Verified Document

United Kingdom: Maintaining A 'Balanced' Essay

In Germany, the idea that financially conservative Germans might have to contribute to a bailout of a nation that 'cooked its books' has been difficult to sell to the public, and British politicians would have faced even more criticism, had Britons been forced to shed their beloved pound. Great Britain can congratulate itself because it did not throw in its fortunes with the unstable euro, although some Britons protested this action at the time. British car manufacturers, for example, feared losing jobs to EU-member nations, and argued that refraining from participating in EU membership would make the cost of labor in Britain seem exorbitant: "Management and unions in Britain's embattled car industry joined forces…to urge changes in key European policies that might keep plants open and save exports and investment which are threatened by the high level of the pound against the euro" (White 2001). Nissan and Ford both stated that Britain's decision to join the euro would be a critical factor in whether they chose to remain in the UK (of course, Ford, due to its own financial woes, was forced to cut back on its international production for other reasons). When Tony Blair was promoting the single currency the Prime Minister was adamant: "Britain will be billions of pounds better off if it joins the European single currency, saving enough money over the next 30 years to pay for the whole of the National Health Service…Britain's more flexible economy would mean that once a member of the euro, the UK economy would outperform its more economically-rigid neighbours," argued Blair (Ahmed 2003). Reduced costs due to a lack of a need for currency exchanges would facilitate trade and travel, it was thought. Today, however, some businesses in the United Kingdom do accept Euros as payment, even though they are not required to do so.

In light of the EU's flagging fortunes, Blair's pro-European rhetoric seems overheated in the extreme. However, despite the many challenges of maintaining...

The freer flow of trade and labor is one continued benefit of membership for the United Kingdom. In fact, enjoying the free trade that exists within member nations but not being tied to the unstable euro, which is heavily reliant upon the fiscal policies of a motley crew of European nations, seems prescient on the part of Great Britain. Britain has always had a slightly hands-off view in terms of the potential political as well as economic commitment demanded of full European Community membership. Not being held hostage to the currency woes imposed by other member's debts will be an undeniable benefit for Britain's own fragile economic recovery in the near future. Also, if it should suffer its own financial crisis it currently has the ability to value or devalue the pound as it sees fit.
Works Cited

Ahmed, Kamal. "Euro will pay for NHS." The Guardian. July 20, 2003. May 5, 2010.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2003/jul/20/publicfinances.politics

Bennhold, Katrin. "In Greek crisis, a window into the German psyche." The New York Times.

May 4, 2010. May 5, 2010.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/global/04iht-euro.html?src=me&ref=business

George, Stephen. An awkward partner. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Heritage, Timothy. "Crisis Exposes Fragility of European Unity." The New York Times. May 4,

2010. May 5, 2010.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/global/04inside.html

Islam, Faisal. "Lessons Britain must take from Swedish euro vote. The Guardian. August 31,

2001. May 5, 2010.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2003/aug/31/theeuro.europeanunion

White, Michael. "Britain must join Euro." The Guardian. January 1, 2001. May 5,

2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2001/jan/15/emu.carindustry

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Ahmed, Kamal. "Euro will pay for NHS." The Guardian. July 20, 2003. May 5, 2010.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2003/jul/20/publicfinances.politics

Bennhold, Katrin. "In Greek crisis, a window into the German psyche." The New York Times.

May 4, 2010. May 5, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/global/04iht-euro.html?src=me&ref=business
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/global/04inside.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2003/aug/31/theeuro.europeanunion
2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2001/jan/15/emu.carindustry
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

UK Public Limited Company Vodafone PLC Goals,
Words: 3589 Length: 11 Document Type: Essay

UK Public Limited Company Vodafone PLC Goals, mission of the company The vision of Vodafone PLC is to enrich customers with products and services that are unique through power mobile communication. This vision spells the innate intention of the company from its generation up to any near future. The vision statement lets the company anticipate for global existence and dominion through its profit elicitation while delivering quality products to customers. The vision brings

UK Healthcare
Words: 9250 Length: 36 Document Type: Term Paper

UK Healthcare Within this section of Chapter One, a historical perspective of NHS will be provided. This discussion will identify problem areas that have emerged in relation to NHS with an attempt made to address the manner in which such problems have historically influenced reform efforts. With the passage and associated provisions of the NHS Act of 1946, NHS was implemented in the UK in 1948. The NHS Act of 1946 served

UK Financial Regulation Reflecting Back
Words: 1472 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

6% holding in Lloyds following huge losses at both during the credit crisis" (Gupta. S. March 16, 2011) point to the need for stronger regulation of the financial sector. The UK banking system which is one of the most successful and innovative in the world must continue to have autonomy in its operations. Over regulation will only stifle an industry which is a key to the return of a strong

UK Social Trends Quantitative and Qualitative Discussion
Words: 656 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

UK Social Trends Quantitative and Qualitative Discussion on Residency Table I provides a basic breakdown of the types of residences in which Britons live and how these are distributed based on region. This denotes that specific selected regions are predisposed toward certain residential options. In a chart which accounts for roughly 22% of all residents in England, the table notes that detached homes are most common in the regions of the East

UK Adopt the Euro The
Words: 4473 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

It is administratively aggravated which will only assist European policy makers. Account means a continuing shift of domestic monetary autonomy to the European Central Bank indicating providing elasticity on exchange rates and interim interest rates. Domestic monetary policy would in no case be able to react supplely to exterior economic alarms like the increase in goods price increase. The prospect for lessening local economic problems will be more narrowed

Managing Sustainability: Bt Group in UK
Words: 4637 Length: 18 Document Type: Essay

These tiny particles are poison and damage the green effect. For the reason that they reflect solar energy back into space they have a preservation result on the world. Ocean current is a problem because it has an effect on the greenhouse. Also, ocean currents are something that has been able to move vast amounts of all heat all over the planet. Also, winds are what push horizontally towards the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now