Political relations between UK-EU

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ric
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I’ve had one Ford, and it was a fine. It’s often the luck of the draw.

Do you remember the old British Leyland advert with the sniffer robots?
We had a mini metro that constantly leaked, reckon the robot must have had a cold that day.

Metro's were wank. Brother in law had a black MG metro - he worked in town and parked up a side street in the Angel Meadow area and it got nicked. Two days later the thieves brought it back and parked it near to where they took it from lol
 
In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter. Just about everyone gave funding to different people to find a vaccine it's just this one in the news right now.
It was something everyone said the world should avoid, all the leaders agreed it should be a world together on this one.
That soon went out of the window.

It really is Stamping of feet.

I can't see the Demands being made to the USA right now who also are getting the same vaccines the EU are short of wherever they are made.

I do the believe though the call would go something like this.

EU. We are short of some vaccines and we DEMAND some of yours that are being delivered as you have a few more than us.

USA. Fuck off

EU. OK

The Eu wouldn’t be talking to the US about it, they’d be talking to AstraZeneca.
 
The article I quoted about was public and private and did state the latter of which you said, it also stated national funding wise, the UK was top in Europe.

Yeah but the article you quoted was about Covid research in general, that includes a shedload of things, I was just talking about the AstraZeneca vaccine.

I’m not surprised we’re at or near the top of the overall one though. We’ve got some of the best researchers and facilities in the world and have always been brilliant at funding it. Well, less so over recent years, but it turbocharged again with the pandemic.
 
The Eu wouldn’t be talking to the US about it, they’d be talking to AstraZeneca.

Meeting over.

Constructive tone in our exchange with AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot, in our Vaccine Steering Board, on deliveries of their vaccine following approval. The EU remains united & firm. Contractual obligations must be met, vaccines must be delivered to EU citizens.

We regret the continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule and request a clear plan from AstraZeneca for the fast delivery of the quantity of vaccines that we reserved for Q1. We will work with the company to find solutions and deliver vaccines rapidly for EU citizens.’
@EUCommissionHealth
 
The EU also get the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine.
There is also a supply shortfall from them.
Why no Demand for that vaccine from the USA production as well.

I imagine because Pfizer didn’t commit to use that manufacturing chain to fulfil the demand as part of their contract.
 
The EU also get the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine.
There is also a supply shortfall from them.
Why no Demand for that vaccine from the USA production as well.

Pfizer have just finished the plant upgrade and have committed to making up the shortfall from this month in February.

The upgrade was cleared by the EU.
 
Metro's were wank. Brother in law had a black MG metro - he worked in town and parked up a side street in the Angel Meadow area and it got nicked. Two days later the thieves brought it back and parked it near to where they took it from lol
All stolen cars in Manchester used to end up in that area. My brother had his Ford Capri nicked about 3 times and each time I’d drive him round Ancoats and Miles Platting till we found it.
 
Pfizer have just finished the plant upgrade and have committed to making up the shortfall from this month in February.

The upgrade was cleared by the EU.

It’s impacting everyone too isn’t it, so they clearly haven’t made similar mistakes in conflicting obligations with their supply chain.
 
I imagine because Pfizer didn’t commit to use that manufacturing chain to fulfil the demand as part of their contract.
So the same as the UK manufacturing firstly for the UK chain which as been stated both by AZ and the UK goverment. An agreement set up before the EU one.
Surely the EU does not have the right to demand the breaking of someone elses contract to resolve their own broken contract.
What if there is another production issue in 3 months.
Does the next country who were expecting their delivery to start then say production for the EU should go to them ?
Where does it end.
 
All stolen cars in Manchester used to end up in that area. My brother had his Ford Capri nicked about 3 times and each time I’d drive him round Ancoats and Miles Platting till we found it.

al lad I knew had a Vauxhall Belmont SRI that got nicked for fun. One day he watched it drive out of the car park at work in Royton - called the Police - they rang back less than an hour and told him it was on Sholver abandoned. He got a lift to go pick it up immediately and when he got there it wasn't there. Stolen twice in about 3 hrs lol
 
It’s impacting everyone too isn’t it, so they clearly haven’t made similar mistakes in conflicting obligations with their supply chain.

Agreed, I also think Pfizer being upfront and putting forward a production schedule to the EU with a view to boosting capacity long term helped. I get the impression AZ sprung this on the EU and this is accounting for the bad blood more than the shortfall itself. No one likes surprises or being made to look silly.

The EU seem determined to hold AZ to the contract as they see it and there is I guess, a possibility of trying to divert from UK production and the UK blocking it which will lead to conflict with the EU.

Hopefully, everyone will see we are in this boat together and thrash things out before everyone gets hysterical. My hopes are not high.
 
Agreed, I also think Pfizer being upfront and putting forward a production schedule to the EU with a view to boosting capacity long term helped. I get the impression AZ sprung this on the EU and this is accounting for the bad blood more than the shortfall itself. No one likes surprises or being made to look silly.

The EU seem determined to hold AZ to the contract as they see it and there is I guess, a possibility of trying to divert from UK production and the UK blocking it which will lead to conflict with the EU.

Hopefully, everyone will see we are in this boat together and thrash things out before everyone gets hysterical. My hopes are not high.

It’ll be springing it so late and also AZ saying about the agreement they signed with the Uk that prioritised the vaccines produced here to us - they should have told the EU that when they signed the contract with them if it was potentially going to cause this impact to some but not others.
 
