1.   Experts say that investors pouring into Britain assume that it will join the euro within two years.

2.   In truth there is now little prospect of Britain ever joining the euro.

3.   And he sees grave dangers in joining the euro before France and Germany have undergone reform.

4.   A decision is anticipated in May which countries will join the euro, and at what currency rate.

5.   Adding to this division between France and Germany are different philosophies of how to combat unemployment, and how joining the euro affects that.

6.   But, as elsewhere in Britain, there was no unanimity when it comes to actually joining the euro.

7.   By publishing a timetable, moreover, he seemed to give momentum to the process of joining the euro.

8.   For Greece, joining the euro is much like the dream many members of the former Soviet bloc have of joining NATO or the European Union.

9.   For all the economic disputes, however, the decision on joining the euro will ultimately be a political one.

10.   Germany and France, the driving forces behind the common currency plan, are struggling to meet the budget deficit requirement for joining the euro.