SO the euro has been launched at last, the truth being admitted by the EC President that the purpose of the new currency "is not economic... it is a pure political process".

All the talk about the "five economic tests" we shall hear about from the Government are, quite simply, political waffle.

Everything in the garden appears to be rosy. But for how long?

What will happen when Germany wants more out of the "kitty" to meet its pension payments?

What will happen when the luck of the Irish starts running out and it is decided they can no longer have more out of the "kitty" than they put in?

And what will happen when it runs out altogether, and they have less out than they put in as we have done since day one, losing billions upon billions which could have been spent on our now ailing NHS or on our railways, or on our schools.

We have lost so much that the EU audit office will no longer tell us how much.

How many times did de Gaulle say "non" to our requests to join the then Common Market?

If only we had said "so be it" and not been hoodwinked by the politicians.

We must not allow ourselves to be hoodwinked again and say "yes" to joining the euro and thereby lose our sovereignty and the power to run our own economy.

It would be absolute folly to join. We must remain a United Kingdom with our own government in Westminster.

E F SHOWELL,

Fernhill Heath, Worcester.