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The big vaccine divide: The UK’s approach is politician led while the EU’s is run by its officers –

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  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,629

    According to Euro news UVDL has gone to ground
    I thought she had just been replaced as EU Commission President (?)
  • MattW said:

    I thought she had just been replaced as EU Commission President (?)
    She may well be shortly
  • contrariancontrarian Posts: 5,818

    Re: GameStop (or whatever you call it) there was some hilarity on PB re: Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin calling for US SEC to suspend trading, because he said this was "speculating not investing" or words to that effect.

    BUT do PBers think that what Galvin is suggesting, is in fact a good idea, in this instance?

    And shorting the stock is, what?

    It ain't investing. I can tell you that much.

    And I bet there are plenty of CEOs out there, some running companies that are still very much in business, who have been victims of short seller attacks. The hedge funds short the stock, the adverse press stories about the company go round and down she goes.

    If I was the US government, I would be careful of letting the narrative the SYSTEM is rigged against you getting around a bigger audience than it already has.
  • kle4 said:

    Looks like that ward currently has 3 of the total 4 LDs on that authority - could be a tricky fight!
    If Dublin has an Irish Chinese Lord Mayor, then if they want, Bury can have an Anglo Korean councilor.
  • Would the remainiacs now refuse an EU flagged vaccine, as that would obviously be "unfairly" taking supply that was intended for one of their fellow Europeans?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 54,198

    *citation required*

    (and Bodie and Doyle will not do....)
    Quite - you'd need sign off by Cowley for it to mean anything.
  • MattW said:

    I am not sure that the comparison in the header really works, as the EU is at least reasonably similar in its role to the technocrats running things in the UK rollout.

    I am sure that when Member Countries get jabbing, national politicians will be all over it.

    Germany has done well over a million jags, how many Foto ops have German pols done?
  • RobD said:

    Including export bans? I wonder how the Pfizer CEO feels, or the Israeli government for that matter.
    The point being there has not been an export ban. Nigel is referring to the threats which are indeed just willy waving. Calmer heads will prevail.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,564

    The point being there has not been an export ban. Nigel is referring to the threats which are indeed just willy waving. Calmer heads will prevail.
    That's almost certainly true, but the same thinking would have precluded the level of waving willies even having reached this point.
  • The point being there has not been an export ban. Nigel is referring to the threats which are indeed just willy waving. Calmer heads will prevail.
    One hopes so though it's concerning in the media the calls for an export ban have been coming primarily from the Germans.

    Normally the Germans are the calmer heads on the continent. If they go off half cocked then who is the calmer head to step in and say no?
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,804
    edited January 2021

    Er, what? I'm happy to wait until older and more vulnerable Britons have been protected, but no way am I waiting until all those groups in the entire EU have been done! There's altruism, and then there's masochistic martyrdom.
    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,356
    kle4 said:

    That's almost certainly true, but the same thinking would have precluded the level of waving willies even having reached this point.
    Which was my point. I don't think the UK government has ever threatened export bans.


  • Not normally, but if this is war then we need to do what we need to do.

    If we are attacked it is.

    You lefties never got your head around MAD, did you? We should not be the aggressor but if we are struck, we should strike back.

    make it politely known that we know the EU won't attempt to steal our vaccines we've paid for because the consequences would be horrendous for everyone

    We need not play along with the histrionics and drama emanating from the Continent

    Good of you to provide some examples of histrionics and drama in the lead in.
  • It's a 2CV. Going downhill. It is already at terminal velocity.....
    Wonder if the car driver's got one of those side-mirrors that says "things may appear larger" or whatever?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,022

    I have to say that it is completely bemusing to see people who have bemoaned the problems in the UK for the past year to now that something is going smoothly (due to good planning) be immediately calling for the good work of this country to be pooled with other rich countries that tried to get through this on the cheap.

    When people were dying in the UK I don't recall suggestions the EU would or should help us?

