Just read the blog from David Allen Green (remainer lawyer) on this and the first thing he noticed was the same as what @Sean_F noticed that the EU contract was with AstraZeneca AB of Sweden, not the parent. This seems extremely basic to me because AZ AB would be a buyer of vaccine doses from AZ plc not the owner of the manufactured doses. I don't understand why anyone would get such a serious contract with a subsidiary rather than the parent, it's really very basic, you make the parent take on the liability, always.
It actually does feel like one of those ideological decisions taken by the commission to support the "European" part of AZ rather than the British parent company, which would be absolutely hilarious given the accusations Boris got of not signing up to the doomed EU scheme on ideological grounds.
Even at the most basic level, one has to conclude they didn’t understand what they’d signed. I am amazed and surprised because in my experience Commission Legal Services are not bad.
Think what their bargaining power was (hint: zero). They were desperate to have a contract just to be able to say they had got one, even if it was a best reasonable endeavours agreement with a subsidiary. It is clear from Kyriakides's "neighbourhood butcher" remarks that she thinks one contract is pretty much like another, irrespective of who they are with and what they actually say.
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Absolutely correct - in simple terms - offer two jabs (if needed) to everyone over 18 in UK first - then only once that's done we can offer it elsewhere.
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Point 5 us the most important, we should only start thinking about giving away doses if we're in a position of the NHS not being able to use as many as are being delivered, after a strategic reserve has been built up.
Note the proportion of Israel's population getting a second vaccination compared to the UK.
Given the massive acceleration that has taken place inthe last few weeks, the number of people who would have had second doses on the original schedule is probably not as many as we think.
You describe SKS as a “successful” former DPP. Can you tell us on what basis you are measuring success?
Well, he wasn't done for soliciting, which is an improvement on one of his predecessors.
That is a low bar for the definition of "successful".
I expect most pb-ers can ease themselves over it.
Given how many lawyers we have on this board, you may be being optimistic.
Thought that Sir Keir Starmer got his knighthood for services rendered as a public persecutor (sp?).
Is that any sign of success? OR do they hand 'em out just for showing up, like a pre-school "graduation"?
It's a bit like the Nobel Peace Prize which you can qualify for if you are a US President whose name doesn't start with B (sorry Joe, them's the rules) or T (obviously).
What about Theodore Roosevelt & Barack Obama?
Edit - While a fan (on some, and different) levels of both of the above, also believe that NEITHER truly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize
Just read the blog from David Allen Green (remainer lawyer) on this and the first thing he noticed was the same as what @Sean_F noticed that the EU contract was with AstraZeneca AB of Sweden, not the parent. This seems extremely basic to me because AZ AB would be a buyer of vaccine doses from AZ plc not the owner of the manufactured doses. I don't understand why anyone would get such a serious contract with a subsidiary rather than the parent, it's really very basic, you make the parent take on the liability, always.
It actually does feel like one of those ideological decisions taken by the commission to support the "European" part of AZ rather than the British parent company, which would be absolutely hilarious.
Hang on: I suspect that the corporate parent enters into very few (if any) contracts, except those with its subsidiaries. From my CFO days, the holding company would never enter intro contractual arrangements, other than with lawyers or accountants, as a risk management measure. Simply, you want the limited liability shield to be as far down the corporate structure as possible.
Edit to add: while the UK will have contracted with a UK entity, it also won't have contracted with the group parent.
Well if that is the case, then the EU are stuffed, because the subsidiary they have a contract with won't have access to the UK's vaccine supply. Either the parent will be manufacturing them and selling to each subsidiary individually, or each subsidiary will have its own manufacturing. Either way, there is no basis to demand that the UK's supply be requisitioned.
Great show. Could have been just a standard procedural, then eased itself into something so much more. I loved the main bad guy in the end, and his motivation for AIs to direct affairs like Olympian gods.
Yes - a real motivation for once. And not the usual rule-the-world thing - at least not for himself.
Along with The Operative, one of the few antagonists these days, that seem other than a one dimensional parody.
The Dutch performance in vaccinations is just embracing for a developed country, and especially a small one, so it isn't like Canada where you are going to chase up people in the arse end of nowhere.
I am surprised how slow China are being. I really presumed they would just deploy 100,000s of jabbers and go city to city to city and just do 10 of millions every day.
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Was anyone giving the impression that they thought you should beat yourself up about it?
You describe SKS as a “successful” former DPP. Can you tell us on what basis you are measuring success?
Well, he wasn't done for soliciting, which is an improvement on one of his predecessors.
That is a low bar for the definition of "successful".
I expect most pb-ers can ease themselves over it.
Given how many lawyers we have on this board, you may be being optimistic.
Thought that Sir Keir Starmer got his knighthood for services rendered as a public persecutor (sp?).
Is that any sign of success? OR do they hand 'em out just for showing up, like a pre-school "graduation"?
It's a bit like the Nobel Peace Prize which you can qualify for if you are a US President whose name doesn't start with B (sorry Joe, them's the rules) or T (obviously).
What about Theodore Roosevelt & Barack Obama?
Edit - While a fan (on some, and different) levels of both of the above, also believe that NEITHER truly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize
Sorry, I should have made it clear that it was surnames that were the determining factor. Obama certainly diminished the nomination by accepting his.
Just read the blog from David Allen Green (remainer lawyer) on this and the first thing he noticed was the same as what @Sean_F noticed that the EU contract was with AstraZeneca AB of Sweden, not the parent. This seems extremely basic to me because AZ AB would be a buyer of vaccine doses from AZ plc not the owner of the manufactured doses. I don't understand why anyone would get such a serious contract with a subsidiary rather than the parent, it's really very basic, you make the parent take on the liability, always.
It actually does feel like one of those ideological decisions taken by the commission to support the "European" part of AZ rather than the British parent company, which would be absolutely hilarious.
Hang on: I suspect that the corporate parent enters into very few (if any) contracts, except those with its subsidiaries. From my CFO days, the holding company would never enter intro contractual arrangements, other than with lawyers or accountants, as a risk management measure. Simply, you want the limited liability shield to be as far down the corporate structure as possible.
Edit to add: while the UK will have contracted with a UK entity, it also won't have contracted with the group parent.
Also to add - the UK was in the position of being able to veto the partnership of Oxford University with any specific development and manufacturing partner, they did so with Merck because they weren't able to secure a contract that gave them 100m exclusive doses manufactured in the UK. AZ were chosen specifically because it was a UK domiciled company and as a relative vaccine nobody the UK were able to effectively dictate terms to them in return for manufacturing subsidies to turn them into a serious vaccines player globally.
