Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
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.
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Reality is, we'll just never know. Given a close result in favour of Remain, the Prime Minister of the day could well have seen a benefit in appealing to the Eurosceptic wing of the Conservative Party and to the UKIP supporters by pursuing our own path on vaccines.