    We absolutely should give aid to the rest of the world, starting with Africa. Getting ourselves done must be the priority.

    If the situation were reversed, there would be untold pressure on the PM to resign by now, led by those wishing us to rejoin the EU.
  • Some HYUFDesque guff emanating from this prospective Con candidate.

    https://twitter.com/CJCHowarth/status/1354854355426533379?s=20
  • contrariancontrarian Posts: 5,818
    Reuters reckons Wall Street losses from short selling could be USD70bn....
  • kinabalu said:

    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    In your world do we have to wait for Germany to vax all over 65s with Pfizer before we're allowed to vax the rest of ours with AZ?
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,356

    Reuters reckons Wall Street losses from short selling could be USD70bn....

    Wow, that's nuts!
  • One hopes so though it's concerning in the media the calls for an export ban have been coming primarily from the Germans.

    Normally the Germans are the calmer heads on the continent. If they go off half cocked then who is the calmer head to step in and say no?
    The French / Macron is normally the one having to be calmed down. He has commented on the situation?
  • BluestBlueBluestBlue Posts: 4,556
    kinabalu said:

    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,356
    Mother of God is that the needle for the covid jab? :D
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 44,094

    Neil Oliver reckons that men in the constituency Sturgeon represents have a lower average lifespan than those in sub-Saharan Africa.
    How would that tosser know from his perch in London.
  • Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905


    Are you sure that it's just the EU that has gone nuts?

    I suspect going to war over this might just kill more people than the potential deaths caused by some vaccine hiccups.
    Now, if we stop to think about what has happened so far, one might pause to reflect that (contrary to the usual stereotypes) the behaviour of our Prime Minister has been entirely reasonable, pacific and emollient. All of the hostility is emanating from parties within the EU. One gains the distinct impression that some of them want to pick an argument to distract from their own failings. So far, the Government's not biting.
  • In your world do we have to wait for Germany to vax all over 65s with Pfizer before we're allowed to vax the rest of ours with AZ?
    Do we have to wait for all the French anti vaxers to be chased down and forced into a jab before we're allowed to get on with our people?
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,356
    malcolmg said:

    How would that tosser know from his perch in London.
    I assume by looking at statistical datasets.
  • rcs1000 said:

    Early this morning, a failing chain of video game retailers, who is being beaten by Amazon and digital distribitution, which is loss making, and which is seeing its sales fall, reached a value that would have made it the sixth largest company in the FTSE100, ahead of Vodafone.

    Day traders on Robinhood discovered that if they acted in concert they could create a massive short squeeze. (GME was heavily shorted because... well, it's going to go out of business.) As the price ran, up hedge funds found that they had growing losses and were forced to close their positions by buying back stock. This sent the stock into the stratosphere.

    Smart daytraders (both of them) will have left the party at this point. Dumb ones will remain, and will lose all their money as their call options expire worthless on Feb 19, as the number of real buyers of GME stock at (checks price) $250 is... ummm.... zero.
    That is perhaps a little unfair to GameStop.

    Yes they had been failing but the effective takeover by the Chewy founder and the plans to move far more online combined with the Microsoft deal meant that by the beginning of this year they were in a much better position. Indeed the Shorters had been desperately trying to drive the share price down unsuccessfully. They were trying to break a company that had probably turned the corner in order to defend their earlier short positions.

    Personally I am very glad they have had their fingers burnt and it would be nice to see GameStop now move into a sustainable position again.
  • FossFoss Posts: 1,394
    kinabalu said:

    A natural enough impulse but the decision makers will hopefully be more far-sighted. From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs. This must be more than a platitude on the global vaccination. It must be the guiding spirit. Otherwise forget about getting out of this before many more years have passed.
    Why would the EU (median income €1,695 pm) be more deserving of that than Algeria (median income €275 (ish) pm)?
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,804

