor Party. They want to join the eurozone as soon as possible, and Cook made himself a spokesman for setting a fixed date for the referendum on the euro. The financial reasons for joining have been strengthened, Cook argued. Britain must strengthen its share of European trade and attract foreign investment. The enthusiastic and convinced Europeans have always had solid support from writers in the quality newspaper "The Guardian", the favorite newspaper for liberal, intellectual readers.
Some EU supporters are loudly disappointed and believe that in relation to the euro, everything is as open as before. They fear that there will be no referendum at all and at least not until after the next parliamentary elections. But can the Labor government turn around now?
At this week's press conference, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown received ongoing questions from journalists about the alleged strained relationship and the power struggle between the two. It was elegantly turned away with wide smiles.
No allowances
Calais welcomes with unruly French charm and a dense, warm atmosphere. In the bustling market in the middle of the city, everything from shoes, shirts and sexy lingerie to vegetables and French potatoes is sold. In the afternoon, the townspeople enjoy the elongated sandy beaches and spacious portions of mussels at the beach cafes.
The foreign shopping tourists are wandering around French hypermarkets in search of wine and tobacco. As we enter the free bus and are about to leave the city, we hear loud rhythmic cries that are getting closer and closer. There are public sector employees demonstrating under the red tabs, in protest of pension reform in euro countries.
On the ferry ride home, the British are left in a queue. Now it is about getting rid of the euro coins or making a last good bargain. The man in front of me in the queue buys four bottles of scotch. And back in the arrivals hall, people are waiting patiently for the luggage. There comes the goods, one wine carton bigger than the other finds its owner. The shopping tourists push the trolleys with soaring stacks out to the parking lot.
On the train home and north to London, I sit with a young British woman. She has a suitcase, scheduler, water bottle and mobile phone which she impatiently dials. Must know if there is still a strike, if the strike in the transport sector has spread, if it affects her flight departure. It seems to be going well. She shines. – I'm going to France, to Antibes.
Credibility?
In about a year, Finance Minister Gordon Brown will present a new economic assessment of what best serves the overall national economic interests. Then he will be concerned about interest rates and inflation, and whether there is consistency and necessary flexibility between the UK and Eurozone economies. Who is capable of reviewing the finance minister at this point? Do most people have no choice but to believe in him, or possibly not?
Ultimately, it is probably the degree of trust and credibility between politicians and the British people that will be decisive. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have already taken the first step in building such trust, by strongly emphasizing that nothing will happen until there is a good enough financial basis for it. But do the top politicians in New Labor still have the credibility they need? The optimists say it is the time of opportunity. The pessimists say Tony Blair has a tough, almost impossible task ahead of him when he sets out to convert the British to euro thinking. For the opposing forces are strong, and the British tabloid press can thunder loose in a way that is difficult to overlook. The latest issue of "The Sun" is a demand for a referendum on the French proposal for an EU convention. The newspaper believes the French have plans to take power over the defense, foreign policy, taxes, welfare, legislation and human rights. Mr Blair described the reaction as "hysterical" and flatly rejected the proposal.
Worse for Blair, it has probably been that he has been pressed ever harder lately on the question of where Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction are. There has also been a demand for examination of the material that underlies the assumption of such weapons. When the question came up once again at the live press conference this week, an impatient Blair gave a cash answer: There was no fabricated evidence in this case. But do the British believe it? Well for Tony Blair, we must think he has the finance minister to help with the euro.
