Re: Britain outside the EU
 

We do need to get this sorted out. It's been a month.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...mic-disruption

---------- Post added at 23:48 ---------- Previous post was at 23:40 ----------

Really hard to hypothesise who the PM would be in 2020 if the referendum had gone the other way. It could even have been BoJo.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

How much of the delays were Covid related? There is also a general HGV driver shortage.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Have a read of the article and decide for yourself.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

There is a Europe-wide lorry driver shortage. That is going to have an impact, whatever else is going on.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

I know that we had the choice. We picked the right one, and it has shown up the EU to be the slow, inefficient monster it is.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

They do need to sort a few things out though like the one cheese maker reporting that every export to the EU needs it's own vet cert. His £20 cheese boxes each need a £180 certificate.
And the various tax bodies need to work something out especially for small traders.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

We absolutely did the right thing on vaccines. But to use one optional procurement project as a business case for not retaining closer ties to our major market and to replace it with lots of red tape, costs bureaucracy and other deterrents to trade is interesting, to say the least. ;)

---------- Post added at 11:12 ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 ----------

That's what being a third country looks like, despite the promises of David Davis to the contrary. It's inevitable we will develop closer ties with the EU and I'm grateful we got a trade agreement which provides the means to achieve this.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

On the contrary, the vaccine debacle has shown up the European Commission for the dictatorial, inept organ that it is. This is not a new thing - it’s just our first major experience of seeing it the way most of the world sees it. Previously we would sit in our corner and moan about its pettifogging bureaucracy and its political tin ear, and all the while our national reputation and economic power was propping it up and adding to its legitimacy.

The European Union is diminished by our departure, and a good thing too. No longer will the world perceive us to be a part of that shower.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

But we didn't have to be part of the Commissions vaccine program even if we were part of the EU - that was each nations choice (see Hungary bringing the Sputnik vaccine in)

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

It came on my phone this morning that Macron is facing a loss in wine exports.

25% of French wine ends p in the UK, but Brits have been dumping EU stuff and buying wine from Australia, Chile etc.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world...pdate-video-vn

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Actually Hungary is part of the vaccine programme. The programme allows member states to contract with drug companies the commission is not dealing with, and it allows them also to place supplementary orders with companies the commission is dealing with, though those orders may not be fulfilled until after orders placed through the programme have been. The European Commission has not been negotiating to acquire any Russian vaccine.

---------- Post added at 12:15 ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 ----------

And, to repeat the point I made yesterday, if we were in the EU it would have been politically very difficult to have remained outside its procurement scheme.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

I don't like Australian wine, US is worse. Chile do make some nice stuff, for whites New Zealand. Trouble is too many new world wines are over extracted so get a slight bitter taste and really nice old world wines are expensive.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

Whilst an EU member, the UK remained outside the Euro and Schengen zone so I'm sure we would have been just fine remaining outside the vaccination procurement as well.

Re: Britain outside the EU
 

You’re not comparing apples with apples. The currency and the border-free travel area were both contrary to long-standing British policy, favoured by Labour and Tory governments alike. The vaccine procurement programme is a one-off response to a crisis being endured equally by all member states. As a member of the EU it would have been politically very difficult not to be seen to be playing our part, not least because while we were members it was British policy to always try to position ourselves as showing leadership (with limited success I might add).

Ireland is outside Schengen but inside the vaccine procurement scheme.
Sweden and Denmark* are outside the Euro but inside the vaccine procurement scheme.

*Via negotiated exemption - Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania are committed to eventually joining.