    In your world do we have to wait for Germany to vax all over 65s with Pfizer before we're allowed to vax the rest of ours with AZ?
    No. Of course not.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,356
    Not surprising after five years of constant grievance.
  • Do we have to wait for all the French anti vaxers to be chased down and forced into a jab before we're allowed to get on with our people?
    Or de we just gratefully wait as for long as it takes for our benevolent overlords in Brussels to give us permission to continue?
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 44,094
    Carnyx said:

    Much of the Glasgow effect - in Glasgow as a whole, not Govan specifrically - is generally ascribed to long-term factors dating back decades (ie long before the Scottish Pmt was reconvened, let alone the SNP became a government). And it would help of the Conservatives didn't persistently obstruct initiatives such as smoking controls, alcohol price control, and now drug initiatives. Even one of our resident Scots unionist Tories is unhappy about the UK Gmt's policy on drugs, which has caused an unedifying snarl with the SG.
    Also like all big cities in UK it is limited to specific areas , perhaps the clowns should look at Bearsden or similar where it is at least as good as the best of UK.
    Typical sneering jessie boys on here who know nothing of Scotland, true products of poor education.
  • RobD said:

    Not surprising after five years of constant grievance.
    I don't think PB Tories have that much (any) influence!
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,804

    Reuters reckons Wall Street losses from short selling could be USD70bn....

    Will surely lead to reforms. Something very wrong there.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 51,106
    Graham Brady will tonight appear together with Richard Tice and Toby Young to propose that “the lockdown was a mistake”, at the Cambridge Union debate. Opposing will be Layla Moran, Laura Spinney and Phil Whitaker.

    The live stream is here, starts in an hour’s time:

    https://cus.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=10521&qid=9590356
  • BluestBlueBluestBlue Posts: 4,556
    edited January 2021
    Can you imagine how many new business cards GameStop executives just ordered for themselves?
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,356

    I don't think PB Tories have that much (any) influence!
    What, you were expecting people to say the relationship was stronger or something?
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 22,100
    Could GameStop now borrow money and buy Reddit?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,564
    IanB2 said:

    Graham Brady will tonight appear together with Richard Tice and Toby Young to propose that “the lockdown was a mistake”, at the Cambridge Union debate. Opposing will be Layla Moran, Laura Spinney and Phil Whitaker.

    The live stream is here, starts in an hour’s time:

    https://cus.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=10521&qid=9590356

    Here's hoping they use actual arguments, say on wider costs or liberty, rather than fiddle figures to pretend there's no problem.
  • contrariancontrarian Posts: 5,818
    RobD said:

    Wow, that's nuts!
    Its gets trickier,

    Its a matter of record from her disclosures that the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has garnered millions in speaking engagements from Wall Street firms before her appointment. Perfectly legal of course, but some are caught up in this.....


  • Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,981
    edited January 2021

    Now, if we stop to think about what has happened so far, one might pause to reflect that (contrary to the usual stereotypes) the behaviour of our Prime Minister has been entirely reasonable, pacific and emollient. All of the hostility is emanating from parties within the EU. One gains the distinct impression that some of them want to pick an argument to distract from their own failings. So far, the Government's not biting.
    I agree. Boris has been the very embodiment of calmness and restraint. Of course, he will have calculated that there's no longer an ounce of political capital to be gained from firing up the euro-phobes. He's now looking elsewhere - towards Biden, the Green agenda and preserving the Union.
  • BluestBlueBluestBlue Posts: 4,556
    kle4 said:

    Here's hoping they use actual arguments, say on wider costs or liberty, rather than fiddle figures to pretend there's no problem.
    One can only hope that all participants will be polite enough not to mention the Cambridge vaccine.
  • kinabalu said:

    No. Of course not.
    You said it was right for us to divert our vaccines to the EU until all their priority groups are done.

    You want us to make a special case against Germany?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,564

    Its gets trickier,

    Its a matter of record from her disclosures that the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has garnered millions in speaking engagements from Wall Street firms before her appointment. Perfectly legal of course, but some are caught up in this.....


