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		Ten years on, MEPs hail "Golden Wednesday" Sunday, 15 September 2002 East Midlands MEPs Roger Helmer and Chris Heaton-Harris have hailed the tenth anniversary of September 16th 1992 "Black Wednesday", when Britain crashed out of the European exchange rate mechanism (ERM). The date was immediately dubbed "Black Wednesday" by the media, and it was seen at the time as a disaster and a humiliation. Yet it proved a blessing in disguise. ERM membership had led to an economic meltdown. Unemployment, bankruptcies, negative equity had reached alarming levels. Leaving the ERM led to an immediate and sustained recovery. Soon people were talking about White Wednesday. Today, ten years on, despite global economic problems, Britain continues to out- perform the euro-zone on key measures -- unemployment at half continental levels, British per capita GDP ahead of Germany. Local East Midlands MEPs Chris Heaton-Harris and Roger Helmer have hailed the ten-year anniversary, but insist it should be called "Golden Wednesday". Speaking in Brussels last week, Roger Helmer said: "By leaving the European monetary system and taking back control of our own interest rates and monetary policy, we resolved a crisis and achieved sustained economic recovery. We'd be daft to give up control of our currency now". Chris Heaton-Harris added: "It seems extraordinary that despite the ERM experience, Tony Blair still wants to join the euro. We saw in 1992 where that leads. It is vital that we should keep the Pound, so we can set interest rates in the UK for British jobs and British prosperity".