Dont disagree with that. To a lesser degree it's like that silly bitch Dido who was appointed to run our test and trace.
Neither covered themselves in glory, but Ursula has immense power which is worrying. The international reputation of the EU, such as it is, has taken a big knock
Just to agree with the right wing mob on here, it's a good thing we are not part of the EU whilst all these vaccine issues are going on.
Again don't disagree, but also dont underestimate Didos unchallenged appointment despite previous failures, most likely resulting in some deaths or at the very least helping spread the virus. I'm not honestly bothered about ulrika Johnson or whatever her name is. We have left the EU. I sometimes just see some hypocrisy when damning others whilst turning a blind eye to home affairs. Not saying you Goldy.
There will have to be an inquest into how the whole virus was addressed in the UK and the causes of so many deaths, track and trace etc. I suspect Dido Harding will not come out well, but interestingly, Kate Bingham, who is the wife of a Tory MP (Jess Norman) has done great work on vaccines. It's just down to the calibre of the individuals. Harding messed up security at TalkTalk, so Boris will have to justify her appointment for government. Yes, we have left the EU but not Europe and the EU will have influence over us, not least, Scotland's call for independence with Sturgeon wanting Scotland to join the EU. After Ursula's vaccine failures, it may well be that some undecided Scots would prefer the devil they know (UK) in the knowledge that Boris, who goes down in Scotland like a bag of sick, will not always be PM
Just on that subject I would always say to people how many rings-wing groups do we have in our parliament.... how many does the EU have? That always answers that question.
Yes there are right-wing MEP's in the European Parliament but none in the British one. Is that simple enough for you?
In fact... I believe all/most EU countries have some sort of right wing parties in their parliaments. We have discussed this before. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36130006
Yes thanks. I hope it looks as stupid to you typed out like that as it should. Utterly bizarre that you still pretend to not realise how right wing your tub-thumping party has become and ignores the wildly different voting systems of the two. One of the few advantages of FPTP is it stops far left and right parties getting the same share of seats as their share of vote whereas we voted en masse for Farage’s band of nonces to represent us as MEPs.
once again you ignore the facts and go off on your usual diversions. Anyway I haven't got time for your rubbish tonight as I have a virtual pub quiz to win again.
European Union EU’s vaccine blunder reopens Brexit battle over Irish border Tory MPs use short-lived announcement of export ban to call for overhaul of trade deal, as EU chief is attacked over U-turn Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Michael Savage and Daniel Boffey Sat 30 Jan 2021 16.00 EST Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email The European Union’s threat to impose a vaccine border between Northern Ireland and the Republic risks reigniting one of Brexit’s bitterest disputes, as senior Tories said the move proved the need for an immediate overhaul of the bloc’s treatment of Northern Ireland. The renewed demands emerged with the EU facing an extraordinary backlash over its bungled announcement of potential export controls on vaccines produced within the bloc. The World Health Organization (WHO) condemned the move and the pharmaceutical industry warned that the measures would damage their vaccination efforts. However, the EU’s initial threat to stop vaccines crossing freely from the EU to Northern Ireland – swiftly withdrawn after it set off a diplomatic crisis between Ireland, the EU and the UK – has also reopened the toxic political row over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit status. Tory Brexiters were planning this weekend to use the row to demand an overhaul of the Brexit deal over Northern Ireland that has seen trade issues emerge with Great Britain. The row has heaped huge pressure on European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who has already faced blame over the relative slowness of the EU’s vaccination programme compared with nations such as the US, UK and Israel. The EU’s threat of border controls within Ireland had been part of the bloc’s export control measures on vaccines, designed to tackle delivery shortfalls. In an intervention in the Observer that reveals the alarm the EU’s threat has caused among vaccine makers, the heads of the UK- and Europe-wide industry bodies jointly warn that export bans would leave them “trying to fight the pandemic with our hands tied behind our backs”. please log in to view this image World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attacked ‘vaccine nationalism’. Photograph: Reuters “Alongside the scaling up of capacity, companies without Covid-19 vaccines are lending their own manufacturing capacity and expertise to produce even more doses,” write Richard Torbett, head of the UK’s Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, and Nathalie Moll, head of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. “Export bans undermine this collaborative effort. Companies are working as fast as they can to protect everyone. Export restrictions do no one any good and we urge governments to avoid them.” The WHO has also criticised the EU’s announcement of export controls. Its director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said “vaccine nationalism” would only serve to draw out the Covid crisis. Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products, said it was a “very worrying trend”. The Brexit protocol affecting Northern Ireland was designed to stop the need for a border within Ireland. Article 16 of the protocol can be used to override the agreement in certain circumstances. The EU signalled on Friday that it would trigger the clause to stop Northern Ireland becoming a back door for vaccines to enter the UK from the bloc, but ditched the decision after a diplomatic outcry from Dublin and London. Quick Guide Vaccines: how effective is each one and how many has the UK ordered? Show However, the row escalated on Saturday after Northern Ireland’s first minister and Democratic Unionist party leader, Arlene Foster, called for the entire deal affecting the region to be redrawn. She said the protocol was proving to be “unworkable” and that serious problems had emerged with trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. It is understood that senior Tories will seek to meet the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, to relay their concerns. Theresa Villiers, the former Northern Ireland secretary, said: “It is vital that the government uses this as an opportunity to talk quite toughly with the EU about how the Northern Ireland protocol is working. “We’ve seen the EU make a massive misjudgment. This is an important time for us to point out some of the other really serious defects in how it is approaching Northern Ireland. That’s certainly the message that a lot of my colleagues have for Michael Gove and for the prime minister as well. I certainly want the protocol to be a temporary arrangement, but we can now turn it into something that is broadly workable.” please log in to view this image The Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, called for a reset of relations over Northern Ireland. