Pro-euro Danes cannot find one good reason
BY PHILIP WEBSTER, POLITICAL EDITOR The Times, 2000-08-14

The group leading the campaign for a "yes" vote in next month's euro referendum in Denmark is having trouble finding convincing arguments to sway voters, according to a leaked memorandum.

The Danish European Movement, a non-party organisation of 1,500 euro supporters, is going into battle not with a rousing rallying call but with the slogan: "If you are in doubt - ask."

An internal strategy paper from the group, leaked to a Danish newspaper, said that the referendum should be presented as a "question of weighing the pros and cons" because "an unequivocal yes does not appear credible to voters".

It said that it was "difficult to define a few credible and effective messages that you can use to your advantage in arguing for a yes".

The group's difficulties has been seized upon by the Conservatives who will fight the next election on ruling out membership of the euro for the following parliament.

Francis Maude, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said yesterday that recent leaks of the Prime Minister's correspondence showed that that he was "an ardent euro fanatic happy to take Britain into a single European state with a single European currency".

The reason the Danes were finding the euro such a hard sell was obvious - it was difficult to make a case for joining. "Just like in Britain, Danes see through the nonsense peddled by politicians who want to abolish their currency," Mr Maude said.

Anders Jensen, of the Danish group, said: "We take it seriously when people are nervous about what cooperation will lead to. I understand that people have doubts."

The memo suggested that the main arguments to be used in favour would be economic, including cheaper goods and cutting out the need to change money when travelling to other parts of Europe.

The Conservatives also accused the Foreign Office of spending tax-payers' money to promote the pro-euro cause in Denmark. They said that the British Embassy in Copenhagen helped to arrange meetings with Danish politicians for Simon Buckby, head of Britain in Europe, a pro-European pressure group.

The Foreign Office confirmed that the embassy had organised a programme of meetings for Mr Buckby but said that this was standard practice for senior figures from British organisations visiting foreign countries.

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