Political relations between UK-EU

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ric
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And for once a sensible Govt response to the vaccine row...

‘UK Govt spox on EU-AstraZeneca row latest. 'We remain confident the supply of vaccine to the UK will not be disrupted. This pandemic is a global challenge and international collaboration on vaccine development and production continues to be an integral part of our response.' @NGutteridge
 
meltonblue said:
I’m just saying there’s some valid reasoning and entitlement behind it. AstraZeneca have clearly screwed up, particularly in their contracts, and I can’t imagine Johnson will be very happy with some of the detail being shared last night by AZ either.
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I don’t doubt that for a second and I think we both agree with what’s going on, where we slightly differ is I think the EU are acting more unethical than you do, even though you don’t necessarily agree with their threats yourself.

If this was a normal business transaction over footwear, for example, I wouldn’t give two shiny shits and would be criticising the supplier too, however this is literally a matter of life and death and their actions could result in the lives of innocent Brits, when the UK hasn’t actually done anything wrong here, we’ve just moved quicker.

I think as well it’s obvious the EU would have been in a better position if they’d have moved quicker and we would be in a slightly worse place, with them getting some of that initial supply that came to us, more evenly spread.
 
west didsblue said:
They need a distraction from the rotting fish and meat that can't be exported, and all the eBay and Amazon surcharges for stuff bought from EU countries.
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Vaccines being potentially blocked from exporting to the UK isn’t a distraction, with all due respect, it’s a matter of life and death and more important than rotting fish.
 
Ban-jani said:
Vaccines being potentially blocked from exporting to the UK isn’t a distraction, with all due respect, it’s a matter of life and death and more important than rotting fish.
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It certainly has the potential to further sour relations between ourselves and the EU if both parties stop co-operating and it ends up with either us, the EU or both taking our ball home. It needs some adult discussions and compromise from all parties for an equitable solution. In 3 months this will be sorted but the rotting fish and pigs that can't travel are issues that are more relevant to this thread. The vaccine issues are fuck all to do with our relationship with the EU unless either party makes it so, and are more relevant to the Covid political thread.
 
Ban-jani said:
I don’t doubt that for a second and I think we both agree with what’s going on, where we slightly differ is I think the EU are acting more unethical than you do, even though you don’t necessarily agree with their threats yourself.

If this was a normal business transaction over footwear, for example, I wouldn’t give two shiny shits and would be criticising the supplier too, however this is literally a matter of life and death and their actions could result in the lives of innocent Brits, when the UK hasn’t actually done anything wrong here, we’ve just moved quicker.

I think as well it’s obvious the EU would have been in a better position if they’d have moved quicker and we would be in a slightly worse place, with them getting some of that initial supply that came to us, more evenly spread.
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No, I do think they’re acting unethically. I think AstraZeneca did too though if they signed the contract they did with the Uk and didn’t make others aware of some of it at the time they subsequently signed theirs.

It’s a matter of life and death for people in the EU too remember.
 
west didsblue said:
It certainly has the potential to further sour relations between ourselves and the EU if both parties stop co-operating and it ends up with either us, the EU or both taking our ball home. It needs some adult discussions and compromise from all parties for an equitable solution. In 3 months this will be sorted but the rotting fish and pigs that can't travel are issues that are more relevant to this thread. The vaccine issues are fuck all to do with our relationship with the EU unless either party makes it so, and are more relevant to the Covid political thread.
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That’s just false, the UK government are staying out of it as much as possible, the war of words is between the CEO of AZ and the EU.

I am not saying vaccine issues are “fuck all” to do with our EU relationship, but the EU is engaging in a policy, off the back of their cock up, that could harm our citizens... I am saying it could potentially damage our relationship if they go through with it.

Also, it’s the first time I’ve been really disappointed in them, usually they’re much better than this.

The big bad EU bogeyman crap from leave has always been bollocks imo but this is actually the first time they’ve started to act like it towards us.
 
meltonblue said:
No, I do think they’re acting unethically. I think AstraZeneca did too though if they signed the contract they did with the Uk and didn’t make others aware of some of it at the time they subsequently signed theirs.

It’s a matter of life and death for people in the EU too remember.
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Absolutely agree with this.

AZ do have a duty to supply them with what they have paid for and everyday they don’t someone else dies, the point for me is the EU shouldn’t take it out on the British population as they are partly to blame for being slow to approve.
 
BobKowalski said:
Amazingly enough, you are correct.

‘UK 'must share vaccine production with EU'

www.rte.ie

EU and AstraZeneca fail to make breakthrough, says EU

The European Union and AstraZeneca have failed to make a breakthrough over delayed Covid-19 vaccine deliveries, the bloc's health chief has said.
www.rte.ie www.rte.ie
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LoL - Nothing in there about ‘dibs’ on the vaccine just wishful thinking that the EU believe that they can dictate how AZ operates its business outside of the EU.

WE DEMAND A VACCINE WE REFUSE TO AUTHORISE
 
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west didsblue said:
Why would anything the EU do cost UK lives?
AZ vaccine production for us is here in the UK. There's nothing the EU can do about diverting those supplies to them. The problem is at their Belgian plant.
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But they still want what they think is their birthright. They got to the shop and found there was a fucking queue, and they think that they should have a little bit of everyone's purchases who happen to be in front of them in same queue.
 
smudgedj said:
LoL - Nothing in the about ‘dibs’ on the vaccine just wishful thinking that the EU believe that they can dictate how AZ operates its business outside of the EU.

WE DEMAND A VACCINE WE REFUSE TO AUTHORISE
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He also seems to have missed the point that this is a disagreement between AstraZeneca and the EU.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the UK, despite him and his cronies trying to make out it is, and even less to do with Pfizer who are being threatened by the EU.
 
squirtyflower said:
He also seems to have missed the point that this is a disagreement between AstraZeneca and the EU.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the UK, despite him and his cronies trying to make out it is, and even less to do with Pfizer who are being threatened by the EU.
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The EU is just like any autocratic system, they can't adapt or accept blame, so use threats and make their situation worse.
 
I don’t really see how the AZ EU dispute is a Brexit issue tbh.
Other than the fact that two different jurisdictions had two different policies in the role out.

The thing is AZ took the money from the EU up front for the development of upping the manufacturing capacity for everyone and signed a contract, which I wouldn’t mind seeing, saying what they would supply.

I’d imagine the UK government has a similar contract worth seeing.

The EU are perfectly within their rights to sue AZ and their members would expect nothing less.

If fulfilling the EU order impacts on the UK contract being fulfilled then the UK government would be perfectly within their rights to sue AZ also, and you would expect them to.

If you want to talk about the ethics or morality of the situation then examine the private company profiting from a crisis by promising more than they can deliver and accepting the development money knowingly.
These pharmaceuticals are not in this for altruism, it’s not purely for the benefit of mankind.
Otherwise why don’t they sell the vaccine off patent. We have enough pharmaceutical companies here in Ireland that could manufacture our own, but there is less profit in that.

Britain pursued their own policy as is their right but this dispute has nothing to do with Brexit. IMO.
 
smudgedj said:
LoL - Nothing in there about ‘dibs’ on the vaccine just wishful thinking that the EU believe that they can dictate how AZ operates its business outside of the EU.

WE DEMAND A VACCINE WE REFUSE TO AUTHORISE
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Depends on the contracts and who said what to whom. It will come out in the wash at some point and someone will carry the blame.

As for dictating business, well, given AZ operates and manufactures inside the bloc it will be wary of the political realities. Never get into a public spat with the people who regulate your business or leak selective bits of a confidential contract.
 
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