    What is it about Wall Street firms and indeed big companies globally, that they like paying people to speak to them. I don't know who was paying for it, but Theresa May has made millions doing it apparently.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,620
    edited January 2021

    Some HYUFDesque guff emanating from this prospective Con candidate.

    https://twitter.com/CJCHowarth/status/1354854355426533379?s=20

    Hmm, Mr J doesn't seem to have gone to any fishing ports for a nice photo op with some crabs and a fridge nearby. Or have I missed anything?
  • YBarddCwscYBarddCwsc Posts: 7,172
    Leon said:

    The death figures today:


    Germany: 372
    Italy 492
    Poland: 389
    Netherlands: 83
    Portugal: 303:

    Spain and France will be in the same ~500 ballpark

    Meanwhile

    UK: 1,239


    The idea that, in this dire national situation, we should be diverting vaccines made in Britain, designed by Britons, funded by Britons, and legally contracted to Britain, to continental Europeans - who merely fucked up their vaccine ordering, and are anyway suffering LESS - is just utterly surreal. I cannot get my head into the mindset of people who think like this.

    It is a kind of treachery - or self hatred - or madness. Or all three


    " ...designed by Britons ...."

    That is nonsense. Prof Sarah Gilbert is British, but her team in Oxford includes scientists & postdocs from all over the world.

    It is very nice that AZ are making this available at cost to the world. But, it is also a reflection of the international nature of modern science.

    The vaccine was not "designed by Britons", it was designed by a team of scientists (led by a Briton). At least 2 of the scientists in the team are Irish.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 44,094
    edited January 2021
    RobD said:

    I assume by looking at statistical datasets.
    Yawn
    PS Did the smart arse miss this one:
    It means that a typical boy growing up in the most deprived pockets of Britain, such as Jaywick in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex – the most deprived neighbourhood in England Wales – can expect to live a full active life only until he is 52.1 years old
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 43,330
    edited January 2021
    RobD said:

    What, you were expecting people to say the relationship was stronger or something?
    I'm not expecting anything, it's a poll giving information.

    On that basis and on the approximate assumption that you want the relationship to become stronger, what are your suggestions for the next five years? Shutting your eyes, singing lalala and hoping that the nasty, grievance mongering Natz shut up and go away doesn't count.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,838
    kle4 said:

    What is it about Wall Street firms and indeed big companies globally, that they like paying people to speak to them. I don't know who was paying for it, but Theresa May has made millions doing it apparently.
    It's like having expensive works of art in their headquarters. Being able to exhibit an original 'Strong and Stable' is a status symbol.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,782


    " ...designed by Britons ...."

    That is nonsense. Prof Sarah Gilbert is British, but her team in Oxford includes scientists & postdocs from all over the world.

    It is very nice that AZ are making this available at cost to the world. But, it is also a reflection of the international nature of modern science.

    The vaccine was not "designed by Britons", it was designed by a team of scientists (led by a Briton). At least 2 of the scientists in the team are Irish.
    OK, designed by a team led by a Briton working at a British university. WTF is the difference to my point?
  • Carnyx said:

    Hmm, Mr J doesn't seem to have gone to any fishing ports for a nice photo op with some crabs and a fridge nearby. Or have I missed anything?
    Off the agenda for a very long time.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,620

    Off the agenda for a very long time.
    Off the menu, you mean, surely. But it would seem like it. I woiuldn';t be surprised if the Tories lose the Borders/Berwickshire now, not to mention other seats in the NE coastlands.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 79,227
    kinabalu said:

    Will surely lead to reforms. Something very wrong there.
    Capitalism all well and good till THEY take a hit ?
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,804
    Foss said:

    Why would the EU (median income €1,695 pm) be more deserving of that than Algeria (median income €275 (ish) pm)?
    They're not. Every person is equally deserving of getting protection against Covid. And that must be the guiding spirit if we are to maximize our chances of ending this nightmare in the near term.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,331

