By Robert Farmer-We see hardships and troubles throughout Europe as a direct result of the affected countries being firstly, in the European Union and secondly, being in the Euro Zone.

This being so, then the question must be asked WHY? Why do these countries stay in the Euro?
Indeed, why do they (or us for that matter) stay in the EU? Why do not the leaders of these countries say 'enough is enough' we are leaving?

Having been in business for most of my life I think I know why our lords and masters cling to the idea of the EU for I have seen a very similar phenomena many times before - albeit on a much smaller scale.

I do not have a name for this phenomena - perhaps one of your readers can come up with one.

The easiest way I might explain this phenomena is by way of an example:

Joe and Sally have been married for ten years.

Joe has a reasonably well paid job and earns enough to enable them to buy a three-bedroom family home, a family car and electronic toys for their two children.

The family take two modest holidays each year. They are not mega rich but they are not poor either. Importantly, their standard of living is noticeably a little bit better as each year passes. All is right with the world.

However, our friend Joe decides that he can improve his family's prospects in one foul swoop by starting his own business. Thus it is that he creates a company, 'Joe's Widgets' selling, you've guessed it, widgets.

The business is marginally successful and after two years of hard work the business now generates as much money as Joe was earning when he had his job - albeit he now works three times as many hours as before.

But Joe is unperturbed by this for he is sure things will get better tomorrow.

However, things do not get better - especially when 'Widgets Is Us' open a large store just around the corner.

At this point Joe should stop, sell the business if he can and try to get his old job back again. But Joe does none of these things but instead takes on a loan to try and keep his ailing business afloat.

And this, gentle reader, is a manifestation of the 'phenomena' of which I speak, for Joe has now lost sight as to why he started the business in the first place - which was, of course, to give his family a better life.

But that noble aim is now cast aside for now the business has all but assumed a life of its own and Joe is now committed to carry on with the business no matter what.

A loan can lead to but one thing - another loan.

And so it is that Joe borrows more and more money to support the monster that Joe's business has now become.

Of significance, instead of the business improving his family's standard of living they now find they can no longer go on holiday, afford any kind of luxury or treat of any kind.

But still Joe clings to the business desperately applying sticking plasters here and there in the vain hope that things will improve.

Wife Sally, in the mean time, has hade enough and leaves, taking the two children with her.

The family home is repossessed and Joe has lost everything - and still he clings to the business.

The business is all that matters - not why he started the business in the first place but just the idea of business itself.

The above may, at first sight, seem a little unrealistic but I have seen it many times.

As to the EU: I was born into a poor working class family in 1946 and saw many hard times as a boy.

But I also saw things getting better as each year passed. By the late 50s early 60s we could afford a few luxuries and, most importantly, we all expected things to continue getting better as time went by - as indeed, they did.

But then our lords and masters - just like Joe - decided they could improve our lot in one foul swoop by creating and joining what evolved into the European Union.

They did this, or so we were lead to believe, to improve our quality of life - just like Joe.

It was not too bad at first but then things started to go wrong culminating in the 'one-size-fits-all' euro - which was never going to work.

But, instead of stopping and going back to how things were, the countries of Europe started to take out loans to try to save what had, just like Joe's business, taken on a monstrous life of its own - the European Union.

Gone was the idea that the peoples of Europe were going to benefit form the EU - that meant nothing any more, all that did matter was keeping the EU going no matter what the cost - mimicking the actions of our friend Joe.

Loan inevitable followed loan until now the peoples of Europe are impoverished and we are seeing riots in many countries as the people, just like Joes' wife Sally, have had enough.

But still our leaders cling to the idea of Europe and, just like Joe in our example, we now stand to lose everything.

The idea of the European Union, just like Joe's business, may have started off with good intentions but, and as we all know, the road to Hell in paved with good intentions.

The European idea has failed and now is the time to stop, to go back to how things were - to
leave the EU.

Sadly, our political leaders would appear to be locked within the same mind set as our friend Joe for, no matter what the consequences, the European idea must come first with the peoples of Europe, for whom the Union was created in the first place, now being of little consequence.