Gordon Brown has done something great for Britain: he was one of the people most responsible for keeping this country out of the European single currency. As Chancellor, he was a roadblock to Blair’s ambitions on this front. So when the idea of Britain joining the euro was floated last weekend, I thought it was just Peter Mandelson getting too far forward on his skis and being a bit, from his perspective, too hopeful. But Peter Oborne reports in the Mail today that it was actually part of a coordinated plan:
“It was as a result of these talks [with Barroso] that Lord Mandelson floated the tragically misguided idea of sterling entering the euro during a recent speech.
These controversial remarks were made deliberately to test the water of public opinion, and pro-European ministers have been extremely gratified by the positive reception.
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