A politically-correct currency

Date: 21/12/1995

The first public backlash against the new name of the single currency came within hours of the landmark - sorry, landeuro - christening decision.

A group of disgruntled members of the Dutch-based Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Development paraded outside the summit venue offering what they thought were more politically-correct alternatives: the Exclusivo (“to indicate that the European project is creating an underclass of people etc.”); the Paro (“so it is clear that the current economic model generates massive unemployment etc.”) or the Auto (because EU transport policy is “obsessed with increasing car traffic etc.”).