CLEARLY not. That is the simple answer to The Sun's question about Nestl boss Peter Blackburn: "Is this the most dangerous man in York?" Neither is Mr Blackburn the most dangerous man in Croydon, where he is now based. He may not even be the most dangerous man in the Blackburn family, especially if DJ Tony is still broadcasting.

I hope this clears up any confusion at The Sun's Wapping HQ.

The rag's ludicrous query throws up a number of questions of its own, such as why here, why now? Why has The Sun taken the unprecedented step of publishing a few hundred copies of a special edition for its York readers?

We can but speculate. Perhaps it is a bizarre stunt to try to improve The Sun's sales in the city. Perhaps those London hacks simply enjoy stirring up trouble and alarming workers in a place of which they know little and care less.

More likely it is part of the newspaper's relentless campaign to turn us all into unthinking xenophobes who believe the way to make Britain great again is to brand all Europeans as war-mongering foreigners.

Spearheading this fight is the paper's owner, that well known English patriot, the Australian-born US citizen Rupert Murdoch.

Stinker Murdoch has made it his mission to keep Britain out of the Euro and he is clearly prepared to use The Sun in any way he can to this end.

Who knows, the York special edition may be the first of many, increasingly localised, front pages. Next week The Sun might demonise Richard Whiting, who writes regular pro-European letters to the Evening Press, as the most dangerous man in Fulford.

Mr Murdoch would do well to rethink this bash-and-dash policy, however.

Rowntree workers did not take kindly to being used as pawns in a political game. It will take more than a battering with a soggy tabloid to brainwash them into sharing Mr Murdoch's skewed vision.

The other question prompted by this bizarre exercise is why now? Nestl's Peter Blackburn has hardly made a secret of his views on Europe. Eight years ago he was telling business people that "Europe is local".

At York's Ecofin conference in March 1998, he said that "for our trade with Europe we will all increasingly have to sell and buy in Euros".

And 15 months ago he said the strong pound made it difficult to export York-made KitKats, adding: "If the York factory loses business, the Hamburg factory gains it or maybe another factory."

The Sun may simply be monumentally late with the story. Alternatively it has chosen to attack Mr Blackburn now because the single currency debate is hotting up as the next General Election looms. The paper thinks it can scare New Labour away from its generally pro-Euro stance, and with good reason.

But Mr Blair should try something new and ignore the Murdoch press. It is time he began to sell the benefits of the Euro to a sceptical British public.

This is what leadership is all about.

The Prime Minister knows that the longer the currency is established, the harder it will be for Britain to catch up when we are eventually forced to join.

As more multi-national businesses withdraw investment from Britain because of our pig-headed isolationism, jobs will go.

If foreign holidaymakers decide to boycott Britain because life in the Euro zone is cheaper and easier, York's tourist industry will be hit hard.

It is time to wise up. York is a city whose major employers include the Swiss-controlled Rowntree's and Thrall and Terry's, both owned by US companies.

Whether we care for it or not, the global economy is our master. It is futile for Britain to attempt to go it alone.

We should join the Euro ASAP - and you heard that from the most dangerous man in Walmgate.