[spireitematt]

They have made a mess of it for sure. But I don't see where they were being 'bully boys'. They are entitled to invoke article 16 to protect their citizens and market if they see fit.

But there could be no 'hard border' without Boris and the Teoseach's signing up for it. Nor could article 16 necessarily prevent vaccine getting to Northern Ireland, it gets its vaccine from the UK anyway..

It looks like AZ have fucked the EU over with their contract and they have seriously panicked. Time for Brussels to take a step back from this for the weekend and chill.

You're joking right?

They ordered 3 months late after the UK and then expect to be 1st in the queue. They threatened to block exports of vaccine from Pfizer/Biontech to the UK. The German media put out lies about the Astrazeneca vaccine to say it was only 8% effective in over 65s and now Macron and the French are saying it's 10% effective. They expected the UK to give some of our supply to them. The EU commission ordered a raid on Astrazeneca in Belgium. They expected the Astrazeneca vaccine before they gave it the go ahead. A German MEP talked about 'trade wars' and showing 'weapons' and said that the UK and the companies would pay for this on the same day as Holocaust memorial day.

They triggered Article 16 and could have put the Good Friday agreement at risk if they hadn't done a U-turn. The EU's argument is with the pharmaceutical companies not the UK. France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands had agreed to get their own vaccines but the EU said no and that they would do it as 27 countries and look what's happened? Germany went behind the EU's back and ordered off Pfizer/Biontech. The EU put all their eggs in one basket hoping that the French vaccines would work but they both failed and then panicked.

The EU have shown their true colours.

Imagine if the boot was on the other foot and the EU had got in before the UK. The EU would turn round and say sorry it's not our problem. All sides of the political spectrum have come out and condemned the EU all except the SNP and Sturgeon.