MORE than 300 international companies of great global significance, including Ford and Unilever, are known to favour British entry into the eurozone.

The UK can only influence the management and direction of the European economic area from within.

There exists a great deal of misguided sentiment concerning the pound - in fact, sterling is merely an economic instrument which tends to have outlived its usefulness, in the same way as the French franc, the German mark and the Netherlands guilder.

Incidentally, at the time of the Battle of Worcester, all kinds of people minted their own currency.

Recently, the euro has performed well against both the US dollar and the pound.

This means that adoption of the European currency will lead to a fall in real terms, of the cost of living.

Of necessity, it is not a case of "if" we join the eurozone, but "when." The answer to the latter is "the sooner the better.

D E MARGRETT,

May Avenue,

Worcester.