Macron and the AZ vaccine

JenniferEccles

This comes as no surprise to me.
As soon as we heard, with delight in my case, that we had voted to leave the EU, it was pretty obvious that they would do all they could to make things as difficult as possible for us.

How dare we want to leave their club eh? How dare we.
Then it very quickly became apparent that, having left and negotiated our own vaccine deals long before the lumbering EU, that we would have one of the most successful vaccination programmes in the world.

I remember Angela Merkle was another one keen to get in on the act of shamefully casting doubts on the AZ vaccine.

Will the EU ever grow up and accept our referendum result without indulging in this childish behaviour?

We can only hope.

But you don't hope at all! You make up silly accusations to hide the silliness of it all.

Galaxy

My brother is a scientist he told me that Macron is actually made of cheese.

That made me howl with laughter.

Post of the Day award to Galaxy

Mamie

If this story is true, I wonder why Macron, who is a smart politician, would have used a small, untelevised press conference, entirely in French, to make his remarks?
I have seen the French transcript and whilst I think he was guilty of confusing the fact that "lack of evidence is not evidence of lack", I think the way it was subsequently reported in Anglophone media was something of a distortion (to put it politely).
It wasn't much reported here, had very little coverage and was quickly followed a campaign supporting the AZ vaccine which was given, with full publicity, to the Prime Minister and the Health Minister.
Doesn't really add up as a conspiracy theory does it? ?

Yes quite.
I wonder when the Brexit is going to stop blaming Europe and European leaders, it seems obsessional

Its interesting, isn't it?

Those of us who decline to take as gospel that Macron's prime motivation for worrying about the AZ vaccine was spite, are accused of not believing things that go against our political leanings.

Whereas those who would believe Macron skewers British babies and eats them for tea are happy to believe a completely unsubstantiated bit of gossip because it fits with their belief that the sole purpose of the EU and all its members is to undermine the UK.

Funny old world.

Shock horror. President Macron is an inch taller than Boris Johnson. So is he a ‘more’ nasty spiteful little man or not?

I don't doubt it at all Witzend

Wishful thinking Mamie, on the other hand pigs might fly.

This comes as no surprise to me.
As soon as we heard, with delight in my case, that we had voted to leave the EU, it was pretty obvious that they would do all they could to make things as difficult as possible for us.

How dare we want to leave their club eh? How dare we.
Then it very quickly became apparent that, having left and negotiated our own vaccine deals long before the lumbering EU, that we would have one of the most successful vaccination programmes in the world.

I remember Angela Merkle was another one keen to get in on the act of shamefully casting doubts on the AZ vaccine.

Will the EU ever grow up and accept our referendum result without indulging in this childish behaviour?

We can only hope.

I think he has played a blinder over the Pass Sanitaire and vaccination rates Welshwife. Lovely to see over half of the country's 12-18 year olds have now had their first vaccinations. Wish the UK would catch up for my grandchildren there.

It seems possible to me that a great deal of the division in the world is caused by this kind of entirely unattributable or verifiable gossip?

I think it could well be Mamie. I am still impressed with both what he says and how he delivers his speeches etc.

Just out of interest, I wonder how many people have watched Macron's speeches to the nation on French TV during Covid? How many people have seen the coverage of his visits to the bereaved, to the areas suffering from floods and forest fires, to the explosion in Beirut, for example.
I don't think he is a perfect president by any means, he makes mistakes and apologises for them to the nation, but I do have to ask what the actual evidence is for describing him as a "spiteful little man"?
Could it just possibly be people being a teensy bit influenced by the UK press?

To all those who asked, I suppose I meant ‘little’ in the mean-spirited sense, though maybe photos have also given that impression.

I don’t have any sort of prejudice against short men. A lovely friend of ours who died not long ago, and is still much mourned, was 5’ 4”.

I am not saying you are lying I am saying its now 5th hand so not reliable. Nothing to do with my political leanings which are pretty neutral about macron.

It all sounds a bit Chinese whispers to me. I am tired of the 'they're doing it to get us back for Brexit' narrative. Who cares really?

If this story is true, I wonder why Macron, who is a smart politician, would have used a small, untelevised press conference, entirely in French, to make his remarks?
I have seen the French transcript and whilst I think he was guilty of confusing the fact that "lack of evidence is not evidence of lack", I think the way it was subsequently reported in Anglophone media was something of a distortion (to put it politely).
It wasn't much reported here, had very little coverage and was quickly followed a campaign supporting the AZ vaccine which was given, with full publicity, to the Prime Minister and the Health Minister.
Doesn't really add up as a conspiracy theory does it? ?

Witzend
In the O/P, you have said that Macron must be a “nasty, spiteful little man”

Please explain why you have described him as “little”.

Alima

A shame if short men annoy you Lucca, M Macron annoys me but there’s nothing I can do about it.

Short men don’t annoy me that’s the point, I find it offensive to always put it with a disparaging comment. I’ve never seen anyone say “nasty tall man”.

Quelle surprise!

A shame if short men annoy you Lucca, M Macron annoys me but there’s nothing I can do about it.

Have just googled his height, 5’9” apparently. Obviously height is relative, if you are taller then M Macron then you may see him as being short. Actually think the quote “What a nasty, spiteful little man he must be” is bang on. Suits him down to the ground. (I am shorter than 5’9”).

Going a bit off piste here….*What a nasty, spiteful little man he must be*

Why is “little” relevant . On behalf of vertically challenged men this annoys me.

I didn't mean to imply you were lying Witzend so I apologise for that.

If you had phrased it as "a person close to Macron confided in my DD that he had said that his disparaging of the vaccine was in revenge for Brexit", well I still wouldn't have believed it, but it would have been a valid opinion. I wonder what the motivation of your DD's colleague was for telling her?

But the whole Chinese whispers aspect makes it unconvincing. Like Galaxy said, its fifth hand so we have no way of knowing if its real or not. Things get lost in the telling, and probably in this case, in translation as well. People who don't like Macron will believe it, those who don't believe rumours won't.

Just to make clear, my OP was not about the fact that Macron had disparaged the AZ vaccine - that is pretty common knowledge.

It was about the fact that someone in a position to do so, was present when Macron openly admitted that he’d done it at least partly because of Brexit.
This was told by the person - a very senior professional - who heard him say it, to my dd just the other day. She had no reason whatever to doubt his word.

Must say I resent some GNers implying that either I or my dd is lying, or that we would pass on any casual hearsay, or anything we were not convinced was true.

But if your attitude is ‘If I don’t like it, if it doesn’t fit my political leanings, then it can’t be true,’ do please feel free.

Is this the story from February 2021 about Macron alleging that AZ was only "quasi-ineffective" for people over 65?

The fact is that older people were included in the AZ Phase II trials and efficacy was found to be good.

At the point at which this Macron story hit the news, real world bulk data was still coming in about how effective AZ was in Pfizer has been in use for slightly longer at the point. Prof Sara Gilbert explains here. Watch from around 45 minues in if you don't have time to watch the whole lecture.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U290Fk2BpvA

As in all of this, listen to the scientists and not the politicians who always have an agenda.

We know now, from real world data, that AZ is highly effective so whatever he said has proved not to be the case.