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A thank you to Brexiteers.

Before we swiftly try and change the subject I'd like to quote you the words of the President of the European Commission

“I am aware that alone a country can be a speedboat, while the EU is more like a tanker” .

“Before concluding a contract with a pharmaceutical company, the 27 member states had five full days to say whether they agreed or not.

“This naturally delays the process.

Ursula von der Leyen

Forget that 5-days, she should explain why it took the EU almost 3 months to approve the deal with AZ, that the 'Inclusive Vaccine Alliance' (Germany, Holland, France and Italy) had already arranged, before the EU took over negotiations.
 
Forget that 5-days, she should explain why it took the EU almost 3 months to approve the deal with AZ, that the 'Inclusive Vaccine Alliance' (Germany, Holland, France and Italy) had already arranged, before the EU took over negotiations.
Mainly objections from Spain, Portugal, and Greece amongst others, that the 'Inclusive Vaccine Alliance' wasn't as inclusive as its name suggested and that they would get first dibs on the vaccines. As I recall a deal was done; the procurement team would be led/chaired by one of the IVA and that the IVA could order more vaccines on top of the EU procurement but the EU procurement had to be delivered first (or at least a tranche of it ). Of course, both the UK and US were kilometres down the road by then despite the EU paying up front development and research costs to suppliers.
 
Loads of shit bands get to play the US, so want to try again?
man-shooting-himself-in-the-foot-picture-id1063767214
 
Have a couple more than 3 or 4, but my dinner's getting cold:

We got rid of pig fucker and his poodle and they took their austerity with them.

All vulnerable people who want one have had a vaccine which stops them from being dead – it’s a repeat, but a real crowd pleaser among those who like being alive.

We're no longer part of a supra-national state that has a judiciary, parliament, an executive, an economic policy, a currency, a foreign and defence policy and a diplomatic service.

Live animal exports are no longer a thing.

We now allow equal access to residency in the UK to people from non-European nations as we do to those from European nations (except Ireland, of course).

A united Ireland looks an odds-on certainty.

The UK will not be drawn in to being part of a Euro military calamity force.
So how does any of that that positively impact on people's day to days lives, and is it worth the vast sums of money that have been skunked in making Brexit happen (and throwing touring musicians and the art industry under the bus). And not forgetting, of course, how Brexit fuelled xenophobia and racism.
 
there are degrees of shitness.
Could you get to the point please?

Europe is - or rather was - a great place for smaller bands to tour. It was relatively easy and cheap to get to with minimum hassle, so you could play tours on a shoestring, promote the band, sell merch and even come back with a few quid in your pocket.

None of that applies to touring America.
 
Putting the pressing issue of traveling musicians ( and the arts industry) on one side, this is tonights EU statement on covid 19 and the vaccines.

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We underline the importance of transparency as well as of the use of export authorisations. We recognise the importance of global value chains and reaffirm that companies must ensure predictability of their vaccine production and respect contractual delivery deadlines.

What do these bits mean?

Do "contractual delivery deadlines" apply to the vaccines contracted and paid for by the UK and produced in the EU?

Does this mean that the EU won't impede these with export controls?
 
What do these bits mean?

Do "contractual delivery deadlines" apply to the vaccines contracted and paid for by the UK and produced in the EU?

Does this mean that the EU won't impede these with export controls?

It's politicians trying to look like they're doing something while the companies are doing their best to supply as much as possible. For a change politicians aren't helping much.
 
What do these bits mean?

Do "contractual delivery deadlines" apply to the vaccines contracted and paid for by the UK and produced in the EU?

Does this mean that the EU won't impede these with export controls?
I think it means that they are hedging their bets tbh. They've had talks with the UK , nothing much happened and at the moment anyway a number of EU states have fallen short of backing export bans.
 
This bloke Georg Von Harrach is a good follow on Twitter for EU issues. He's to the point, factual and reliable.



and heres Von Leyens slide re exports

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What’s the actual difference between an exclusive deal and an export ban?

Greater than 15million doses from the look of it. The whole Eu situation is in danger of bogging down. AZ may be an Anglo Swedish company but India is vital to the firm. that the export ban I'd concentrate on if I was Knightbridge Circle. The ramp up projected there was from 70 to 100 and the Indians want 15more of it
 
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Just a couple of snippets that I've just seen on RTP , the Portuguese BBC equivalent.

