CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown has delivered his third Budget in terms we can understand - pounds and pence - though his provisions include plans to spend millions on preparing us in advance, whether we want it or not, for swapping them for the euro.

Forward planning for a possibility - as opposed to an eventuality - is all well and good. But when it is becoming clear already that the euro is a financial flop, what's the point of getting us ready at huge expense to join it?

The flaming thing has already fallen in value at the rate of one per cent a week since it was launched and is predicted to fall below the US dollar before the end of the year. John Major may have met his downfall over Europe, but he may yet achieve sainthood for negotiating the opt-out that stopped us joining a currency disaster at the outset - a deal that new Labour was happy to exploit until gaining office.

But you don't need to be an economic egghead to realise that the euro's worth is built on shifting sand - of wonky economies riddled with tax evasion, corruption, organised crime and a siesta-infested work culture in southern Europe and those in the north riddled with red rape and profit-eating socialist practices - why else are German firms decamping to cheaper Britain?

That situation is not the gold standard we would want to swap our pound for. So why the heck is the Government spending a fortune to help it to happen?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.