Current Affairs EU In or Out

[ChesterBlue]

They did have Wrexham lager once, maybe still do... Have to go sometimes to DWP office, its not brilliant...

It’s not the nicest town on the planet is it? I went to college there and remember how often you would see people shooting up on benches in the centre

 

[peteblue]

You have no idea how the UK looks at life. You are an out of touch bigot and a xenophobe and hold views that make this nation worse with every passing second.

There really is no need for this is there, no matter how bitter and twisted you are.....

 

[orchard]

You're not out of touch?

There really is no need for this is there, no matter how bitter and twisted you are.....

 

[Tubey]

It really does depend on the details of the contract. 'we got there first' won't hold much weight contractually, if AZ have given assurances to the EU about supply.

It's a biological product. It'll be a best efforts kind of deal as they say. But it'll be from that factory; the UK will have a contract dealing with UK facilities.

Similarly, if the UK chain had gone wrong, we'd have no recourse to the EU supply chain due to the contract.

It's two things - the EU being three months late on getting it sorted, allowing less time to iron out issues, and the EU being slow on the rollout overall due to regulation.

 

[peteblue]

The vaccine rollout lads is very much its in infancy i would be cautious on declaring winners or loosers at this point. A number of twists and turns and peaks and troughs can and most likely will happen. We would all to well to leave the jingoism at the door.

Imagine tomorrow, the EMA says the efficacy of AZ isnt enough to be licensed for over 65s - its the first time AZ have gone for full market approval and its the first adenovirus vaccine and its a rigorous affair- that puts the Uk in a tricky position (hopefully not) and there could be criticism they jumped to soon if it came to pass. Do the EU pull up the ladder on Biotech - they got an extra 150 mill doses yesterday, Curevac are going to bolt after J&J shortly, the EU have a massive supply of that German Mrna vaccine (similar to Pfizer and Moderna), the UK haven't ordered any. If the 12 week spacing between jabs falls flat on its face with the Mrna jabs do Europe shut the door on the UK trying to buy more from the German companies.

Not saying any of the above will happen but an example of how things could peak and trough very easily, i think there will be many interchangeable periods of want and need during the vaccine roll out and we would do well to look at human aspect apart from a jingoistic one, its a huge pity in a way the Uk aren't part of the EU at the moment, we would all have that shared goal for each others welfare.

I am very pleased that the U.K. is not part of the EU shambles regarding vaccines. Obviously things will change regarding available vaccines and numbers and no doubt the EU will sort itself out, eventually. Personally I would take no interest in the EMA statement as it’s already been politicised by Germany and the EU with an obvious outcome.....

 

[peteblue]

It should also be perhaps remembered in this vaccine hoohaa, that when it was suggested that the Pfizer vaccines made in Belgium should be kept for the EU market it was met with outrage by Brexiters. Keep that in mind when the AZ vaccine made in the UK is being discussed.

We can leave that sort of bullying and cretinous behaviour to the EU and its apologists.....

 

[Billy Dean]

It's a biological product. It'll be a best efforts kind of deal as they say. But it'll be from that factory; the UK will have a contract dealing with UK facilities.

Similarly, if the UK chain had gone wrong, we'd have no recourse to the EU supply chain due to the contract.

It's two things - the EU being three months late on getting it sorted, allowing less time to iron out issues, and the EU being slow on the rollout overall due to regulation.

Is slow EU rollout due to regulation? I think it's purely just conscious decisions they made rightly or worngly, namely to negotiate deals as a 27-state block and to subject vaccines to full approval at the EMA rather than for emergency use. I'm not sure it's down to the existence of regulations.

 

[peteblue]

Err, you know the Pfizer vaccine was developed in Germany, right? And just to reiterate, these vaccines don't "belong" to any nation. They've been ordered by nations and it's the pharma companies job to fulfil those orders using the supply chain they have at their disposal. I'm just saying that just as the Pfizer vaccine that is made in Belgium shouldn't be restricted to mainland European customers, neither should the AZ vaccine that is being partly made in Britain be limited to just supplying Britain. Vaccine nationalism is not the way we get out of this with our humanity and dignity intact.

There is only the EU who have raised the spectre of vaccine nationalism, and that purely to try and shift blame for their own incompetence onto AZ.

Can you also remember the spat between Italy and Germany. When Italy got hit first and hardest and Germany immediately put a block on the export of any PPE Because they wanted it for itself. I would love the countries of the world to be addressing this for the world, but the hypocracy from the EU is mind blowing.....

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Genuine worry it was going to be flooded the last couple of weeks with the heavy rainfall.

Lot of the flood plains well are still water logged in North and Mid Wales, won't take much for that risk to reappear...

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Interesting summary of media coverage;

Formerly pro EU newspapers turn on the bloc over 'vaccine nationalism' and 'playground bully' tactics

Even the UK’s formerly pro-European newspapers have rounded on the EU over the Commission’s threats to halt vaccine exports and its call for Astra Zeneca to divert UK vaccine production to Europe. The FT, which has long been a supporter of UK EU membership, writes in its leader: “…the commission...

pressgazette.co.uk

 

[tsubaki]

There is only the EU who have raised the spectre of vaccine nationalism, and that purely to try and shift blame for their own incompetence onto AZ.

Can you also remember the spat between Italy and Germany. When Italy got hit first and hardest and Germany immediately put a block on the export of any PPE Because they wanted it for itself. I would love the countries of the world to be addressing this for the world, but the hypocracy from the EU is mind blowing.....

their own incompetence is a remarkable take - are you suggesting that the EU was manufacturing its own vaccines?

 

[Tubey]

Is slow EU rollout due to regulation? I think it's purely just conscious decisions they made rightly or worngly, namely to negotiate deals as a 27-state block and to subject vaccines to full approval at the EMA rather than for emergency use. I'm not sure it's down to the existence of regulations.

That in itself is regulation. As is the fallout in terms of what countries get what when.

The UK was a lot more flexible. Its one of those situations where you don't take sides and just look at it objectively - and objectively the EU rollout has been a disaster, and it's not because of the UK or AstraZeneca; its because they were too slow and cumbersome.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

It's a biological product. It'll be a best efforts kind of deal as they say. But it'll be from that factory; the UK will have a contract dealing with UK facilities.

Similarly, if the UK chain had gone wrong, we'd have no recourse to the EU supply chain due to the contract.

It's two things - the EU being three months late on getting it sorted, allowing less time to iron out issues, and the EU being slow on the rollout overall due to regulation.

How do you know what is in the UK contract? Has it been published?

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Oh, and remember this back in the summer?

UK snubs EU invitation to purchase vaccines, choosing to go it alone

The EU might end up competing with the UK for vaccine access.

www.politico.eu

• One of the key reasons the U.K. government turned its nose at the EU’s invite is that London wouldn't be in the driving seat: The U.K. would “have no say” in the negotiations with vaccine producers, the government said, meaning it could not decide what vaccines it could purchase, at what price and in what quantities.

“The U.K. would not be allowed to continue pursuing independent discussions with pharmaceutical companies, which is key to ensuring the British public have swift access to any vaccine,” the government said in a statement Friday.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Is slow EU rollout due to regulation? I think it's purely just conscious decisions they made rightly or worngly, namely to negotiate deals as a 27-state block and to subject vaccines to full approval at the EMA rather than for emergency use. I'm not sure it's down to the existence of regulations.

It's perhaps worth remembering also that they negotiated as a block to ensure that smaller nations weren't either put to the back of the queue or forced to deal with unproven vaccines from China and Russia, as the Serbs are doing.