Great show. Could have been just a standard procedural, then eased itself into something so much more. I loved the main bad guy in the end, and his motivation for AIs to direct affairs like Olympian gods.
Yes - a real motivation for once. And not the usual rule-the-world thing - at least not for himself.
Along with The Operative, one of the few antagonists these days, that seem other than a one dimensional parody.
Men have gazed at the stars for millennia, and wondered whether there was a deity up there silently directing their fates. Today, for the first time, they'll be right, and the world will be... an undeniably better place.
The number of Covid patients in French hospitals hit a near nine-week high on Sunday, as the country shut its borders to all but essential travel to and from nearly all countries outside the EU.
The number of Covid patients in French hospitals hit a near nine-week high on Sunday, as the country shut its borders to all but essential travel to and from nearly all countries outside the EU.
But leaves the border to Portugal open, the same Portugal being ravaged by Brazil COVID. Sensible.
Well that's a clever trick. 50k fewer vaccinated today than yesterday? Are we in an episode of Black Mirror by any chance?
This doesn't much surprise me - data quality out of some of these countries is pretty appalling as a matter of course. Interesting to note that data from official government sources is just as bad as that in the private sector, but certainly not a shock.
I really wouldn't read too much into the errors. Just be thankful for what you have in this country - it ain't perfect, but it's a hell of an improvement on almost all the rest of the world (at least in this respect).
The scary thing about such people is they are capable of functioning perfectly well in society.
Or being elected to Congress, in due course.
The sky is not real; rather, it is a shield put up by the government to prevent individuals seeing God
Ugh. Ow. That one hurt. That has to be a pretend belief.
And before someone gets too defensive about how laughing at such people is not helpful or the answer, there are limits.
I am more than a bit concerned about what Dr Foxy says about the number of anti-vaxxers on the staff at his hospital and also that Guardian article about the medical researcher who wasn't going to get done, because stuff circulating online....you are a sodding medical researcher, you can just read the academic papers.
Where do they think all the other medications they use come from?
The number of Covid patients in French hospitals hit a near nine-week high on Sunday, as the country shut its borders to all but essential travel to and from nearly all countries outside the EU.
But leaves the border to Portugal open, the same Portugal being ravaged by Brazil COVID. Sensible.
Well he is also copying Boris in being unwilling to go full lockdown again....we know with this where that ends up.
OT The thing I can't understand about the whole vaccination fiasco is why Johnson and Gove aren't jumping up and down trying to make political capital about this. Their fanbois on PB on Friday evening were in ecstacy about it all. I wonder if there is something in the argument that AZ unofficially diverted some jabs into the UK pile. I remember in the news back in December/January it was announced that there would be a shortage of jabs anyway due to underproduction. This doesn't seem to have become apparent, so perhaps there may have been a little back scratching going on.....
They have made political capital out of it by doing exactly what they have done - saying nothing unless absolutely necessary. First and foremost this was an argument between AZN and the EU. By standing aloof until it directly threatened us - such as banning exports or invoking article 16 - and then simply registering concern, they have done for more for both their cause and the British position in all of this than if they had started shouting and making overt capital out of it.
It is far more adult a position than I ever expected from Johnson. I fear it won't last.
Agree with you, Richard. Whether the EC do or do not have a case against AZ - and I do not share the certainty of some on here that they don't - the reaction of our government has so far been absolutely spot on. Mature. Peaceful. No British Bulldog. No warrior rhetoric. It is both the right response and it works.
And I wish to widen and develop this point. There is much sentiment along the lines of "We've done great on vaccines and should reap the full reward. Let's not even think about helping out others until we've jabbed every man jack of our own."
I totally get this. But imo we should not take that approach. The Moral High Ground beckons here and I think we should take the opportunity to occupy it. Forget about bleeding hearts, I know that isn't popular. Forget about my previous argument that you have to fight a global pandemic globally. I know that isn't popular either.
Here's the new argument. The MHG has great value. It accrues soft power. And what a great time it is for the UK to grab some. Brexit has supposedly given birth to something called Global Britain. We keep hearing this. Well, by leading on global vaccination, we can at a stroke turn it into something tangible and positive. Something to be proud of. We can set the tone for what sort of country we want to be - are going to be - outside the EU.
And the real kicker is it will on the whole appeal more to Remainers than Leavers. People like me will applaud and be reassured about what Brexit means. Most Leavers OTOH will be spitting feathers and wondering WTF is that all about. Why are we helping foreigners? The only ones who won't be pissed off will be the sort of liberal ones like you who clog up PB.
So, point is, it will be giving Remainers a Brexit Dividend, thus proving them (us) wrong to assume it would bring nothing but negatives apart from cheaper tampons. It will reduce the polarization in the country and at the same time benefit the Cons because it would attract more Remainers than the Leavers it would lose. Leavers being more sticky. A political masterstroke, in other words, which I commend to the House.
Where's the Moral High Ground in a member of the demographic that's certain to be jabbed telling the other half of the population to sacrifice their health and freedom indefinitely for the sake of said jabbed person's abstract principles?
We can protect our own people - all of them - and claim the moral high ground by donating to COVAX and giving away our surplus to the developing world. I reckon that'll be good enough for the vast majority of the voting public to go along with.
The 1st para is reductive and personalizing. Back into the old "if you favour higher taxes, why don't you donate to HMRC?" territory. So I will pass on that. But the 2nd, no, I can happily say I disagree in principle. I don't think it should be a fixed objective come what may that we vaccinate every adult in the UK before releasing supply to others. I just do not see it that way for reasons previously explained. I think this comes down to what you and I feel being a citizen of a particular country entails. Which is different. Not enlightened vs less so, I stress, please don't think that. Just different.
Unfortunately, this issue cannot help but be personal - it would mean that I, personally, and tens of millions like me would be unprotected for an indefinite period of time while you, personally, are protected and can live your life in a safe and normal way. That's simply not acceptable. It starts with the altruistic principle that the less vulnerable in a society should wait their turn - a social contract which they are now willingly obeying - and abuses it by stretching its finite substance all across the globe. You would be willingly breaking faith with the younger half of your own society for the sake of a theoretical supranational solidarity that exists only in your own mind.
