The Unforeseeable Circumstances of Mr Gordon Brown

One of the most important questions facing the British Government at the end of the 1990s is that of European monetary union. The author of this text argues the case for an urgent decision, asserting that the longer the delay, the greater the risks and the harder it will be to join eventually. He asserts that the euro has been launched successfully; as an outsider, Britain's political influence is rapidly declining; the preparedness of British business is stalling in the absence of a clear government decision; public opinion is stagnating; and sterling is threatened with volatility. Moreover, with electoral reform postponed, the Prime Minister's modernizing project needs the added impetus of the euro referendum brought forward.