The E.U. And AstraZeneca row.

Even though they’re relevant. He was too busy with his personal life to concentrate on the growing crisis. He boasted about shaking people’s hands. He didn’t know about asymptomatic carriers. He handed out lucrative contracts to his mates. I’m not going to forget all of that. People have died because of it. A friend of mine died in a nursing home because of it. He’s no hero of mine and never will be.

Personal assaults such as ‘sorting out his divorce’ serve no purpose.

The argument was between AstraZeneca and the EU. There was no need for our Prime Minister to step in until it looked as though Article 16 of the NI protocol might have been invoked on which case Boris Johnson called Ursula VdeL and sorted it out.
Exactly how it should work.

You forgot dexamethasone MayBee another triumph by the UK scientists. Cheap & cheerful, tablets available to even the poorest of countries last summer helping keep patients in hospital off the morbidity lists. So - the UK has done very well in the fight against coronovirus - not just the vaccines and the procurement.

It’s a pity he was so busy standing up to ‘these bullies’,sorting out his divorce etc at the start of the year and couldn’t be bothered to attend COBRA meetings or he might have noticed there was a pandemic.

As far as I'm concerned thank goodness for Boris as he is the only person in politics on either side of the channel who has the bottle to stand up to these arrogant bullies who rule other countries by fear. Make no mistake if these countries don't tow the EU line, punishment will be swift and severe, that much is crystal clear. I can't believe that the Scots actually want to join such a corrupt organisation, now exposed for exactly what they have become! God only knows how they'll use and probably abuse you, post honeymoon of course. Remember Greece and currently Eire, not much respect for either. Thank God we left and thank God for Boris.

There was no need for an argument. Legally and diplomatically the EU bureaucracy was in the wrong as even the redacted contract revealed.

biba70 perhaps because the EU were doing a good job of making themselves look bad without any help from anyone else?

Someone elsewhere just asked this question

''Interesting the UK Govt , namely Johnson , has been incredibly quiet over the vaccine issue and not been drawn into an argument . Normally he'd been shouting the benefits of his policies to all and sundry , but interestingly he is silent . Why ?''

interesting, I think. Why?

But the EU could have had the vaccines as the same time as us. They could have ordered at the same time as the UK.

It’s not like we said we’ll grab them all first and not leave any for anyone else. If the EU had committed the increased production would be in place now.

lemongrove

What does any of that have to do with the AZ row Maybe ?

How interesting that you suddenly want to get back to the topic Lemongrove when you were quite happy to make personal attacks earlier.

Now what did you suggest this sort of post might be? Ah yes, deflecting when you feel you are about to lose an argument wasn't it?

Smileless2012

"we seem to be going through a particular unpleasant period in our history of me me me and sod the rest of you". The EU's 'threat' to interfere with the pre ordered vaccinations destined for the UK looks to me like 'us us us and sod the UK'.

Honestly, just turn the fnal sentence t'other way round. It is the UK that refused to be part of a larger procurement block of European partners, ahead of everyone, in order to jump ahead.

Someone said today 'we need every single one of those jabs' - as if EU countries did not! As if other countries did not ...

Mike Galsworthy is a young scientist who explains the current situation well

fb.watch/3lhW9DF5S0/

What does any of that have to do with the AZ row Maybe ?

Just out of interest, if the UN (or someone else) were to distribute the available vaccine worldwide, what criteria would you have whitewavemark ?

Population
Percentage of vunerable people
Ethnicity
Age
Extent of current infection
Ability to administer
Commitment to take up

Any ideas?

My other question is, if the available vaccine was spread over the world, obviously a small percentage in each country would be vaccinated and it would take many months, even years. Would this actually encourage more mutation?

Urmstongran

Opinions were divided over who had the stronger legal case but eyebrows were raised that Ursula vdL had said there were no 'best endeavour' clauses in the contract.

The published deal - accidentally released unredacted - had those clauses!

She either told an intentional lie to 447 million people or she didn't know what was in her own contract," Germany’s Bild Zeitung said yesterday.

Ursula vdL ought to be toast.

That is very interesting (as they used to say on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In)
This has been badly mishandled from the outset, from Germany claiming the AZ vaccine is no use to over 65’s, to Macron repeating the same baseless accusation which has now resulted in some U.K. over-65’s rejecting the AZ vaccine , to the whole sabre rattling by Ursula vdL threatening NI and consequently U.K. supplies by implication, all one suspects to deflect the documented internal criticism of the tardiness of the EU’s vaccine ordering strategy and the slowness of the roll out in EU countries.