There's no word for that position but extreme. It's the bit of left-wing thinking that is simply beyond the pale for me and for most people: it's not enough that we've committed huge sums of money and will gladly offer up millions of our surplus vaccines, we have to sacrifice and suffer personally beyond what we must already for the sake of a fringe sect's idealism.
I'm afraid that it's your position that is immoral. Not enlightened, not just different, but actually immoral.
That, I'm sorry to say, is nonsense. You're seeing "society" as the country we live in. I'm seeing it as the world we live in. This is a genuine difference of perception not of morality. I would be wrong to call you immoral to (potentially) want to prioritize a young fit Brit for vaccination over an elderly Greek. Hence why I don't. Likewise you are wrong to call me immoral to want to (potentially) do the opposite.
My apologies - you've adopted the morality of an extreme anti-nationalist. Although it's clearly not an inflexible morality, since it permits you to take your doses of the vaccine ahead of our putative elderly Greek in order to protect yourself, and instead to give away the doses belonging to other people to signal your virtue at no cost to yourself.
Because that's the moral thing to do.
That's back to "if you favour higher taxes why don't you donate to HMRC?"
Sterile and a dead end.
When you want to take away my vaccine and many others, no its not a dead end.
She isn't going to get the sack is she...because they are united.....
I suspect the maximum 'punishment' in this sort of case would be a quiet word to not put herself forward for a second term as President, with promise of a cushy job somewhere quiet afterwards.
If it even goes that far. Ultimately as with most appointed roles, competence doesn't matter, it's who thinks they benefit from keeping you there.
The number of Covid patients in French hospitals hit a near nine-week high on Sunday, as the country shut its borders to all but essential travel to and from nearly all countries outside the EU.
But leaves the border to Portugal open, the same Portugal being ravaged by Brazil COVID. Sensible.
Well he is also copying Boris in being unwilling to go full lockdown again....we know with this where that ends up.
Literally the same, we had Kent COVID destroying London and the SE in December, France has it now, up to 10% of randomly sampled positive tests.
Just read the blog from David Allen Green (remainer lawyer) on this and the first thing he noticed was the same as what @Sean_F noticed that the EU contract was with AstraZeneca AB of Sweden, not the parent. This seems extremely basic to me because AZ AB would be a buyer of vaccine doses from AZ plc not the owner of the manufactured doses. I don't understand why anyone would get such a serious contract with a subsidiary rather than the parent, it's really very basic, you make the parent take on the liability, always.
It actually does feel like one of those ideological decisions taken by the commission to support the "European" part of AZ rather than the British parent company, which would be absolutely hilarious.
Hang on: I suspect that the corporate parent enters into very few (if any) contracts, except those with its subsidiaries. From my CFO days, the holding company would never enter intro contractual arrangements, other than with lawyers or accountants, as a risk management measure. Simply, you want the limited liability shield to be as far down the corporate structure as possible.
Edit to add: while the UK will have contracted with a UK entity, it also won't have contracted with the group parent.
Well if that is the case, then the EU are stuffed, because the subsidiary they have a contract with won't have access to the UK's vaccine supply. Either the parent will be manufacturing them and selling to each subsidiary individually, or each subsidiary will have its own manufacturing. Either way, there is no basis to demand that the UK's supply be requisitioned.
That's not necessarily true: we don't know the internal arrangements of AZ, but I'm sure @MaxPB is correct that part of the agreement with the University of Oxford re domestic supply is completely correct.
Just read the blog from David Allen Green (remainer lawyer) on this and the first thing he noticed was the same as what @Sean_F noticed that the EU contract was with AstraZeneca AB of Sweden, not the parent. This seems extremely basic to me because AZ AB would be a buyer of vaccine doses from AZ plc not the owner of the manufactured doses. I don't understand why anyone would get such a serious contract with a subsidiary rather than the parent, it's really very basic, you make the parent take on the liability, always.
It actually does feel like one of those ideological decisions taken by the commission to support the "European" part of AZ rather than the British parent company, which would be absolutely hilarious.
Hang on: I suspect that the corporate parent enters into very few (if any) contracts, except those with its subsidiaries. From my CFO days, the holding company would never enter intro contractual arrangements, other than with lawyers or accountants, as a risk management measure. Simply, you want the limited liability shield to be as far down the corporate structure as possible.
Edit to add: while the UK will have contracted with a UK entity, it also won't have contracted with the group parent.
Our Corporate parent isn't actually a trading company. No idea of Astra run it that way
OT The thing I can't understand about the whole vaccination fiasco is why Johnson and Gove aren't jumping up and down trying to make political capital about this. Their fanbois on PB on Friday evening were in ecstacy about it all. I wonder if there is something in the argument that AZ unofficially diverted some jabs into the UK pile. I remember in the news back in December/January it was announced that there would be a shortage of jabs anyway due to underproduction. This doesn't seem to have become apparent, so perhaps there may have been a little back scratching going on.....
They have made political capital out of it by doing exactly what they have done - saying nothing unless absolutely necessary. First and foremost this was an argument between AZN and the EU. By standing aloof until it directly threatened us - such as banning exports or invoking article 16 - and then simply registering concern, they have done for more for both their cause and the British position in all of this than if they had started shouting and making overt capital out of it.
It is far more adult a position than I ever expected from Johnson. I fear it won't last.
Agree with you, Richard. Whether the EC do or do not have a case against AZ - and I do not share the certainty of some on here that they don't - the reaction of our government has so far been absolutely spot on. Mature. Peaceful. No British Bulldog. No warrior rhetoric. It is both the right response and it works.
And I wish to widen and develop this point. There is much sentiment along the lines of "We've done great on vaccines and should reap the full reward. Let's not even think about helping out others until we've jabbed every man jack of our own."
I totally get this. But imo we should not take that approach. The Moral High Ground beckons here and I think we should take the opportunity to occupy it. Forget about bleeding hearts, I know that isn't popular. Forget about my previous argument that you have to fight a global pandemic globally. I know that isn't popular either.
Here's the new argument. The MHG has great value. It accrues soft power. And what a great time it is for the UK to grab some. Brexit has supposedly given birth to something called Global Britain. We keep hearing this. Well, by leading on global vaccination, we can at a stroke turn it into something tangible and positive. Something to be proud of. We can set the tone for what sort of country we want to be - are going to be - outside the EU.
And the real kicker is it will on the whole appeal more to Remainers than Leavers. People like me will applaud and be reassured about what Brexit means. Most Leavers OTOH will be spitting feathers and wondering WTF is that all about. Why are we helping foreigners? The only ones who won't be pissed off will be the sort of liberal ones like you who clog up PB.
