Bollocks! All this misty eyed jingoism over the pound is nonsense, it's only existed in it's current form for 27 years, before that we had pounds schillings and pence, and such wonderous things as "half a crown" and at various points after we changed from the groat but before we came of the gold standard, the bank of england has even printed and used other countries currencies as legal tender. Compare this to the greeks, who've had the Drachma for 2,500 years, (500 years before the birth of christ...) but gave it up for the Euro, and all this wittering about the pound and loss of sovereignty is shown for the tosh it is. We've been gradually ceeding our much vaunted sovereignty to both the European parliament and other outside influences for years. The latest change came when we implemented the human rights act. Which codified into law things which had been unwritten "common law" since the inception of the country. Many of the new laws provisions change fundamentally the way our laws are enacted, especially employment law. We've also had the European court as the final arbiter of UK law for years, higher even than the house of lords. (the previously unelected upper house of parliament, which the current govermnent is seeking to abolish, at least in it's unelected state.) The UK has never been part of Europe, ("Fog in channel, Europe cut off" an amusing newspaper headline of old :) and has never wanted it to be anything more than a glorified trading system. Well guess what, the really big powers in Europe want it to be a little more powerfull, and a little more homogenous than that. First comes the army (the "rapid response force") then the currency, a coherant legal system of which the Europe wide "arrest warrant" is but the tip of the iceberg, then tax harmonisiation and finally an elected executive legislature. At some point if we're to compete with the American and the Asia-pacific trading blocs, then Europe is going to have to get bigger and have a single voice on trade policy, just like America's states have in the federal government. I doubt the UK people will vote "yes" in a referencdum, and if that happens then I should imagine you can kiss goodbye to a good many imported jobs, because to a business being in Pounds instead of Euros means you're liable to both a currency risk, and the political risk of having the UK governemt adjust economic and fiscal policy for party political ends. Should that happen, then I imagine that the UK will not be long for European parliament, or even Europe itself. There are already some on the fringes of the political right that suggest we ditch Europe and join NAFTA instead. I image that those voices will only grow more strident with a "No" vote behind them. Which ironically will be bad for the UK but good for Europe as a whole. Europe is happening as we speak, I spent my first Euros this morning (on a bus ticket) I preffered Dmarks to be honest, but I imagine that will change in a few weeks once we get used to the new currency and learn to think in it. It will also make trade far more transparent, as you'll be able to compare prices Europe wide, from a Ferrari to a cup of coffee. Just as the Americans do now with the dollar. I don't expect the Brits to wake up and smell the coffee, and proud as I am to be English, I'm awfully glad I don't have to live there any longer, because the last place I lived was in Redditch in the Midlands, where 2 pounds, (Eu 1.20) was a lot of money to most of the inhabitants, and a sobering and depressing experience when you spend more than that on a paper and juice every morning. Sad, sad day. later jb