According to the Portuguese Prime Minister, Commissioner Thierry Breton will, at the same time, do everything to “ enforce the contracts that are signed, using all instruments , including the export ban, if necessary, but safeguarding always the supply chains that are essential to ensure the smooth functioning of the industry, both in Europe and outside Europe ”.

António Costa took the opportunity to stress that Europe has distinguished itself as the economic area that has exported the most vaccines , namely within the scope of the Covax program, applied in developing countries in Africa or in South America. South.

The path is not made in a trade war, in a blockade war . On the contrary, it is done by mobilizing a common effort to face this common challenge ”, he considered.


António Costa explained that the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, will visit Portugal to "organize at scale European effort to increase the production capacity "of vaccines.


Asked about the possibility of lifting patents, the leader of the Portuguese Government replied that this “is not an issue that is on the table, because the block in the production of vaccines is not in a discussion about patent ownership or licensing, it is really in the industrial capacity to use what is patented to increase production ”.

The first bit is Costa (ie Portugal) going along with the EU but clearly indicating that there is a difference on export bans. The last two bits are interesting as they suggest in my view an expansion of production sites across the EU
 
Having such a contract is an export ban. It's just that it isn't statutory.

It's a bit more complex than that. The entire UK procurement strategy with AstraZeneca has been professionally managed and invested in, with contracts locked-down in English law; whilst the EU's has been half-arsed, unprofessional, and contracted in wishy-washy Belgian law. The EU are now desperately trying to save face by pretending the UK's the bad guy when they've really just been utterly shit legally, and completely craven individually in trying to destroy confidence in the AZ vaccine to cover up their failings.

Legally and morally the EU are fucked on this so they either need to fall back on dirty shit tactics like export bans, or come to an agreement with the UK. The latter would likely be possible (no real need to vaccinate 20 year olds in Britain when 70 year olds in France haven't had it) but they've done such a good smear job on AZ that a lot of Europeans don't want that jab now anyway, so the EU look a bit like the bald bloke fighting over a comb.

Good piece on it here.

#benefitsofbrexit
 
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It's a bit more complex than that. The entire UK procurement strategy with AstraZeneca has been professionally managed and invested in, with contracts locked-down in English law; whilst the EU's has been half-arsed, unprofessional, and contracted in wishy-washy Belgian law. The EU are now desperately trying to save face by pretending the UK's the bad guy when they've really just been utterly shit legally, and completely craven individually in trying to destroy confidence in the AZ vaccine to cover up their failings.

Legally and morally the EU are fucked on this so they either need to fall back on dirty shit tactics like export bans, or come to an agreement with the UK. The latter would likely be possible (no real need to vaccinate 20 year olds in Britain when 70 year olds in France haven't had it) but they've done such a good smear job on AZ that a lot of Europeans don't want that jab now anyway, so the EU look a bit like the bald bloke fighting over a comb.

Good piece on it here.

#benefitsofbrexit
Your opening line promised so much. But then it was just some quite-possibly-fair criticism of the EU, to the tune of Land of Hope and Glory. Can you explain why you think it's more complicated than contractual export ban = export ban?
 
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Your opening line promised so much. But then it was just some quite-possibly-fair criticism of the EU, to the tune of Land of Hope and Glory. Can you explain why you think it's more complicated than contractual export ban = export ban?
Lol. Point out that another nation or the EU has got something right and it’s credit where it’s due. Do the same with the U.K. and it’s Land of Hope and Glory flag waving!

As above, the difference is legal and diplomatic and regards intent. The intent of the U.K. contract was to secure a given amount of supplies from AZ. Once they’ve delivered the contracted amount they’re free to give the rest to whoever they like. In contrast to an export ban, AstraZeneca are, now, free to export any amount they produce in excess of their staged commitments. So pretty much like every contract that’s ever been written by anyone who knew what they were doing. The intent of any EU export ban would be to retrospectively prevent the delivery of legally binding contracts (UK has one with Pfizer Biontech too) to cover up their procurement failings and point the finger elsewhere. This is what Jean Claude Juncker and others are criticising UvdL and the commission for so sharply at the moment.
 
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