So, point is, it will be giving Remainers a Brexit Dividend, thus proving them (us) wrong to assume it would bring nothing but negatives apart from cheaper tampons. It will reduce the polarization in the country and at the same time benefit the Cons because it would attract more Remainers than the Leavers it would lose. Leavers being more sticky. A political masterstroke, in other words, which I commend to the House.
Where's the Moral High Ground in a member of the demographic that's certain to be jabbed telling the other half of the population to sacrifice their health and freedom indefinitely for the sake of said jabbed person's abstract principles?
We can protect our own people - all of them - and claim the moral high ground by donating to COVAX and giving away our surplus to the developing world. I reckon that'll be good enough for the vast majority of the voting public to go along with.
The 1st para is reductive and personalizing. Back into the old "if you favour higher taxes, why don't you donate to HMRC?" territory. So I will pass on that. But the 2nd, no, I can happily say I disagree in principle. I don't think it should be a fixed objective come what may that we vaccinate every adult in the UK before releasing supply to others. I just do not see it that way for reasons previously explained. I think this comes down to what you and I feel being a citizen of a particular country entails. Which is different. Not enlightened vs less so, I stress, please don't think that. Just different.
Unfortunately, this issue cannot help but be personal - it would mean that I, personally, and tens of millions like me would be unprotected for an indefinite period of time while you, personally, are protected and can live your life in a safe and normal way. That's simply not acceptable. It starts with the altruistic principle that the less vulnerable in a society should wait their turn - a social contract which they are now willingly obeying - and abuses it by stretching its finite substance all across the globe. You would be willingly breaking faith with the younger half of your own society for the sake of a theoretical supranational solidarity that exists only in your own mind.
There's no word for that position but extreme. It's the bit of left-wing thinking that is simply beyond the pale for me and for most people: it's not enough that we've committed huge sums of money and will gladly offer up millions of our surplus vaccines, we have to sacrifice and suffer personally beyond what we must already for the sake of a fringe sect's idealism.
I'm afraid that it's your position that is immoral. Not enlightened, not just different, but actually immoral.
That, I'm sorry to say, is nonsense. You're seeing "society" as the country we live in. I'm seeing it as the world we live in. This is a genuine difference of perception not of morality. I would be wrong to call you immoral to (potentially) want to prioritize a young fit Brit for vaccination over an elderly Greek. Hence why I don't. Likewise you are wrong to call me immoral to want to (potentially) do the opposite.
My apologies - you've adopted the morality of an extreme anti-nationalist. Although it's clearly not an inflexible morality, since it permits you to take your doses of the vaccine ahead of our putative elderly Greek in order to protect yourself, and instead to give away the doses belonging to other people to signal your virtue at no cost to yourself.
Because that's the moral thing to do.
That's back to "if you favour higher taxes why don't you donate to HMRC?"
Sterile and a dead end.
When you want to take away my vaccine and many others, no its not a dead end.
The Dutch performance in vaccinations is just embracing for a developed country, and especially a small one, so it isn't like Canada where you are going to chase up people in the arse end of nowhere.
I am surprised how slow China are being. I really presumed they would just deploy 100,000s of jabbers and go city to city to city and just do 10 of millions every day.
No one has died of Covid in China since April 2020, why a need to rush?
The number of Covid patients in French hospitals hit a near nine-week high on Sunday, as the country shut its borders to all but essential travel to and from nearly all countries outside the EU.
But leaves the border to Portugal open, the same Portugal being ravaged by Brazil COVID. Sensible.
Well he is also copying Boris in being unwilling to go full lockdown again....we know with this where that ends up.
Literally the same, we had Kent COVID destroying London and the SE in December, France has it now, up to 10% of randomly sampled positive tests.
Good job they have a president pushing everybody to get vaccinated like here....
I presumed, in that tweet, that this extremely senior eurocrat was sensitively worrying about the lack of vaccinations in Africa.
But no. As far as I can see, he is actually exulting in the fact that the EU has done millions more jabs than Africa, thus proving that the EU is great.
They are fucking mad. What a repulsive organisation
I don't see that.
He is putting it as context for COVAX, which is half-fair enough.
He's also doing a bit of distraction, I expect though.
I presumed, in that tweet, that this extremely senior eurocrat was sensitively worrying about the lack of vaccinations in Africa.
But no. As far as I can see, he is actually exulting in the fact that the EU has done millions more jabs than Africa, thus proving that the EU is great.
They are fucking mad. What a repulsive organisation
I don't see that.
He is putting it as context for COVAX, which is half-fair enough.
He's also doing a bit of distraction, I expect though.
Except Covax isn't mentioned once, nor in the tweet he was replying to.
France and Germany threatened legal action against AstraZeneca on Sunday as they scrambled to explain their shortages in vaccine supplies and warned that any firm which favoured UK orders for the jabs would be penalised.
Clement Beaune, the French Europe minister, threatened sanctions against the Anglo-Swedish firm, which produces the Oxford vaccine, if it emerged that Britain had been given priority.
"If there is a problem and that other countries have been favoured - for example the UK over us - then we will defend our interests," Mr Beaune said on Sunday. "Contracts are not moral commitments, they are legal commitments. Penalties or sanctions can be triggered in every contract."
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Was anyone giving the impression that they thought you should beat yourself up about it?
Eh? I didn't know the Germans had aircraft carriers (not since not finishing the KM Graf Zeppelin). What's that about?
Creative licence perhaps?
Ursula von der Leyen is planning a new career as European Commission chief in Brussels, but the German defense minister still has questions to answer back home.
An investigative committee of the German parliament — the toughest instrument that lawmakers can use to probe government misdeeds — is digging into how lucrative contracts from her ministry were awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight, and whether a network of informal personal connections facilitated those deals.
The watchdog, which monitors German government cashflows, described dozens of irregularities in the hiring of external consultants by von der Leyen’s defense ministry.
Those consultants played a more significant role than the ministry had publicly claimed, several media reports said: In 2015, for example, auditors estimated that the ministry had spent up to €100 million on external consultants, but only officially declared €2.2 million for the purpose. A year later, the ministry had spent up to €150 million on advisers while declaring only €2.9 million.
France and Germany threatened legal action against AstraZeneca on Sunday as they scrambled to explain their shortages in vaccine supplies and warned that any firm which favoured UK orders for the jabs would be penalised.
