The transfer over to the euro will be an administrative matter as from 2002. Britain's future is in Europe. There is no doubt about it. But it can only triumph and prosper if it becomes a full European partner. It will never succeed as a sideline spectator.
Most decisions taken in Brussels, regardless of sector, affect everyday life in Britain.
These are not always favourable. Over the past fifty years, this country has gone through a dramatic transformation. Setting aside most great changes that have affected the world as a whole, Britain has also been influenced by the loss of an Empire, an influx of massive immigration, and membership of the European Common Market. Americana' has firmly set its roots in the United Kingdom. All these issues have tugged at and torn down establishments and traditions built over centuries.