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images David Jones, a Brexiter and former Tory cabinet minister, said: “The protocol must go. The EU have shown how ready they are to weaponise it, even with no provocation, in a fit of spite. We have to put more sensible measures in its place.” Gove said on Saturday he was seeking to “reset” relations with the EU over Northern Ireland. He also said while the UK’s vaccine supply would be unaffected, the government would seek to help other European countries, if it was in a position to do so. The compromise eventually agreed between the European commission and Dublin exempts vaccine manufacturers from seeking authorisation for doses crossing the border to Northern Ireland, avoiding claims of erecting a vaccine border in Ireland. The Irish government will instead be required to report on the quantity of doses distributed to Northern Ireland in a sign that the commission remains concerned that it could be a backdoor route for the movement of vaccines to the rest of the UK. An EU official said: “We have also got suspicions that certain vaccinations are leaving Europe instead of coming to us, so we have put in place this mechanism to check.” Officials said on Saturday they remained determined to hold manufacturers to account, with vaccine shortages being reported across the bloc. It is in dispute with AstraZeneca after the company said it could only deliver a fraction of the vaccines initially promised. “We have a serious issue with a company that has signed a contract with us saying that it was to put at our disposal vaccines from two factories from the UK – and has not delivered a single dose from those factories,” an EU official said about AstraZeneca. “And it was clearly saying, supported by the British government, that those factories will not be delivering vaccines to the EU until the UK has got the 100 million doses it is supposed to get. This is a serious issue for us.” AstraZeneca has said that it has a contractual obligation to fulfil the UK’s order of 100 million doses from the plants in Oxford and Staffordshire before diverting vaccine to the EU.
What exactly do you identify as problems in Italy ? Alledged change in government is no news down here. Sorry to say the attention given to the EU in the UK is not reciprocal. Fair to say that the UK is mostly ignored overseas
UK applying to join Asia-Pacific free trade pact CPTPP Published 51 minutes ago Share Related Topics Brexit please log in to view this image IMAGE COPYRIGHTDEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE image captionLiz Truss will speak to ministers from Japan and New Zealand on Monday The UK is applying to join a free trade area made up of 11 Asia and Pacific nations, under its post-Brexit plans. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership - or CPTPP - includes Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. In total, it covers a market of around 500 million people, generating more than 13% of the world's income. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will make the request on Monday, with negotiations expected in the spring. There are 11 countries in the CPTPP trade agreement formed in 2018: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The US was originally in talks to be part of the CPTPP, but former President Donald Trump pulled out when he took office. The main purpose of the deal is to cut trade tariffs - a form of tax, like a border tax - between member countries. It includes a promise to eliminate or reduce 95% of import charges - although some of these charges are kept to protect some home-made products, for example Japan's rice and Canada's dairy industry. ADVERTISEMENT In return, countries must cooperate on regulations, such as food standards. However, these standards and regulations do not have to be identical, and member countries can strike their own trade deals. How many trade deals has the UK done so far? The UK is the first non-founding country to apply and, if successful, would be its second biggest economy after Japan. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Exactly a year after it said goodbye to the EU, the UK is eying a new trading club. It sounds a win-win: those Pacific Rim nations represent 13% of global income and 500 million people - and the UK would retain the freedom to strike deals elsewhere. There'd be agreement on how standards and regulations are set (with minimums to be adhered to) - but they wouldn't need to be identical. In practice, however, the short-terms gains for households and business would be limited. The UK already has trade deals with seven of the 11 nations - and is pursuing two more. In total, CPTPP nations account for less than 10% of UK exports, a fraction of what goes to the EU. This deal would however deepen some of those ties - and allow UK manufacturers who source components from multiple nations in the bloc some benefits under "rules of origins" allowances. But the real boost could come in the future, if others join - in particular the US, as President Biden has hinted. That would give the UK that hoped-for trade deal with America - within a trading bloc wielding considerable power on the global stage. Read more from Dharshini please log in to view this image It already has trade deals with most of the CPTPP countries that rolled over from its EU membership - and it is negotiating with Australia and New Zealand. In total, CPTPP nations accounted for 8.4% of UK exports in 2019. The government said it was announcing the deal as the UK marks one year since it left the EU. It said if the UK joined the CPTPP, tariffs would be cut for UK industries including food and drink, and cars. For example, there would be no tariffs to export whisky to Malaysia and cars to Canada. There would also be the potential for faster and cheaper visas for business people, it added. "One year after our departure from the EU we are forging new partnerships that will bring enormous economic benefits for the people of Britain," said Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "Applying to be the first new country to join the CPTPP demonstrates our ambition to do business on the best terms with our friends and partners all over the world and be an enthusiastic champion of global free trade." Ms Truss added: "It will mean lower tariffs for car manufacturers and whisky producers, and better access for our brilliant services providers, delivering quality jobs and greater prosperity for people here at home. "We're at the front of the queue and look forward to starting formal negotiations in the coming months."