Clement Beaune, the French Europe minister, threatened sanctions against the Anglo-Swedish firm, which produces the Oxford vaccine, if it emerged that Britain had been given priority.
"If there is a problem and that other countries have been favoured - for example the UK over us - then we will defend our interests," Mr Beaune said on Sunday. "Contracts are not moral commitments, they are legal commitments. Penalties or sanctions can be triggered in every contract."
Great show. Could have been just a standard procedural, then eased itself into something so much more. I loved the main bad guy in the end, and his motivation for AIs to direct affairs like Olympian gods.
Yes - a real motivation for once. And not the usual rule-the-world thing - at least not for himself.
Along with The Operative, one of the few antagonists these days, that seem other than a one dimensional parody.
Men have gazed at the stars for millennia, and wondered whether there was a deity up there silently directing their fates. Today, for the first time, they'll be right, and the world will be... an undeniably better place.
He was great.
True... but I do like this... The Rational Fanatic played perfectly
That looks like a parody - absurd holocaust parallels, link to David Icke, reference to nanochips, it's all about profit for Bill Gates, pushing of alternative treatments.
If it is real, then free speech is not an issue, people putting that out there will be killing people.
And how the heck did Piers Corbyn get to be a prominent figure of the absolute lunatics?
Piers Corbyn has always been a prominent crank but in the old days he was a climate change sceptic, popular with some on the right because of his sunspot theories.
OT The thing I can't understand about the whole vaccination fiasco is why Johnson and Gove aren't jumping up and down trying to make political capital about this. Their fanbois on PB on Friday evening were in ecstacy about it all. I wonder if there is something in the argument that AZ unofficially diverted some jabs into the UK pile. I remember in the news back in December/January it was announced that there would be a shortage of jabs anyway due to underproduction. This doesn't seem to have become apparent, so perhaps there may have been a little back scratching going on.....
They have made political capital out of it by doing exactly what they have done - saying nothing unless absolutely necessary. First and foremost this was an argument between AZN and the EU. By standing aloof until it directly threatened us - such as banning exports or invoking article 16 - and then simply registering concern, they have done for more for both their cause and the British position in all of this than if they had started shouting and making overt capital out of it.
It is far more adult a position than I ever expected from Johnson. I fear it won't last.
Agree with you, Richard. Whether the EC do or do not have a case against AZ - and I do not share the certainty of some on here that they don't - the reaction of our government has so far been absolutely spot on. Mature. Peaceful. No British Bulldog. No warrior rhetoric. It is both the right response and it works.
And I wish to widen and develop this point. There is much sentiment along the lines of "We've done great on vaccines and should reap the full reward. Let's not even think about helping out others until we've jabbed every man jack of our own."
I totally get this. But imo we should not take that approach. The Moral High Ground beckons here and I think we should take the opportunity to occupy it. Forget about bleeding hearts, I know that isn't popular. Forget about my previous argument that you have to fight a global pandemic globally. I know that isn't popular either.
Here's the new argument. The MHG has great value. It accrues soft power. And what a great time it is for the UK to grab some. Brexit has supposedly given birth to something called Global Britain. We keep hearing this. Well, by leading on global vaccination, we can at a stroke turn it into something tangible and positive. Something to be proud of. We can set the tone for what sort of country we want to be - are going to be - outside the EU.
And the real kicker is it will on the whole appeal more to Remainers than Leavers. People like me will applaud and be reassured about what Brexit means. Most Leavers OTOH will be spitting feathers and wondering WTF is that all about. Why are we helping foreigners? The only ones who won't be pissed off will be the sort of liberal ones like you who clog up PB.
So, point is, it will be giving Remainers a Brexit Dividend, thus proving them (us) wrong to assume it would bring nothing but negatives apart from cheaper tampons. It will reduce the polarization in the country and at the same time benefit the Cons because it would attract more Remainers than the Leavers it would lose. Leavers being more sticky. A political masterstroke, in other words, which I commend to the House.
Where's the Moral High Ground in a member of the demographic that's certain to be jabbed telling the other half of the population to sacrifice their health and freedom indefinitely for the sake of said jabbed person's abstract principles?
We can protect our own people - all of them - and claim the moral high ground by donating to COVAX and giving away our surplus to the developing world. I reckon that'll be good enough for the vast majority of the voting public to go along with.
The 1st para is reductive and personalizing. Back into the old "if you favour higher taxes, why don't you donate to HMRC?" territory. So I will pass on that. But the 2nd, no, I can happily say I disagree in principle. I don't think it should be a fixed objective come what may that we vaccinate every adult in the UK before releasing supply to others. I just do not see it that way for reasons previously explained. I think this comes down to what you and I feel being a citizen of a particular country entails. Which is different. Not enlightened vs less so, I stress, please don't think that. Just different.
Unfortunately, this issue cannot help but be personal - it would mean that I, personally, and tens of millions like me would be unprotected for an indefinite period of time while you, personally, are protected and can live your life in a safe and normal way. That's simply not acceptable. It starts with the altruistic principle that the less vulnerable in a society should wait their turn - a social contract which they are now willingly obeying - and abuses it by stretching its finite substance all across the globe. You would be willingly breaking faith with the younger half of your own society for the sake of a theoretical supranational solidarity that exists only in your own mind.
There's no word for that position but extreme. It's the bit of left-wing thinking that is simply beyond the pale for me and for most people: it's not enough that we've committed huge sums of money and will gladly offer up millions of our surplus vaccines, we have to sacrifice and suffer personally beyond what we must already for the sake of a fringe sect's idealism.
I'm afraid that it's your position that is immoral. Not enlightened, not just different, but actually immoral.
That, I'm sorry to say, is nonsense. You're seeing "society" as the country we live in. I'm seeing it as the world we live in. This is a genuine difference of perception not of morality. I would be wrong to call you immoral to (potentially) want to prioritize a young fit Brit for vaccination over an elderly Greek. Hence why I don't. Likewise you are wrong to call me immoral to want to (potentially) do the opposite.
My apologies - you've adopted the morality of an extreme anti-nationalist. Although it's clearly not an inflexible morality, since it permits you to take your doses of the vaccine ahead of our putative elderly Greek in order to protect yourself, and instead to give away the doses belonging to other people to signal your virtue at no cost to yourself.
Because that's the moral thing to do.
That's back to "if you favour higher taxes why don't you donate to HMRC?"
Sterile and a dead end.
When you want to take away my vaccine and many others, no its not a dead end.
