EU's Chucked Its Dollies

[Protheroe]

There you have it folks - the standard bearer of vaccine nationalism is the EU.

Export controls? Oh my days.

In a single stroke the EU has managed to piss off virtually every other economic and political bloc in the world. There is a true coach-crash quality to the EU’s reaction to being outfoxed by the UK on vaccine procurement. The commission’s pram has been dramatically emptied of all its toys.

I can't understand why the EU hasn't just bought Sinovac after sucking up to the Hong Kong bashers / Uighur murderers for months.

EDIT:
As part of its plot to block vaccine exports to the UK, the EU has invoked Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol. This has effectively removed Northern Ireland from the EU’s customs. In plain English, Article 16, the so-called safeguard clause, allows both the EU and the UK to unilaterally suspend part of the Northern Ireland Protocol (which keeps Northern Ireland in the EU’s customs territory) in specific circumstances.

Most discussion around this particular article had been how or whether the UK would use it. The fact that the EU has implemented it less than a month after coming into effect could set a big precedent.

Practically this new EU-imposed hard border won’t make a huge difference as Northern Ireland will receive their jabs via Great Britain, but this political move is extraordinary, after a week of terrible news for the Union. After years of arguing to keep Northern Ireland in its customs territory, the EU has just merrily kicked it out. Did someone mention cherry picking…

[Cunninghamismagic]

The EU showing its true colours I'm afraid.

[Malcolm Tucker]

Intrigued to see how people try and defend this...

[JOK]

U.K. government threaten to unilaterally override an agreement on N.I = Very, Very bad. Pages if outcry.

E.U. Actually overrides an agreement = Fine, nothing to see here. No comment!


A bit like the Mahmoud thread. 

Tory alleged to be a Racist, homophobic and misogynistic = despicable human being.
Lefty is actually on record as such = deathly silence from the boards usual morality police and virtue signallers.

Strange that.
Still, how terrible we can’t buy in cheap second rate footballers from Latvia.

[Borin' Baggie]

U.K. government threaten to unilaterally override an agreement on N.I = Very, Very bad. Pages if outcry.

E.U. Actually overrides an agreement = Fine, nothing to see here. No comment!


A bit like the Mahmoud thread. 

Tory alleged to be a Racist, homophobic and misogynistic = despicable human being.
Lefty is actually on record as such = deathly silence from the boards usual morality police and virtue signallers.

Strange that.
Still, how terrible we can’t buy in cheap second rate footballers from Latvia.

Complains about virtue signallers and morality police while virtue signalling and policing morality.

[Logic1]

The EU was set up so that countries could work together to solve problems and eliminate conflict between European Nations. In order to fight a pandemic you have to work together. As soon as we left, the conflict has now started. That's what happens when you start to put up barriers between one another.

[Borin' Baggie]

The EU was set up so that countries could work together to solve problems and eliminate conflict between European Nations. In order to fight a pandemic you have to work together. As soon as we left, the conflict has now started. That's what happens when you start to put up barriers between one another.

Seriously? The Commission ballsed up with their negotiations with AstraZeneca and now they're scrambling to retaliate so as to blame someone other than themselves. You don't need to be anti-EU to see that.

[Logic1]

The EU was set up so that countries could work together to solve problems and eliminate conflict between European Nations. In order to fight a pandemic you have to work together. As soon as we left, the conflict has now started. That's what happens when you start to put up barriers between one another.

Seriously? The Commission ballsed up with their negotiations with AstraZeneca and now they're scrambling to retaliate so as to blame someone other than themselves. You don't need to be anti-EU to see 

You've just proved my point. Now that the UK has left, countries start to act and do things unilaterally focusing on their own self interest. That creates conflict which leads to the erection of trade barriers and everyone loses. In other contexts it could lead to war as it did in the past. Sadly, the UK is now isolated so if this leads to a trade war the bigger market always wins and that will be the EU.

[Borin' Baggie]

The UK being exposed to EU politicking by being outside the Customs Union doesn't validate their aggressive behaviour and nor does it validate the Commission's fuck up with negotiations.

[Logic1]

The UK being exposed to EU politicking by being outside the Customs Union doesn't validate their aggressive behaviour and nor does it validate the Commission's fuck up with negotiations.

I'm not validating their behaviour. It is entirely predictable and even more so given that La Pen is a real threat to Macron. The broader point is this, if we were in the EU, would they be able to put up export controls? I think not. And when we signed that deal, we were actually in the EU. It's very sad that it's come to this but all entirely predictable. We've been out of the EU for about 4 weeks and we now have our first trade conflict. I expect this to blow over as it seems like lots of vaccine will become available. However, I expect similar trade disputes, like this, to arise in the future. All completely needless and it makes everyone worse off.

Still, at least the fish are happy.