Euro-expensive or not?

With the start of 2007, new countries have entered the European community, and one more has become a member of the Euro Community (as opposed to the European Union)This has inevitably led to the reopening of a discussion about whether things have been made more expensive by the Euro or not. (as you can see from the image, the Euro itself isn't as expensive as before!)
Being of a Scottish miserly origin, I have thousands and thousands of till receipts, dating back to well before the introduction of the Euro, and I can certainly prove, from them, that the increase to normal living things like food and drink, is minimal, if at all!Seems like the producers and retailers have kept their end of the deal (even if involuntary, and only through strict controls).
On the other hand, I can also prove that the areas where enormous increases have been made are those which were faithfully promised (again) by politicians to be the most strictly controlled.
Things like Electricity, water, Gas bills (where the state has the last say), taxes on Petrol, Administration costs, local taxes, in certain countries increases in VAT (hitting everybody, except the politicians who don't even know the price of a loaf of bread, and who only eat if they are invited at the cost of someone else, or the Taxpayer). It appears that the Politician hasn't realised the fact that one euro equals, in France, 6.5 times more in old FFrancs, that 1 euro equals almost double the amount in D-marks etc.. and if they have, then (as usual) they don't give a damn .
The other side of the coin, however, is the private individual, who also has tried, mainly with success, to profit from the situation, and played his part in the high increases on things like Property, Second hand items such as cars, household goods etc. Sometimes through simple ignorance of the new values, and it seemed that 1,000 euros wasn't a large sum for that second hand car, which had been on sale at 5,000 francs. 1,000 is a round sum, after all, and not really over charged! Yes, 1,000 is a round sum, and equals 6,570Ffrancs! When you have been dealing with THOUSANDS in the past, it is difficult, suddenly, to have to rethink in HUNDREDS - so most of them didn't!! The situation in the past was that good/acceptable second hand cars and other vehicles, were available from as little as 1500 Francs (around 250 euros), but who is going to adverise a vehicle at 250 of anything? Nobody will buy it, thinking it is only fit for the rubbish bin! OK - stick the price of the 1500 franc car at 1000 euros (6.570Francs) and you'll probably get a buyer!
This particular nonsense is slowly arranging itself, and prices are falling quickly, to get back to the old values.
Similar situation on the building market, at least here in France. I recall talking to an aquaintance who runs a chain of "immobilier" agencies, just around the time of the introduction of the Euro. He admitted, openly, that he personally wouldn't dream of buying at this moment. The prices had been artificially set, partly by the agents urged on by the sellers, and partly by the private sellers who (like the car sellers) hadn't realised the enormity of the increase using Euros!
He reckoned that a village house which had been on sale in F-francs at, say 150,000francs (around 25,000euros) had been , almost overnight, revalued at 100,000euros!! The market was stagnating, and the best thing to do was to wait until the greedy ones had realised that it wasn't working! He was right. Only a few months later the prices started tumbling, although they never reached the true or previous value .
So - you see, it's once again the fault of all - those who complain on the one hand, but are always attempting to defraud the others out of their money, and the Politicians who, in any case, are only (and entirely) fraudulous.
Certainly, there seem to be signs of an ever increasing gap between "have's" and "have-nots", a dangerous situation, but to the "haves", I would only say - you are not automatically something better or more special because you "have", and finally, the problem with "having" is that it can quickly turn to "have-not" with all it's consequences, whilst a "have-not" can't really go a great deal lower. After all, even the prisons offer Accomodation, free board and lodging, together with free health treatment, and NO HEATING BILLS!