TONY Blair appeals to voters not to turn tomorrow's European elections into a referendum on the struggling euro.

Why on earth shouldn't they?

In the light of the single currency being a disaster - bombing downwards on the international exchanges at the rate of almost two per cent a month since its launch in January - and the Prime Minister committed to swapping our pound for it soon after the next general election, why shouldn't the British people say what they think now, rather than in an eventual referendum "when the government's conditions for joining are met"? It is typical of the arrogance of politicians that they believe they, not voters, should set the election agenda - as if they were somehow wiser.

The British voters should ask the German people what they think.

They were dragged into the single currency without a referendum and asked to trust their leaders' view that the euro would be just as strong and stable as the mark. They are now finding that the scepticism that two-thirds of their voters displayed has proved absolutely right, to the extent that, now, about as many think they are lumbered with a weak currency for good. We have a strong currency and a government and other parties after your vote who are willing to replace it with a manifestly sick one.

If that's not an issue in this election, then what is?

Or is Mr Blair hoping that the electorate will follow his wish and stick their heads in the sand tomorrow?

The pity is too many will not bother to say what they think - and allow our leaders the arrogant assumption that they still know better.

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