They also bought millions of pounds worth of hydroxychloroquine which has been found to be ineffective. Ditto PPE that didn’t work. A test and trace system that was rubbish. For once the government struck lucky with the vaccines they ordered. And we won’t have the Moderna one for ages. Just one good outcome out of a series of bad ones doesn’t suddenly make everything right.

lemongrove

LauraNorder

I’m pretty sure that politicians are well aware that ‘no one is secure until we are all secure’.
Our government has been elected to look after our interests and whilst ensuring that we are all vaccinated they will also be ensuring that the poorest countries will too. Whether for altruistic reasons or purely selfish motives it will happen worldwide.
Just a we would all ensure our own children are fed before we fed others.

Exactly, good post.
It seems to me that those who can’t bear to criticise the EU commission over their actions are trying to distract from it by their use of the ‘let’s vaccinate the whole world’ scenario.
Yes, good idea and it will be done eventually when countries like our own have vaccinated their own citizens first.Make no mistake all countries will do this.
The EU have withdrawn the threats about NI after London and Belfast and Dublin phoned to say what they thought of the idea! The damage is now done to the EU though, whatever they do next.

Our government has been elected to look after our interests

But how is it best to do that? The WHO are suggesting we should vaccinate our own most vulnerable and then work towards ensuring other countries most vulnerable are vaccinated. This would ensure the health services in countries are able to work and that they are not overcome by increasing mortality. Countries getting out of control will lead to a spread of their population into other countries including our own. It seems it will also allow the virus to continue adapting and who knows what the next mutation will mean. We would continue to go down our own vaccination tiers ensuring that, at the same time other countries could do the same.

If this is the best way to save lives in our country and re-establish the economy why would we not consider it? Unless, of course, we are sure we know better than those whose job it is to understand these things.

All countries may indeed put themselves first for vaccines but it does not necessarily mean that this is bound to be the best for their citizens. Some people may, of course, only use a discussion to deflect from the criticism of those they support. We see this rather too often in our Media and even on here but opening your mind to a different solution to the one immediately on offer and discussing it does not seem to come into that box as far as I can see.

14:24biba70

Indeed- not the country, at all. Au contraire- it is seeing what this Governement is doing to a country we so love.

Urmmm what exactly are Boris and the Government doing ? protecting UK citizens by having the foresight to procure enough vaccines to fight coronavirus.

Opinions were divided over who had the stronger legal case but eyebrows were raised that Ursula vdL had said there were no 'best endeavour' clauses in the contract.

The published deal - accidentally released unredacted - had those clauses!

She either told an intentional lie to 447 million people or she didn't know what was in her own contract," Germany’s Bild Zeitung said yesterday.

Ursula vdL ought to be toast.

Hopefully this will be a turning point in US attitudes towards Britain and Europe. Brexit is not the enemy; a post-Brexit Britain could be an engine of innovation, exactly the kind of “can-do” country the US wants to work with. The EU, by contrast, now appears considerably less trustworthy.

Look on, America, and understand that this is why we voted to leave, not just because of who we wanted to be but because we always knew what Brussels was really about.

But if they’re not subject to public scrutiny how come they’ve backtracked on this? I’ve also just read that the U.K. put restrictions on exporting various drugs last year. I’m still not defending the EU though: I just need to know more about recent events.

The EU is turning into a Hegemony

It looks that way after their actions over the past week but I hope not as that doesn’t bode well for us.

The EU is turning into a Hegemony and seems to be out of control and starting to look like the old Soviet Union. Controlled by career politicians who were failures in their own Countries.

They no longer have to answer to an electorate and can do as they like knowing that they are not subject to proper scrutiny.

LauraNorder

I’m pretty sure that politicians are well aware that ‘no one is secure until we are all secure’.
Our government has been elected to look after our interests and whilst ensuring that we are all vaccinated they will also be ensuring that the poorest countries will too. Whether for altruistic reasons or purely selfish motives it will happen worldwide.
Just a we would all ensure our own children are fed before we fed others.

Exactly, good post.
It seems to me that those who can’t bear to criticise the EU commission over their actions are trying to distract from it by their use of the ‘let’s vaccinate the whole world’ scenario.
Yes, good idea and it will be done eventually when countries like our own have vaccinated their own citizens first.Make no mistake all countries will do this.
The EU have withdrawn the threats about NI after London and Belfast and Dublin phoned to say what they thought of the idea! The damage is now done to the EU though, whatever they do next.