Precisely its I have got mine fuck you for internationalism stance
I don't know Germany that well, but I find it all very odd....I really expected them to be all over this like there were with the early days of testing, and we would be reading all these stories how Germany was getting so many people done so quickly that they could already do millions a day if the supply was there.
This mass vaccination process is all about being organized and efficient. There isn't really anything high tech on the jabbing front. It is about getting the product and people to the right places at the right time. You just presume the German's would do that in their sleep.
Perhaps a) the Federal nature and b) all the data protection stuff we have heard about makes all of this harder?
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Was anyone giving the impression that they thought you should beat yourself up about it?
One person was
Luckily the Herd was united in beating of this vicious, lone wolf attack. One wouldn't want anyone feeling guilty or beating themselves up about it.
Is it just me, or does that picture look like the vaccine equivalent of Sunderland South's vote count...
It is not just you.
A bit of friendly competition among the regions for who can vaccinate fastest certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. Seems to have helped Wales a fair bit already.
Eh? I didn't know the Germans had aircraft carriers (not since not finishing the KM Graf Zeppelin). What's that about?
Creative licence perhaps?
Ursula von der Leyen is planning a new career as European Commission chief in Brussels, but the German defense minister still has questions to answer back home.
An investigative committee of the German parliament — the toughest instrument that lawmakers can use to probe government misdeeds — is digging into how lucrative contracts from her ministry were awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight, and whether a network of informal personal connections facilitated those deals.
The watchdog, which monitors German government cashflows, described dozens of irregularities in the hiring of external consultants by von der Leyen’s defense ministry.
Those consultants played a more significant role than the ministry had publicly claimed, several media reports said: In 2015, for example, auditors estimated that the ministry had spent up to €100 million on external consultants, but only officially declared €2.2 million for the purpose. A year later, the ministry had spent up to €150 million on advisers while declaring only €2.9 million.
Politics has always attracted the corrupt in every country everywhere its not just an english or german or american failing....the last people who should ever be elected are those that want to be
FLOTUS versus SOUKPM (Spouse of the United Kingdom Prime Minister)
Starting with 1940, ask yourself, who is your favorite First Lady of the US AND your fav Spouse of the UK PM, and why? (This as diversion from jabs, Scots, etc., etc.)
Own personal top pick for best FLOTUS is Eleanor Roosevelt followed (at some distance) by Lady Bird Johnson and Michelle Obama (can you tell I'm a Democrat?)
As for the rest, there are zero I'd rate negatively. Even ones at the bottom of my own rankings (for quite different reasons) that is Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump. While partisanship obviously rears it's ugly head a bit, it is less important than ancestral wisdom (esp. from my mother) and personal quirks.
For example, am pretty upbeat about Mamie Eisenhower, Pat Nixon and Nancy Reagan. And a bit downbeat re: Jackie Kennedy and Roslyn Carter, though quite willing to testify that both these First Ladies made significant contributions in this quasi-elected, semi-official but VERY important office in American history and society.
Turning to SOUKPM, about the only things I want to say (at this time anyway) are
>> I admire Clementine Churchill for pretty much the same reason as I do Nancy Reagan; because for all their faults, both were tremendously loyal and supportive to their husbands. Have same feeling about Dennis Thatcher, though his personality was (I think) considerably LESS high-strung than either Clemmie or Nancy.
>> on the Labour side, put Cherie Blair in same category as Hillary Clinton: brilliant, accomplished, well-motivated professionals who were also rotten politicos.
‘She always acted as if she would do everything different - better - than her predecessor. It frequently sounded as though von der Leyen planned to reinvent whatever department or ministry she had just assumed control of, making it more functional and glamorous at the same time,' argued Spiegel. 'By the time it became necessary to dive into the sordid details she had usually moved on.'
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Was anyone giving the impression that they thought you should beat yourself up about it?
One person was
Luckily the Herd was united in beating of this vicious, lone wolf attack.
Perhaps if you were bold enough to venture an opinion (other than your distaste for everyone else's opinions) he might not be a lone wolf.
So, it's entirely possible it will be approved in time. However, given that the Russians are unable to vaccinate their own population at any reasonable pace, I'd be sceptical of supplies.
I spoke with a Russian friend who was vaccinated this week. He just turned up at a vaccination centre an was done. He said the centre was essentially deserted and he went straight in. He's in his thirties. The Russians in general don't trust it, that is why they are not getting the vaccination.
‘She always acted as if she would do everything different - better - than her predecessor. It frequently sounded as though von der Leyen planned to reinvent whatever department or ministry she had just assumed control of, making it more functional and glamorous at the same time,' argued Spiegel. 'By the time it became necessary to dive into the sordid details she had usually moved on.'
So, it's entirely possible it will be approved in time. However, given that the Russians are unable to vaccinate their own population at any reasonable pace, I'd be sceptical of supplies.
I spoke with a Russian friend who was vaccinated this week. He just turned up at a vaccination centre an was done. He said the centre was essentially deserted and he went straight in. He's in his thirties. The Russians in general don't trust it, that is why they are not getting the vaccination.
I don't blame them...their vaccine probably does work, but it is dodgy as hell how it has been revealed to the public.
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Was anyone giving the impression that they thought you should beat yourself up about it?
One person was
Luckily the Herd was united in beating of this vicious, lone wolf attack.
Perhaps if you were bold enough to venture an opinion (other than your distaste for everyone else's opinions) he might not be a lone wolf.
Do you suppose it will involve giving away Scotland's vaccine surplus to the EU?
In fairness the urgency of vaccination in the UK has in part been driven by the catastrophic death toll in January, by far our worst month of the entire pandemic and by the Kent variant which caused something close to panic. Only Spain of the EU countries has suffered anything like as badly. We have needed a door out of this scenario screamingly urgently. For everyone else it is merely urgent.
‘She always acted as if she would do everything different - better - than her predecessor. It frequently sounded as though von der Leyen planned to reinvent whatever department or ministry she had just assumed control of, making it more functional and glamorous at the same time,' argued Spiegel. 'By the time it became necessary to dive into the sordid details she had usually moved on.'
That looks like a parody - absurd holocaust parallels, link to David Icke, reference to nanochips, it's all about profit for Bill Gates, pushing of alternative treatments.
If it is real, then free speech is not an issue, people putting that out there will be killing people.
And how the heck did Piers Corbyn get to be a prominent figure of the absolute lunatics?
