As a Brit I am very, very happy that we are adopting a "wait & see" policy with regards to the Euro (even though we'll go in anyway if Labour win the next election).
The benefits are obvious but, at the same time, it is such a massive gamble. We are lucky enough to have had a very stable and successful economy (well, most of the time anyway!) and that has been down to it being managed HERE in Britain. Yes, we have a lot less in common with our European neighbours than they do with each other, eg Spain with Italy, culturally (our LACK of it!), socially and economically. Because of this it is more important to us than it maybe is with other European nations that we are able to make and implement our own economic policy, rather than have a German banker in Frankfurt doing it for us.
Someone made the point that we tend to look to the US moreso than Europe. This holds a lot of truth and if we had to enter into monetary union with anyone, i'd be much more comfortable doing so with the US than with the rest of Europe as we share similar capitalistic (is that a word?!) values, whereas most European nations tend to have a more Socialist outlook.
Although there's alot more wrong with our country (I could go on for hours!) than there is with the majority of Europe, we are doing very well financially - if it isn't broke don't fix it!
With regards to places like Torremellinos which have been taken over by us and the Germans, I hate those kind of places aswell. What's the point???
I can, however, appreciate that not everybody is as adventurous as me and, I imagine, most of the other members here, and they find comfort in the familiar. Isn't it great that they can experience the familiar in such tropical conditions? The likes of us don't have to go there! And besides, the Spaniards in these areas do very well from mass tourism (as do the British & Germans).Would they want to kick all the Brits and Germans out and close all the bars, restaurants and nightclubs that put so much food on their tables and pesetas...sorry, Euro's!...in their pockets??
Like every affluent nation, we have our share of lowlife. American lowlives probably can't afford to travel all the way to Torremelinos, therefore, they're not in evidence. I imagine there are similar places that the cultured American would avoid just as the cultured Brit avoids the Costa del Sol and the Canary Islands (???).
Anyway, I'm no economist, but I am not comfortable with the UK adopting a fledgling currency. Five years from now - who knows?!
I probably won't have any choice in the matter anyway.