    Off the agenda for a very long time.
    Have they not been able to rustle up enough happy British fish for a good photo op?
  • YBarddCwscYBarddCwsc Posts: 7,172
    edited January 2021
    Leon said:

    OK, designed by a team led by a Briton working at a British university. WTF is the difference to my point?
    From their web-page:

    "This study is a collaborative project which would not have been possible without the support of our partners. This work receives funding from the rapid research response funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and by the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR have also provided funding for the set-up of the project through the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The study has received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) as part of an urgent call to expand the number of COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development. Funding has also been received from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Innovation Fund for Medical Science (CIFMS). The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’ (Principal Investigator Prof. S. S. Vasan) is led by Australia’s science agency CSIRO for ‘High Containment Studies to Support Product Development’ for CEPI.

    Preclinical testing of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine is being conducted in collaboration with our partners: Rocky Mountain Laboratories (NIH/NIAID); The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’; Public Health England; The Pirbright Institute; Prof. Dr. Stephen Becker at the Institut für Virologie, Philipps University, Marburg. Manufacturing for the current and future clinical trials is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Oxford Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, Advent Srl (Italy) and SGS Vitrology (Glasgow). Development and scale-up of manufacturing to produce millions of doses is being carried out in partnership with the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (Oxford), Pall Biotech (Portsmouth), Cobra Biologics (Staffordshire), Halix BV (Netherlands), and Oxford Biomedica."

    In Leon-speak, it is British.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 59,383
    edited January 2021

    That is perhaps a little unfair to GameStop.

    Yes they had been failing but the effective takeover by the Chewy founder and the plans to move far more online combined with the Microsoft deal meant that by the beginning of this year they were in a much better position. Indeed the Shorters had been desperately trying to drive the share price down unsuccessfully. They were trying to break a company that had probably turned the corner in order to defend their earlier short positions.

    Personally I am very glad they have had their fingers burnt and it would be nice to see GameStop now move into a sustainable position again.
    Hmmm.

    PC games are now almost entirely sold on-line - and Steam is the number one player there, and Epic a distant second. Where is GameStop?

    In consoles, Microsoft and Sony are now trying to get people paying monthly subscriptions (and are succeeding). Physical console game sales will - inevitably - be more expensive those delivered directly over the Internet.

    And then there are products like Stadia and GeForce Now and Amazon's game streaming service.

    Right now, GameStop is briefly benefiting from the launch of new consoles. But what's their long term competitive advantage? Especially as they are already loss making, and can't match the investments made by other players.

    They're Radio Shack.

    I have no love or loathing for short sellers. But I struggle to see a long term winning strategy for GameStop.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 5,597
    Carnyx said:

    Off the menu, you mean, surely. But it would seem like it. I woiuldn';t be surprised if the Tories lose the Borders/Berwickshire now, not to mention other seats in the NE coastlands.
    They can kiss their chances of winning Argyll & Bute goodbye as well.
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 11,480

    A few months back remainiacs were speculating that we would get vaccine holdups because of Brexit traffic jams. I offered to bet with any of those people that there would be precisely zero vaccines lost due to Brexit traffic. I predicted that the army would be brought in for vaccine rollout logistics. I said that the only way that we would lose any of our vaccine supply was if the EU or member states blocked that supply. I was called a fecking idiot for suggesting there was any chance that the EU would ever do this.

    Nostradamus! Is it you!?
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,924

    Would the remainiacs now refuse an EU flagged vaccine, as that would obviously be "unfairly" taking supply that was intended for one of their fellow Europeans?

    No but some local over 80s on a local forum i occasionally visit said the other day they wanted Oxford vaccine because it would be better because it was English.