Piers Corbyn has always been a prominent crank but in the old days he was a climate change sceptic, popular with some on the right because of his sunspot theories.
In fairness the urgency of vaccination in the UK has in part been driven by the catastrophic death toll in January, by far our worst month of the entire pandemic and by the Kent variant which caused something close to panic. Only Spain of the EU countries has suffered anything like as badly. We have needed a door out of this scenario screamingly urgently. For everyone else it is merely urgent.
Eh? I didn't know the Germans had aircraft carriers (not since not finishing the KM Graf Zeppelin). What's that about?
Creative licence perhaps?
Ursula von der Leyen is planning a new career as European Commission chief in Brussels, but the German defense minister still has questions to answer back home.
An investigative committee of the German parliament — the toughest instrument that lawmakers can use to probe government misdeeds — is digging into how lucrative contracts from her ministry were awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight, and whether a network of informal personal connections facilitated those deals.
The watchdog, which monitors German government cashflows, described dozens of irregularities in the hiring of external consultants by von der Leyen’s defense ministry.
Those consultants played a more significant role than the ministry had publicly claimed, several media reports said: In 2015, for example, auditors estimated that the ministry had spent up to €100 million on external consultants, but only officially declared €2.2 million for the purpose. A year later, the ministry had spent up to €150 million on advisers while declaring only €2.9 million.
Thanks. Perhaps it is imaginary Traegern in consultants' minds, rather than real ones that leak too much sometimes and need what's left of the Mary Rose site dredged away. Or a translation hiccup?
Routine bowel screening seems to have ground to a halt for now. My husband should have received a kit in September. They used to arrive very promptly every two years.
Information on the internet says it was paused in March. But it restarted n August. I'm not sure if the new variant and its effects have changed that.
A relative of ours had a complete stem cell transplant over a year ago. She still receives visits to hospital and associated treatments. Some life (literally) goes on.
Mrs P received hers a week after her 60th birthday a few years ago. I was 60 in August but didn't receive mine until October; got a clear result back a week later.
So that would seem to support the view that screening was paused and re-started.
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Was anyone giving the impression that they thought you should beat yourself up about it?
One person was
Luckily the Herd was united in beating of this vicious, lone wolf attack. One wouldn't want anyone feeling guilty or beating themselves up about it.
He was talked against because he was wrong nothing to do with a herd. I am not tory, labour, libdem, snp or any other party. I just dont think british taxpayers expect to have to wait for a vaccine they have paid 7 times what the euro's have in terms of prefunded investment. You really disagree with that?
Eh? I didn't know the Germans had aircraft carriers (not since not finishing the KM Graf Zeppelin). What's that about?
Creative licence perhaps?
Ursula von der Leyen is planning a new career as European Commission chief in Brussels, but the German defense minister still has questions to answer back home.
An investigative committee of the German parliament — the toughest instrument that lawmakers can use to probe government misdeeds — is digging into how lucrative contracts from her ministry were awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight, and whether a network of informal personal connections facilitated those deals.
The watchdog, which monitors German government cashflows, described dozens of irregularities in the hiring of external consultants by von der Leyen’s defense ministry.
Those consultants played a more significant role than the ministry had publicly claimed, several media reports said: In 2015, for example, auditors estimated that the ministry had spent up to €100 million on external consultants, but only officially declared €2.2 million for the purpose. A year later, the ministry had spent up to €150 million on advisers while declaring only €2.9 million.
Politics has always attracted the corrupt in every country everywhere its not just an english or german or american failing....the last people who should ever be elected are those that want to be
To be honest they would be as well giving the title to Manchester City now. No one else is going to be close and all of the rest are searching for the next thing to trip over. If its less than 10 points by the end of the season I will be very surprised.
In fairness the urgency of vaccination in the UK has in part been driven by the catastrophic death toll in January, by far our worst month of the entire pandemic and by the Kent variant which caused something close to panic. Only Spain of the EU countries has suffered anything like as badly. We have needed a door out of this scenario screamingly urgently. For everyone else it is merely urgent.
Second wave in Germany has been bad.
Much, much worse than their first but their total deaths are only just over half of ours.
1. No movement possible until phase one is complete 2. Government might then consider slowing down the immunisation of the young and fit (there's zero probability of them stopping) and giving some of the vaccine doses away to help others 3. You can understand why they might want to throw various elements of the international community a bone on this; however... 4. I like having fully-functional internal organs, so it would be hypocritical of me to support any such action when it increases still further my risk of ending up as a Long Covid blighted wreck whilst I wait and wait and wait. Not to mention solving the dilemma of whether or not to travel to see vaccinated older relatives I've not seen for many months, when I'm still defenceless and would have to make long journeys on dirty trains full of dirty strangers in order to do so. Consequently... 5. I don't want the Government to send any of the stuff overseas until the whole adult population has had both jabs, or until there are more vaccines then it can possibly use for the NHS, and the surplus can therefore be donated safely
And sorry if that's desperately selfish and everything, but none of us is perfect so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.
Was anyone giving the impression that they thought you should beat yourself up about it?
One person was
Luckily the Herd was united in beating of this vicious, lone wolf attack.
Perhaps if you were bold enough to venture an opinion (other than your distaste for everyone else's opinions) he might not be a lone wolf.
Since you ask, my immediate view is that I find the gleeful, angry, communal masturbation off putting. I feel interjecting any other view would be lost in the hundreds of posts expressing precisely the same opinion.
I'll stick with distaste for the mo', I'm sure all you chaps can cope with it.
gosh that didnt take long for the hollywood cash in
2023, the COVID-23 virus has mutated and the world is in its fourth year of lockdown. Immune to the virus, a brave courier races against time to save the woman he loves from a quarantine camp. Starring KJ Apa, Sofia Carson, Alexandra Daddario and Demi Moore.
To be honest they would be as well giving the title to Manchester City now. No one else is going to be close and all of the rest are searching for the next thing to trip over. If its less than 10 points by the end of the season I will be very surprised.
Eh? I didn't know the Germans had aircraft carriers (not since not finishing the KM Graf Zeppelin). What's that about?
Creative licence perhaps?
Ursula von der Leyen is planning a new career as European Commission chief in Brussels, but the German defense minister still has questions to answer back home.
An investigative committee of the German parliament — the toughest instrument that lawmakers can use to probe government misdeeds — is digging into how lucrative contracts from her ministry were awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight, and whether a network of informal personal connections facilitated those deals.
