Euro losing support?

[Joe]

http://www.euobserver.com/index.phtml?sid=9&aid=12924

Seven out of ten German voters would reject the euro if they were given the chance, a new poll has shown.

Germany never held a referendum on adopting the euro, which became the common currency of 12 European countries on 1 January 2002.

And the new poll, by the ICM research company in the UK, shows that only 29 percent of Germans would vote to keep the euro if a vote were held today. In contrast, 70 percent would reject the euro, given the opportunity.

Maybe surprisingly, it is younger Germans that are the most eurosceptic, with 73 percent of 18-24 year olds saying they would reject the euro.

Although official figures show that adopting the euro has had no effect on prices, many people blame the new currency for pushing prices up, which has led to the euro's unpopularity.

Worries for the Constitution

The poll also showed that French voters would reject the euro, but by a much more slender margin (approximately 51-49). This has provoked fears that French voters may use a referendum on the Constitution to voice their concerns about the euro.

ICM polled 954 voters in Germany and 957 in France. The poll was conducted for the British eurosceptic tabloid, the Daily Mail.

[Crown]

Although official figures show that adopting the euro has had no effect on prices, many people blame the new currency for pushing prices up, which has led to the euro's unpopularity.

Which is why, to quote Winston Churchill 'The best argument against Democracy is speaking to the average voter', opinion polls are worth jack all.

This is scapegoating grade A. The fundumental problems of Germany's inflexible labour market were there before the Euro, and is the cause of the countries (primarily) financial woes. All the Euro did was exasperate the situation by being too strong a currency. Either way Germany would have to have deal with the problem.

[Sea Skimmer]

All the Euro did was exasperate the situation by being too strong a currency.

Thus the advantage of having your own currency.

[Crown]

All the Euro did was exasperate the situation by being too strong a currency.

Thus the advantage of having your own currency.

They do. It's called the Euro.

[Sea Skimmer]

They do. It's called the Euro.

I wasn't aware Germany recently annexed a large portion of Europe, guess its been a while since the last time they got real stupid.

[MKSheppard]

They do. It's called the Euro.

So you admit the Euro isn't a multinational currency, but a German Currency?

OMFG, someone tell the Germans this, they need to start celebrating
their takeover of Europe economically, after failing twice in 1914 and then
in 1939...

[Stravo]

They do. It's called the Euro.

So you admit the Euro isn't a multinational currency, but a German Currency?

OMFG, someone tell the Germans this, they need to start celebrating
their takeover of Europe economically, after failing twice in 1914 and then
in 1939...

Isn't the eventual goal of the EU to be more like the US in terms of reducing the nationstates of Europe into states? So we don't bitch about NY or Maryland not having their own currency, we have the dollar. Same concept here - I guess.

[Crown]

They do. It's called the Euro.

I wasn't aware Germany recently annexed a large portion of Europe, guess its been a while since the last time they got real stupid.

Germany is Europe's largest economy. It is the heart of the Eurozone, and it is the one (along with France) that pushed for it's inception and the rules governing it. The ECB is just the DCB with a face lift.

It's no one eles' fault that they couldn't meet their own economic criteria for stabilty or growth, and might now be facing finds.

While I will happily conceed that the criteria for the single currency was skewed for political reasons (read the economies weren't properly converged), the trouble that Germany is having now it was always going to have given the way they structured their labour markets.

The DM wasn't a sloucher either, and given the nose dive that the US dollar did this year, the problem would still have crept up.

In the end too much reservation by the ECB didn't help, and as the article says its self the Euro isn't responsible for the woes Germany is experiencing.

In short it is scapegoating and misperception.

All of which is pointless rhetoric given the fact that the government (both during the DM and now the Euro), has little control over the CB which govern's interest rates, nor if the US dollar behaves like a floating turd (it's up, it's down, it's up, it's down).

Simply put the Euro existed for at least 3 years prior to it's launch as an official currency, and even then it was the rough equivalent of the dollar, so it's not as if they couldn't see this coming. They just lacked political will.

[Crown]

They do. It's called the Euro.

So you admit the Euro isn't a multinational currency, but a German Currency?

OMFG, someone tell the Germans this, they need to start celebrating
their takeover of Europe economically, after failing twice in 1914 and then
in 1939...

Isn't the eventual goal of the EU to be more like the US in terms of reducing the nationstates of Europe into states? So we don't bitch about NY or Maryland not having their own currency, we have the dollar. Same concept here - I guess.

On CNN they had (during the official launch of the euro), a historical perspective of when the states joined the dollar. Basically the same problems that are plaguing the EU now, initially plagued the states before convergence was met.

Mind you, it was milder for you guys since you were closer to each other to begin with.

And the primary reason the eruo was introduced was because the majority of all trade that EU countries do (read above 50%) are with other EU countries, so the decision was made to have a single currency rather than 15 to make it easier. Two opted for an 'opt out' and one is yet to ratify it.