    Good luck with that one.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    edited January 2021
    As Rob Ford has said, taking the vaccine almost certainly doesn't do any harm, even if it doesn't work. The problem is the controversy in Germany has given the impression to a lot of people that it might do.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,422
    edited January 2021
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 44,094
    malcolmg said:

    Yawn
    PS Did the smart arse miss this one:
    It means that a typical boy growing up in the most deprived pockets of Britain, such as Jaywick in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex – the most deprived neighbourhood in England Wales – can expect to live a full active life only until he is 52.1 years old
    @RobD
    Cat got your tongue now Rob, no smart quips on my example of Tory brilliance
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,356
    malcolmg said:

    @RobD
    Cat got your tongue now Rob, no smart quips on my example of Tory brilliance
    Yawn about using statistics? How else would someone reach that conclusion?

    And I don't think finding another example disproves the statistic.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,814
    kamski said:

    I thought nobody has seen the contracts, but if that is true shouldn't AZN have told the EU when they made the order?
    That would appear to explain why the EU contract is 'best efforts', and does not include a similar stipulation. That's fair by AZN.

    It also explains why some supply from AZN's continental plants may well have gone to the UK initially - it all adds up to completing the UK order so that all production sites, including UK ones, can then be used to meet other orders.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,620

    Have they not been able to rustle up enough happy British fish for a good photo op?

    They can kiss their chances of winning Argyll & Bute goodbye as well.
    I am actually really taken aback by the complete neglect of the fishpersons who were invariably on the menu every time Mr J or Mr Gove ventured north of Carter Bar. If this continues, it will be a real smack in the face with a monkfish tail. And that isn't a joke.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 10,796

    Do we have to wait for all the French anti vaxers to be chased down and forced into a jab before we're allowed to get on with our people?
    We should make money out of the anti vaxxers make them wear a badge and enable hunting with dart guns. Just charge for the hunting licence
  • Omnium said:

    Nostradamus! Is it you!?
    I've possibly made one or two predictions that haven't come true. So maybe!
  • Anyone notice the huge testing number ?

    Over 771k yesterday plus 46k anti-body tests:

    https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/testing
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,804

    You said it was right for us to divert our vaccines to the EU until all their priority groups are done.

    You want us to make a special case against Germany?
    I didn't. You're being anal. I'm saying we must avoid a nationalistic "competition" approach to vaccination. We need a guiding MO of pragmatic collectivism. If everyone here is done and nobody in France - say - this is a failure. It might be their failure but so what. Their failure is everyone's. We need an internationalist approach. The point is even more obvious with poorer countries. It's not altruism. It's the only way to get out of this.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,620
    Pagan2 said:

    We should make money out of the anti vaxxers make them wear a badge and enable hunting with dart guns. Just charge for the hunting licence
    What exactly is in the darts? Homeopathic stuff?
  • kinabalu said:

    I didn't. You're being anal. I'm saying we must avoid a nationalistic "competition" approach to vaccination. We need a guiding MO of pragmatic collectivism. If everyone here is done and nobody in France - say - this is a failure. It might be their failure but so what. Their failure is everyone's. We need an internationalist approach. The point is even more obvious with poorer countries. It's not altruism. It's the only way to get out of this.
    Perhaps some other countries might like to invest in research and production then.
  • Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    Andy_JS said:

    As Rob Ford has said, taking the vaccine almost certainly doesn't do any harm, even if it doesn't work. The problem is the controversy in Germany has given the impression to a lot of people that it might do.

    Given that the German regulator expressly hasn't said "It's poison - don't use it!" the likelihood of such damage appears limited.

    Beyond that, we'll have the necessary data on efficacy in the olds in the near future which, unless it really does reveal the jab to be useless (which logic dictates is somewhat unlikely,) should help matters.
  • kinabalu said:

    I didn't. You're being anal. I'm saying we must avoid a nationalistic "competition" approach to vaccination. We need a guiding MO of pragmatic collectivism. If everyone here is done and nobody in France - say - this is a failure. It might be their failure but so what. Their failure is everyone's. We need an internationalist approach. The point is even more obvious with poorer countries. It's not altruism. It's the only way to get out of this.
    Our government has paid seven times more per capita than the apparently wealthier and more powerful EU to get our citizens - who are still dying far faster than our ill-prepared neighbours - vaccinated first, and you want us to give it away to them?

