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Two recent reviews (THES, July 26 and August 2) contribute illuminatingly to the vital debate on a single currency. However, they both describe negatively those who oppose a single currency as prone to dangerous illusions, full of prejudice, and partial, selective and sadly lacking in historical understanding.

But is there not a rational case for questioning the single currency? The Maastricht Treaty obliges us to meet the convergence criteria for a single currency. The European Commission's own employment committee, which supports a single currency, has forecast that this convergence would destroy ten to 12 million jobs across Europe. This would mean two million jobs in Britain. Surely it is reasonable to oppose a policy that would have such grave consequences, WILL PODMORE Wilton Way, Dalston London E8