INCOMPETENT EUROPE?

When I was a lad the "Continent" was the word we used to describe  European countries "over the Channel." Frankly, as kids, we always felt a cut above them. Maybe the proximity of the Second World War ( to be re-christened I understand as The European Civil War !!) had something to do with it. Then in the sixties the word "Europe" crept in big time. Gradually the U.K. started a rather unwilling closer association with things European. They were spurred on by Ted Heath whose other great love was playing his organ. As time went by there was even a phase when new-born Eurocrats started mumbling about a United States of Europe !!  And then we began to hear more and more about the Eurozone.

Well ,as I have blogged before, the Eurozone seems now about to fall apart; and whatever the reasons, the consequence today is reflected by the currency.  And the rest of Europe could be dragged down with it whether or not they use the rapidly devaluing currency.

Can we really understand what's going on ?  Of course we can.  It's the same old story of politicians, bureaucracy, and incompetence. How for example is Europe organised? Well it isn't.

There are a load of countries in Europe. Some of the countries are members of the European Union, formerly the European Community and itself formerly the European Economic Community, and some of them are members of the Eurozone. Now some of the European countries are not actually members of the Eurozone but use its currency ( i.e Andorra, Montenegro, and Kosovo). And some European countries are not members of the Eurozone but are members of the European Union. Some countries, the clever ones, don't belong to either.  I could go on......It's a buggers muddle. 


So many of the poorer European countries will benefit when (maybe if) the Euro collapses and countries return to their original national currencies. The stronger economies will suffer in the short term. Perhaps that is equitable.