Why "W"? Zzzzz...

The ewro debate continues inexplicably to drag on. Joseph Muscat, Labour member of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, is even going so far as to call it the "w" controversy. As David at Lanzarote pointed out, however, the issue has been rumbling on and been debated about for quite some time, though Muscat sounds as though he's going to start claiming that the MLP is the only thing standing between Maltese dignity and EU indifference:

Labour is taking a proactive, realistic and sensible approach to the issue.

I admit that I did have to read the article a couple of times before I was certain what exactly was being discussed. Indeed, when you talk about sensible approaches, can you really spew this bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo and expect to be taken seriously:

What we need to do is embark on a proper convergence plan, mapping out a vision for the country's economy and planning well in advance for the eventual adoption of the euro. The principles guiding such a plan should be economic rather than political. Once again I submit that Gordon Brown's tests are an ideal benchmark.

What this has to do with having a lampuka on the five eurocent coin, I'm not sure. Of course, it has nothing to do with the euro itself, but represents a clumsy attempt to criticise Maltese currency policies, but because Muscat is too intellectually lazy he rides an anodyne eurocratic line on the back of the frankly uninspiring ewro debacle.
To apply an analogy, all the quote above actually says is that if you want to drive to, say, Paris, make sure you have enough petrol. And also, check that you know where Paris actually is. As advice goes, it isn't wrong, but you could probably do without it. But it wouldn't be an MLP column if it didn't set forth this technical, well-informed attack on current government policy:

Excuse me, but I do not see any of that in what the Maltese government is doing. Instead, it seems to be dealing with the transition to the euro as simply a change in currency.

This is not to say that Muscat is short of questions, though he is a bit spare with answer. Consider the following list of queries:

Is 2008 - with elections and all to add insult to injury - the right time for a changeover? There is an even more important question. Is the rate of exchange, unilaterally determined by the Maltese authorities, the ideal changeover rate for an export-led and tourism-dependent economy such as ours?

Muscat's sophisticated consideration is worth its weight in gold:

I have my doubts.

As the reader drags through this tedious pointlessness and the will to live takes more blows than any 800-word article should be able to inflict, the question arises as to why anyone could be so conceited as to write this. But then Muscat gets to his aim, inspired by the most primitive sentiment that mankind knows: pride. His self-gratification in this instance is related to his momentous achievement of having an amendment entered into a European Parliament report on Promoting And Protecting Consumers' Interests in The New Member States. Hopefully, this exciting tome will soon be available for sale in the Malta International Airport, but in the meantime savour Muscat's earth-shattering contribution:

"Calls on the Commission, together with all relevant stakeholders, to launch a strategic information and education campaign to prepare consumers effectively for the adoption of the euro in the new member states; stresses that this campaign should build on both the positive and negative experiences of the adoption of the euro among the old member states".

To which I will say only this; if Joseph Muscat is the man proposing to inform the Maltese people, then God save us.