Living la vida loca with the Euro

Written by Lynne Featherstone on Fri 30th Aug 2002

They say travel broadens the mind! Having just returned from two weeks in Southern Spain, sadly my mind is not the only part of me to have broadened.

That said - three lessons from the Costa del Sol: the euro is a doddle, our Euro-sister country of Spain has a police presence on virtually every street and it's not a good idea to eat the bread and oil on the table before the meal if you don't want to broaden parts of your anatomy other than your mind.

To be honest, I don't think about work very much when I am on holiday. However, in the middle of sun-drenched beaches, fried pesquaderos, roasted pepper salad and plenty of red wine I, along with millions of other Brits, could not fail to notice that the Euro was not the end of the Western World as we know it.

I seem to have managed to spend copious amounts of euros with no problem whatsoever. Combined with the ease of electronic banking - being able to insert my cash card abroad - the euro makes life much simpler, not just for tourists but also for anyone wanting to compare prices.

Is it a coincidence, I wonder, that many of the items cheaper on the continent are sold in Britain by companies opposed to the euro? Perish the thought that opposition to the euro could be used as a cover to carry on ripping off people in British shops!

My friend Jenny was a convert on holiday. She was against the euro, thought Britain does better economically on its own, etc. etc. But after two weeks she changed her tune. Phrases like, "well - it's just easier, more practical", "it will be more efficient" and "I suppose it's inevitable" crept into the conversation.

As for our children - no problem whatsoever spending euros. They won't blink an eye when our currency changes. So roll on the referendum. The sooner the better.

And as I sat in any number of Tapas bars on any number of streets, I could not fail to notice that on virtually every corner, there was a little police kiosk with a police officer in it, giving advice, directions, information and being what we long for so much in our country - a police presence on the streets.

Always someone there to help, to run to in an emergency and acting as a deterrent to those who would rob, or thieve or hurt. Neatly designed, small little office with desk and communications facilities, policed by friendly and helpful officers.

Moreover, these were not instead of police on the beat or police in cars - they were in addition. Whoever would have believed twenty years ago, that we should envy Spain! But I do. We seem to have become the poor relation of Europe.

Police kiosks are coming here. Two are planned for Haringey crime hotspots. But I would like to see them in the outposts of boroughs where a police presence don't shine - not just in the areas that are considered crime hotspots. We all want to feel secure. We all need police on our streets. Why can't we have one in Highgate, where there is no police station or front counter to go along with the extra police on the street we have been promised for next year. Why can't we have them in every High Street - why are we so far behind our Euro-sisters?

As for the GLA - it seemed to manage without me during August - and I gather from what I have read that it also managed without the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and the Mayor's Chief of Staff. The Assembly is writing to complain about this abandonment - quite rightly. However, whilst I didn't see any police on my journey back from the airport to home, I did notice that London seemed to have survived.

And as for my expanding girth - one hundred sit-ups a day and no more fried pesquaderos for me!