The watchdog, which monitors German government cashflows, described dozens of irregularities in the hiring of external consultants by von der Leyen’s defense ministry.
Those consultants played a more significant role than the ministry had publicly claimed, several media reports said: In 2015, for example, auditors estimated that the ministry had spent up to €100 million on external consultants, but only officially declared €2.2 million for the purpose. A year later, the ministry had spent up to €150 million on advisers while declaring only €2.9 million.
Thanks. Perhaps it is imaginary Traegern in consultants' minds, rather than real ones that leak too much sometimes and need what's left of the Mary Rose site dredged away. Or a translation hiccup?
There was a semi-comic idea floated, IIRC, for European aircraft carriers.
Which err.... foundered on the lack of interest, by others, in subsidising the French Navy.
To be honest they would be as well giving the title to Manchester City now. No one else is going to be close and all of the rest are searching for the next thing to trip over. If its less than 10 points by the end of the season I will be very surprised.
Comments
https://www.politico.eu/coronavirus-in-europe/
Edit - While a fan (on some, and different) levels of both of the above, also believe that NEITHER truly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize
Along with The Operative, one of the few antagonists these days, that seem other than a one dimensional parody.
I am surprised how slow China are being. I really presumed they would just deploy 100,000s of jabbers and go city to city to city and just do 10 of millions every day.
https://twitter.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1355968954083258382?s=19
He was great.
Or being elected to Congress, in due course.
The sky is not real; rather, it is a shield put up by the government to prevent individuals seeing God
Ugh. Ow. That one hurt. That has to be a pretend belief.
And before someone gets too defensive about how laughing at such people is not helpful or the answer, there are limits.
I really wouldn't read too much into the errors. Just be thankful for what you have in this country - it ain't perfect, but it's a hell of an improvement on almost all the rest of the world (at least in this respect).
Where do they think all the other medications they use come from?
If it even goes that far. Ultimately as with most appointed roles, competence doesn't matter, it's who thinks they benefit from keeping you there.
https://twitter.com/antoguerrera/status/1355976620448821249
https://twitter.com/johanbaner/status/1355978705177341957
https://twitter.com/MartinSelmayr/status/1355978441875714050
"allegedly"...
EDIT: also factually incorrect. The Seychelles have already passed 30,000 vaccinations. So there.
https://twitter.com/EuRollout/status/1355743605743349762?s=20
https://twitter.com/EuRollout/status/1355621370865061888?s=20
He is putting it as context for COVAX, which is half-fair enough.
He's also doing a bit of distraction, I expect though.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/31/france-germany-mull-sanctions-vaccine-providers-eu-row-delays/
Ursula von der Leyen is planning a new career as European Commission chief in Brussels, but the German defense minister still has questions to answer back home.
An investigative committee of the German parliament — the toughest instrument that lawmakers can use to probe government misdeeds — is digging into how lucrative contracts from her ministry were awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight, and whether a network of informal personal connections facilitated those deals.
The watchdog, which monitors German government cashflows, described dozens of irregularities in the hiring of external consultants by von der Leyen’s defense ministry.
Those consultants played a more significant role than the ministry had publicly claimed, several media reports said: In 2015, for example, auditors estimated that the ministry had spent up to €100 million on external consultants, but only officially declared €2.2 million for the purpose. A year later, the ministry had spent up to €150 million on advisers while declaring only €2.9 million.
https://www.politico.eu/article/the-scandal-hanging-over-ursula-von-der-leyen/
Thank goodness we never see that sort of thing.
That last proposition is, with respect, remarkable. Has he never heard of a hold harmless clause?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxcTDoE_Kbg
What's the line - "The one idea'd soul. All flesh refined to consuming flame."
https://www.stopnewnormal.net/downloads
blockquote snafu
https://twitter.com/JeremyCliffe/status/1355984814751551489
It seems they're not in any particular hurry...
This mass vaccination process is all about being organized and efficient. There isn't really anything high tech on the jabbing front. It is about getting the product and people to the right places at the right time. You just presume the German's would do that in their sleep.
Perhaps a) the Federal nature and b) all the data protection stuff we have heard about makes all of this harder?
A bit of friendly competition among the regions for who can vaccinate fastest certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. Seems to have helped Wales a fair bit already.
Starting with 1940, ask yourself, who is your favorite First Lady of the US AND your fav Spouse of the UK PM, and why? (This as diversion from jabs, Scots, etc., etc.)
Own personal top pick for best FLOTUS is Eleanor Roosevelt followed (at some distance) by Lady Bird Johnson and Michelle Obama (can you tell I'm a Democrat?)
As for the rest, there are zero I'd rate negatively. Even ones at the bottom of my own rankings (for quite different reasons) that is Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump. While partisanship obviously rears it's ugly head a bit, it is less important than ancestral wisdom (esp. from my mother) and personal quirks.
For example, am pretty upbeat about Mamie Eisenhower, Pat Nixon and Nancy Reagan. And a bit downbeat re: Jackie Kennedy and Roslyn Carter, though quite willing to testify that both these First Ladies made significant contributions in this quasi-elected, semi-official but VERY important office in American history and society.
Turning to SOUKPM, about the only things I want to say (at this time anyway) are
>> I admire Clementine Churchill for pretty much the same reason as I do Nancy Reagan; because for all their faults, both were tremendously loyal and supportive to their husbands. Have same feeling about Dennis Thatcher, though his personality was (I think) considerably LESS high-strung than either Clemmie or Nancy.
>> on the Labour side, put Cherie Blair in same category as Hillary Clinton: brilliant, accomplished, well-motivated professionals who were also rotten politicos.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-has-always-left-a-trail-of-disaster
He's in his thirties.
The Russians in general don't trust it, that is why they are not getting the vaccination.
Of course she can she is a german dido harding....the more she fails the more she gets promoted
Lady Widmerpool
https://web.archive.org/web/20201210162746/https://www.stopnewnormal.net/downloads
Did you vote Yes? Lets use 45% of the doses.
So that would seem to support the view that screening was paused and re-started.
I'll stick with distaste for the mo', I'm sure all you chaps can cope with it.
2023, the COVID-23 virus has mutated and the world is in its fourth year of lockdown. Immune to the virus, a brave courier races against time to save the woman he loves from a quarantine camp. Starring KJ Apa, Sofia Carson, Alexandra Daddario and Demi Moore.
Which err.... foundered on the lack of interest, by others, in subsidising the French Navy.
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1355987709643403268?s=20