So let me get this right. A British university developed a vaccine, with the British contributing the most to its development. Said vaccine is being manufactured by a half British company with most of it coming from a British manufacturing site. The British government then agreed and paid for a certain amount of vaccine, before it had even been approved for use. Yet the EU wants to bully their way into the supply even though they put in an order 3 months after the British and have yet to approve its use.

I am pro EU but they can go fuck themselves in this instance.
Concise and accurate summary

I saw a post earlier from @BobKowalski linking to an RTE article in the usual smug way

Hmmmm - oh dear, if only there was real world experience

"AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot told German and Italian newspapers that the UK had signed the contract with the company three months ahead of the EU and as such, supplies produced there went to the UK first.

Mr Soriot said the contract with the European Commission only committed the company to making "best efforts" to deliver vaccine doses to Europe on time, and that problems at its Belgian facility had held up supplies.

However, the EU does not appear to be buying that argument, saying that best efforts is a standard clause in any contract."


There will be a lot of posters on here, with real world experience, familiar with the issues of relying on such clauses within contracts.

EU procurement appears not only very slow and cumbersome - but not particularly robust
 
Imagine disliking your own country that much you think being proud of world changing vaccine a British institution has developed ... and being pissed off another country (well trading bloc) is trying to stop people in your country benefiting, out of spite, is jingoistic.

Pathetic, Vic, but not unexpected.

As for your team there:

Project Leader Professor Sarah Gilbert - Kettering Born and very much English

Professor Adrian Hill - Irish and been in the UK since 1982

Professor Andrew Pollard who is Director of Oxford Vaccine Group and has hands on lead with Hill, under Gilbert’s project leadership - English

Dr Alexander Douglas - British (I think?)

Regardless. They’re all heroes and I don’t care where they came from, obviously you do, but it proves that we have world leading universities and research.

That’s something to be proud of, even if you hate your country of birth.
Well said - and really needed saying

The thread title is:

Political relations between UK-EU​

And therefore you can see that this subject is very much appropriate to this thread - this could have major impact to relations between the two - and you can also easily understand why usual suspects are desperate for it to be deemed not so

Inconvenient truths are not welcome
 
The EU are basically seeing if there is anything they could ever do to make vic stop his EU obsession.
This proves Vic can’t actually come to criticise them over anything.
It’s as excruciating to see as a Matt Hancock interview.
Fuck that

No matter how bad Hancock is - he does not deserve that comparison
 
Concise and accurate summary

I saw a post earlier from @BobKowalski linking to an RTE article in the usual smug way

Hmmmm - oh dear, if only there was real world experience

"AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot told German and Italian newspapers that the UK had signed the contract with the company three months ahead of the EU and as such, supplies produced there went to the UK first.

Mr Soriot said the contract with the European Commission only committed the company to making "best efforts" to deliver vaccine doses to Europe on time, and that problems at its Belgian facility had held up supplies.

However, the EU does not appear to be buying that argument, saying that best efforts is a standard clause in any contract."


There will be a lot of posters on here, with real world experience, familiar with the issues of relying on such clauses within contracts.

EU procurement appears not only very slow and cumbersome - but not particularly robust

To be fair, you’re arguing the journalists assumption there rather than the EUs actual issue.

It’s not the elements of it that are best endeavours, it’s that they say their contract has the uk sites as the primary distributing site for their vaccine rollout in the initial stages. That’s not compatible with what AZ are saying now is causing the delay for them or with what they’ve agreed about production from those UK sites with us.

On a side note, the front pages on the telegraph and Mail are fucking stupid tomorrow and completely opportunistic misreading of the situation.
 
Meeting over.

Constructive tone in our exchange with AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot, in our Vaccine Steering Board, on deliveries of their vaccine following approval. The EU remains united & firm. Contractual obligations must be met, vaccines must be delivered to EU citizens.

We regret the continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule and request a clear plan from AstraZeneca for the fast delivery of the quantity of vaccines that we reserved for Q1. We will work with the company to find solutions and deliver vaccines rapidly for EU citizens.’
@EUCommissionHealth
Meaning, I suggest.....

The EU have now realised the 'strength' of their position - and therefore sought to cover that with a really bland statement
 
To be fair, you’re arguing the journalists assumption there rather than the EUs actual issue.

It’s not the elements of it that are best endeavours, it’s that they say their contract has the uk sites as the primary distributing site for their vaccine rollout in the initial stages. That’s not compatible with what AZ are saying now is causing the delay for them or with what they’ve agreed about production from those UK sites with us.

On a side note, the front pages on the telegraph and Mail are fucking stupid tomorrow and completely opportunistic misreading of the situation.
Nope - I am not doing anything of the sort......

I am pointing out that the pro-EU reporting 'triumphs' : "best efforts"

being secured in the contract = the EU are in a strong position;-)
 
So the same as the UK manufacturing firstly for the UK chain which as been stated both by AZ and the UK goverment. An agreement set up before the EU one.
Surely the EU does not have the right to demand the breaking of someone elses contract to resolve their own broken contract.
What if there is another production issue in 3 months.
Does the next country who were expecting their delivery to start then say production for the EU should go to them ?
Where does it end.
Very good point

And it begs an interesting question...........

Why are UK citizens so desperate to distract from the truth of what has happened here

The answer seem to lie in the need to win an argument on a football forum is sooooooo important
 

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