[Vympel]

The traitorous 'opt outers' must be crushed under the boot of the European military. No defectors from the European Superpower!

[Sea Skimmer]

The traitorous 'opt outers' must be crushed under the boot of the European military. No defectors from the European Superpower!

"And in other news today, while attempting to locate the one active duty solider left in the Swedish army invading EU forces accidentally bumped into the sleeping Russian bear. Losses are reported to be astronomical.."

[MKSheppard]

The traitorous 'opt outers' must be crushed under the boot of the German military. No defectors from the German Superpower!

Fixed it for you Vympel yes, the world shall tremble again under the
german foot, only this time in wingtips, instead of jackboots

[Hamel]

And with big, stylish butts

[Crown]

The traitorous 'opt outers' must be crushed under the boot of the European military. No defectors from the European Superpower!

"And in other news today, while attempting to locate the one active duty solider left in the Swedish army invading EU forces accidentally bumped into the sleeping Russian bear. Losses are reported to be astronomical.."

Sweeden doesn't have an opt out, and did the Fins 'invade' East rather than West?

[MKSheppard]

Fixed it for you Vympel

The board would kick so much more ass if we had code for
"crossout" text, allowing us to make sarcastic comments without
outright editing a quote

[Col. Crackpot]

The traitorous 'opt outers' must be crushed under the boot of the European military. No defectors from the European Superpower!

"And in other news today, while attempting to locate the one active duty solider left in the Swedish army invading EU forces accidentally bumped into the sleeping Russian bear. Losses are reported to be astronomical.."

"A representative from The French Soldiers Union states that he plans to a report grievance due to the bear's unlawful intrusion on the army's late morning coffee and croissant break. He was quoted as saying "Ze bear! He haz no regard for zee concept of international law which ziss iz clearly a violation of!"

[Vympel]

"A representative from The French Soldiers Union states that he plans to a report grievance due to the bear's unlawful intrusion on the army's late morning coffee and croissant break. He was quoted as saying "Ze bear! He haz no regard for zee concept of international law which ziss iz clearly a violation of!"

ROFLMAO

Shouldn't there be a joke about surrendering as well (even I can engage in French bashing on occasion)?

[Sea Skimmer]

Shouldn't there be a joke about surrendering as well (even I can engage in French bashing on occasion)?

Its a big thermonuclear Bear that feeds on industry and men, I don't think surrender is possibul.

[Dahak]

Durran, what you fail to grasp, and what isn't shown in that figures, is the way we Germans *idolized* the Deutsche Mark.
After almost all our national symbols have been dragged in the dirt by the Nazis, we had nothing left.
That changed with the "Wirtschaftswunder" (the economic boom in the 50ies/60ies), where the DM became the symbol for that. Something we created out of our own, and was considered National Pride.

That's why we were so reluctant to give it up.

[Darth Fanboy]

Well as soon as the american dollar depreciates a little more you Europeans can buy some nice american goods at a fair price! You know you want to.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Durran, what you fail to grasp, and what isn't shown in that figures, is the way we Germans *idolized* the Deutsche Mark.
After almost all our national symbols have been dragged in the dirt by the Nazis, we had nothing left.
That changed with the "Wirtschaftswunder" (the economic boom in the 50ies/60ies), where the DM became the symbol for that. Something we created out of our own, and was considered National Pride.

That's why we were so reluctant to give it up.

And couldn't that, thus, easily turn into an anti-Euro sentiment if the Euro is not perceived to be living up to voter expectations, regardless of what it is actually doing?

[Dahak]

Durran, what you fail to grasp, and what isn't shown in that figures, is the way we Germans *idolized* the Deutsche Mark.
After almost all our national symbols have been dragged in the dirt by the Nazis, we had nothing left.
That changed with the "Wirtschaftswunder" (the economic boom in the 50ies/60ies), where the DM became the symbol for that. Something we created out of our own, and was considered National Pride.

That's why we were so reluctant to give it up.

And couldn't that, thus, easily turn into an anti-Euro sentiment if the Euro is not perceived to be living up to voter expectations, regardless of what it is actually doing?

We're German, so no.
There is nothing which will get the German populace to not accept something brought upon them by higher orders

Call it the Wilhelminian German in us...

[His Divine Shadow]

OMFG, someone tell the Germans this, they need to start celebrating
their takeover of Europe economically, after failing twice in 1914 and then
in 1939...

I wasn't aware the Germans tried to invade Europe in WW1?

[Col. Crackpot]

Well as soon as the american dollar depreciates a little more you Europeans can buy some nice american goods at a fair price! You know you want to.

damn right! i say let the Euro inflate if it means more sales for Dell, Ford and Microsoft.

[TheDarkling]

OMFG, someone tell the Germans this, they need to start celebrating
their takeover of Europe economically, after failing twice in 1914 and then
in 1939...

I wasn't aware the Germans tried to invade Europe in WW1?

They did try to dominant Europe economically as Shep said though they could have done so in peace and failed because of the war but that is Prussian militarism for you.