    Pure, unadulterated remainia.
  • That is perhaps a little unfair to GameStop.

    Yes they had been failing but the effective takeover by the Chewy founder and the plans to move far more online combined with the Microsoft deal meant that by the beginning of this year they were in a much better position. Indeed the Shorters had been desperately trying to drive the share price down unsuccessfully. They were trying to break a company that had probably turned the corner in order to defend their earlier short positions.

    Personally I am very glad they have had their fingers burnt and it would be nice to see GameStop now move into a sustainable position again.
    I'll be very surprised if Gamestop survives longterm.

    Just don't see a profitable online business for it, not when direct online sales and distribution hubs like Steam exist then I'm not sure what room for margin there is for the likes of Game or Gamestop.

    Then again Game have already managed to survive a few years past what originally looked likely here.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,022

    Anyone notice the huge testing number ?

    Over 771k yesterday plus 46k anti-body tests:

    https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/testing

    That’s more than 1% of the population tested yesterday!
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 10,796
    kinabalu said:

    I didn't. You're being anal. I'm saying we must avoid a nationalistic "competition" approach to vaccination. We need a guiding MO of pragmatic collectivism. If everyone here is done and nobody in France - say - this is a failure. It might be their failure but so what. Their failure is everyone's. We need an internationalist approach. The point is even more obvious with poorer countries. It's not altruism. It's the only way to get out of this.
    total bollocks its not our failure if the french dont get vaccinated it is their failure and the eu failing...
  • GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 22,867
    Omnium said:

    Nostradamus! Is it you!?
    Never predicted any good news did he? Anyone else notice that? Was always doom and gloom...

    Nostradamus that is not TredDifficle... ;)
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 59,383
    Foss said:

    Why would the EU (median income €1,695 pm) be more deserving of that than Algeria (median income €275 (ish) pm)?
    Well, if the Germans and the French and the Italians buy more British goods, then there is an economic self interest case for helping them before those in the Third World.

    On the other hand, if you want straight morality (and given the EU does actually have plenty of orders for vaccines, they're just a bit late), then helping the third world, perhaps via Covax, makes a lot of sense.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 20,454
    A day's respite for the English. Phew!

    A really smart move. Sir John Curtice on Ch4 News is describing him as a recruiting sergeant for the SNP.

    When the referendum was on I went up to Scotland to stay with relatives who were passionately anti independence. They are now pro which is extraordinary.

    Keep the old ship rolling Boris......
  • another_richardanother_richard Posts: 27,518
    edited January 2021
    Has this been mentioned:

    Vaccinations by ethnicity:

    H: Asian or Asian British - Indian 146,075 + 12,530 = 158,605
    J: Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 46,922+ 3,056 = 49,978
    K: Asian or Asian British - Bangladeshi 14,145 + 855 = 15,000
    L: Asian or Asian British - Any other Asian background 71,157 + 5,029 = 76,186

    Unless I'm missing some explanation that looks waaaay too few of Pakistani and Bangladeshi in proportion than should be expected.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,804
    edited January 2021

    No way - we get all our people done first and then we can be as generous to the rest of the world as we like. Making younger people wait any longer than they are due to already would be a catastrophic mistake, and I hope the government won't be stupid enough to make it.
    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 10,796
    Carnyx said:

    What exactly is in the darts? Homeopathic stuff?
    We can stick if az stuff as it seems we will have enough in a few months
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 59,383

    From their web-page:

    "This study is a collaborative project which would not have been possible without the support of our partners. This work receives funding from the rapid research response funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and by the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR have also provided funding for the set-up of the project through the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The study has received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) as part of an urgent call to expand the number of COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development. Funding has also been received from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Innovation Fund for Medical Science (CIFMS). The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’ (Principal Investigator Prof. S. S. Vasan) is led by Australia’s science agency CSIRO for ‘High Containment Studies to Support Product Development’ for CEPI.

