CONSERVATIVE
New Forest East

EUROPE – EMU - 27 April 1999

EUROPE – EMU - 27 April 1999

Dr Julian Lewis: When he last met representatives of the Federation of Small Businesses to discuss economic and monetary union?

[SUPPLEMENTARY:] I am sorry to hear that economic and monetary union did not feature on the agenda of that meeting. Had it done so, small businesses would have been able to inform the Secretary of State [for Scotland] of their overwhelming opposition to the abolition of the pound and its replacement by the euro. They might also have drawn to his attention the result of last month's ICM poll, which shows that 30 percent of the population are in favour of EMU, but 60 percent are against. That makes a 2:1 majority, and it marks a 6 percent increase in the majority against EMU since last October when the same question, with the same wording, was asked. Does that not show that the Government are wasting their time trying to brainwash people into abandoning our currency and merging our economy with that of the European continent?