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2. “Britain Should Join the Euroland”. Discuss ‘Euroland’ is the colloquial terminology used to describe the collection of European countries that have fully adopted EMU and use the Euro as their currency of exchange. The whole concept of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) came into official being at the Maastricht Treaty in December of 1991, and the Euro started circulating in participating countries on the 1st of January 2002. Britain, along with Denmark and Sweden, opted to pull out of adopting the Euro, and Britain kept their sterling pound in circulation. The Government and the people of Britain have long been divided over when would be the right time, if at all, to fully undertake EMU with Europe and exchange their own currency for the Euro. Combining research with my own point of view, I would like to present both sides of the argument as to whether or not they should join EMU, and also hopefully shed some light on why they are not part of EMU yet. Britain has always seen itself as separate to Europe, and this has been reflected in it’s attitude towards The European Union and EMU as a whole. They only joined the European Community (the EU’s predecessor) in 1973, so were not part of the original six founders, and this perhaps explains some of it’s aloofness when it comes to matters of European integration. In John Millful’s book he explains it slightly deeper, ‘Part of Britain’s unsure attitude to Europe has been based upon a self-perception of ‘exceptionalism’. Lord Beloff refers to Britain’s specific historic experience, its unwritten constitution, and it’s identity which is contrasted to that of “continental Europeans”. Unlike them the British are not suitable for full and devoted membership of the Union’ (John Millful, Britain in Europe, 1999, Ashgate Publishing House, England). From this quote we can see that perhaps it is the British perceptions of themselves that have a lot to do with them not being part of the EMU yet. This quote taken from the same source reinforces this view, ‘As an island nation, separate from continental Europe, and as a great Empire…., British elites came to see their country as distinct from Europe and British identity came to be linked to its Great Power status and world role.’ But times are obviously changing: Britain no longer has its empire and Europe is emerging as an economic superpower. A more pro-European Labour Government came into power on the 5th May 1997, taking over from a Conservative Government that had found itself increasingly mired on European issues (according to Henig it was this split over European integration that had caused Margaret Thatcher to be deposed of her job as prime minister and replaced with John Major (Stanley Henig, The Uniting of Europe, Routledge, New York, 2002)). The Tony Blair Government called themselves ‘New Labour’, and used the term ‘modernisation’ to describe how Britain would change their perceptions of themselves. Blair is very pro-Europe and the Euro, and soon after his election said, ‘there is confidence in Britain, a sense of dynamism and adventure and, as a result, people are not frightened of Europe.’ Britain’s trade in Europe had risen to account for 51% of all its foreign trade, as opposed to 26% in the mid 1950’s, and this, coupled with the shrinking of their empire, showed that, as Defence Secretary George Robertson said ‘Europe is the only real arena where British influence can be exercised’ (John Millful, Britain in Europe, 1999, Ashgate Publishing House, England).
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