    Preclinical testing of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine is being conducted in collaboration with our partners: Rocky Mountain Laboratories (NIH/NIAID); The ‘CSIROxbridge Consortium’; Public Health England; The Pirbright Institute; Prof. Dr. Stephen Becker at the Institut für Virologie, Philipps University, Marburg. Manufacturing for the current and future clinical trials is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Oxford Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, Advent Srl (Italy) and SGS Vitrology (Glasgow). Development and scale-up of manufacturing to produce millions of doses is being carried out in partnership with the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (Oxford), Pall Biotech (Portsmouth), Cobra Biologics (Staffordshire), Halix BV (Netherlands), and Oxford Biomedica."

    In Leon-speak, it is British.
    Is it me, or is there a distinct lack of Welsh names there?
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 10,796
    rcs1000 said:

    Well, if the Germans and the French and the Italians buy more British goods, then there is an economic self interest case for helping them before those in the Third World.

    On the other hand, if you want straight morality (and given the EU does actually have plenty of orders for vaccines, they're just a bit late), then helping the third world, perhaps via Covax, makes a lot of sense.
    We should help those who cant themselves before we help those that could but chose not to. That is the moral thing to do....
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,022
    Heading for Northolt, which explains the BAe146 - as opposed to the usual A330 tanker thingy with the fancy paint job, which can’t land there.
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 11,480
    GIN1138 said:

    Never predicted any good news did he? Anyone else notice that? Was always doom and gloom...

    Nostradamus that is not TredDifficle... ;)
    You're right - FredDifficule is the man!
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 10,796
    kinabalu said:

    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    Only in europe and they made their bed so they are welcome to lie in it. We just shut the border to eu nationals till they sort themselves out and nothing of value is lost
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    edited January 2021
    kinabalu said:

    I didn't. You're being anal. I'm saying we must avoid a nationalistic "competition" approach to vaccination. We need a guiding MO of pragmatic collectivism. If everyone here is done and nobody in France - say - this is a failure. It might be their failure but so what. Their failure is everyone's. We need an internationalist approach. The point is even more obvious with poorer countries. It's not altruism. It's the only way to get out of this.
    Yes it is their failure and it is their responsibility to prevent themselves from failing, to take responsibility for their actions and to do better.

    In this country the vaccine should be used to eliminate the virus. Once that's done people can get back to work, stop shielding, lift restrictions and rebuild businesses that have been shuttered. That is the only way to get out of this.

    After we're out of this we can assist others in catching up with us.

    For someone like Ms Cyclefree who is struggling to keep alive her bar why the hell should we keep her under restrictions or worse closed while we ship our vaccines to France because they failed to buy enough? We need to look after ourselves then get on with charity.
  • Roger said:

    A day's respite for the English. Phew!

    A really smart move. Sir John Curtice on Ch4 News is describing him as a recruiting sergeant for the SNP.

    When the referendum was on I went up to Scotland to stay with relatives who were passionately anti independence. They are now pro which is extraordinary.

    Keep the old ship rolling Boris......

    When are you going to turn the honourable member for Edinburgh South?
  • kinabalu said:

    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    Can we assume you will decline the vaccination so that people at higher risk throughout the world can receive if first ?
  • kinabalu said:

    If all countries follow that template it will prolong the pandemic.
    No, it won't.

    If all countries sort themselves out and aid those who can't help themselves it will end the pandemic swiftly.

    When countries that could look after themselves aren't bothering to do so, that will prolong the pandemic.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 10,796
    I like the fact that most of those calling us xenophobic bigots are complaining at the people who are saying morally it it better to help the third world that european nations.....the thought occurs they are total hypocritical bigots
This discussion has been closed.