Current Affairs

[Manoverboard]

I am finding it very difficult to understand the idiotic stance by the EU to agree a contract that can save their economy and lives of their citizens on a ' Do the best you can chaps ' basis ...

ps ... thank goodness we got out of that madhouse

[Manoverboard]

On our regional news this morning they had a report about a Bristol Hospital where the staff coming off shift are given, for free, a bacon sarnie. How nice is that .... well done the ' Jolly Hog ' bacon company

[towny44]

The two contracts are totally different in the way they are drawn up. It is explained pretty clearly here. This article explains it much better than I can.

https://www.politico.eu/article/the-key ... contracts/

Basically, the way that I read it, the UK are better at negotiating pharmaceutical contracts than the EU are.

It's to do with the difference's in contract law between the UK and the EU. Under EU (Brussels) law contracts are fulfilled on best endeavours, giving both parties some manoeuvring room. Under UK law the contract is taken as absolute. In this case it has worked in the UKs favour, in other cases it has worked against the UK.

So basically (very much oversimplifying and using made up numbers) ... the EU signed a contract with AZ saying we will take 1.5Million doses per week, to which AZ agreed knowing their production levels were above this. Later the UK came along and signed a contract saying that they would take 1Million doses per week (and to ensure this they offered 50% above the price the EU negotiated).

Let's assume AZ can only produce 1.75Million doses per week so ... to fulfil the contracts AZ must provide 1Million doses to the UK (because the contract is absolute) which means that the EU only gets 0.75Million doses due to best endeavours. Since the EU signed contracts before the UK then you can understand why they believe they are being short changed.

Ken, responding to your point in my previous post, this is the typical pro EU response that you generally make. If you know anything about contracts, and indeed have read more fully about this deal, then you should appreciate that the UK had been in constant discussion from April when they agreed to provide Oxford with funding to fully develop their initial research. This was far sooner than the EU got involved, and I assume the finer points of the contract had been agreed ahead of the belated EU entry into contract discussions, which was only after the trials had been initiated and a potential year end roll out had been mooted.
But I imagine you will have a ready defence to try and prove your imaginary impartiality.

[Esprit]

Spot on John

[Manoverboard]

He can probably get treatment for it ... just saying

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm still baffled that the only vaccine we produce and could export is AZ, which the EU also produce themselves, of which they have a large stash, and which they don't like anyway. But they want it nonetheless, just to make a political point.

However I'm prepared to accept their terms. We will only import from them if we export an equal amount to them. Just so long as it applies to cars as well. For every BMW or VW they send here they must accept a Toyota or Nissan from us. And food.

[Kendhni]

Basically, the way that I read it, the UK are better at negotiating pharmaceutical contracts than the EU are.

It's to do with the difference's in contract law between the UK and the EU. Under EU (Brussels) law contracts are fulfilled on best endeavours, giving both parties some manoeuvring room. Under UK law the contract is taken as absolute. In this case it has worked in the UKs favour, in other cases it has worked against the UK.

So basically (very much oversimplifying and using made up numbers) ... the EU signed a contract with AZ saying we will take 1.5Million doses per week, to which AZ agreed knowing their production levels were above this. Later the UK came along and signed a contract saying that they would take 1Million doses per week (and to ensure this they offered 50% above the price the EU negotiated).

Let's assume AZ can only produce 1.75Million doses per week so ... to fulfil the contracts AZ must provide 1Million doses to the UK (because the contract is absolute) which means that the EU only gets 0.75Million doses due to best endeavours. Since the EU signed contracts before the UK then you can understand why they believe they are being short changed.

Ken, responding to your point in my previous post, this is the typical pro EU response that you generally make. If you know anything about contracts, and indeed have read more fully about this deal, then you should appreciate that the UK had been in constant discussion from April when they agreed to provide Oxford with funding to fully develop their initial research. This was far sooner than the EU got involved, and I assume the finer points of the contract had been agreed ahead of the belated EU entry into contract discussions, which was only after the trials had been initiated and a potential year end roll out had been mooted.
But I imagine you will have a ready defence to try and prove your imaginary impartiality.

So what you are claiming is that you were referring to a future post that I hadn't actually made when you replied, so since I hadn't made the post you picked some random post of mine in order to pre-empt my reply. Now I get it.

The comment that you have now chosen to highlight shows no bias, from me, one way or the other - just an understanding as to why one party may feel aggrieved (try reading it again). Why do you continually feel the need to make things up and attribute them to me? Can you not defend your stance without this reliance on making things up?

Rest of your post shows that you really do not understand contract law. I have limited experience myself, but what I do know is that people can say anything, scribble down anything and shake hands all they like, but until the contract is signed then nothing is effectively agreed (in law) - both parties retain the ability to walk away. In addition, anything that was agreed, scribbled in notes and hand-shook over but does not make it into the contract does not form part of the contract. Which is why rest of the post you made is irrelevant.

[Kendhni]

I'm still baffled that the only vaccine we produce and could export is AZ, which the EU also produce themselves, of which they have a large stash, and which they don't like anyway.

A very good point.

But they want it nonetheless, just to make a political point.

However I'm prepared to accept their terms. We will only import from them if we export an equal amount to them. Just so long as it applies to cars as well. For every BMW or VW they send here they must accept a Toyota or Nissan from us. And food.

A ---- ----- point Content edited

[Kendhni]

An interesting 'experiment'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56528112

Not sure if I think this is ----- or -----.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm not sure either

[Manoverboard]

Doesn't tell us much but at least ----- ----- isn't demeaning or patronising, as far as I can tell.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Doesn't tell us much but at least ----- ----- isn't demeaning or patronising, as far as I can tell.

I assumed it was highly complimentary

[towny44]

Doesn't tell us much but at least ----- ----- isn't demeaning or patronising, as far as I can tell.

I assumed it was highly complimentary

So was my post, but it still got deleted.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I haven't seen any update since the RAF jet crashed yesterday but all reports say there was a big bang but no explosion or fireball. What are the odds it ran out of fuel?

[screwy]

Not being picky Merv but it was a Naval air Sqn aircraft.

[Onelife]

What's it with all theses----- ------?

[Mervyn and Trish]

Not being picky Merv but it was a Naval air Sqn aircraft.

Ah. So maybe they were trying to run it on marine fuel oil?

[Onelife]

I haven't seen any update since the RAF jet crashed yesterday but all reports say there was a big bang but no explosion or fireball. What are the odds it ran out of fuel?

There was a spider in the cockpit which made them jump!

[Mervyn and Trish]

I haven't seen any update since the RAF jet crashed yesterday but all reports say there was a big bang but no explosion or fireball. What are the odds it ran out of fuel?

There was a spider in the cockpit which made them jump!

It's interesting that the Red Arrows suspended flying as they have the same type of aircraft. But they have now resumed a day later, basically saying it would be wrong to speculate on the outcome of the investigation but their chain of command have decided it's okay. My uneducated guess is that means they know there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the planes - so human error? Like forgetting to fill up?

[oldbluefox]

What's it with all theses----- ------?

Don't ask!!!!

[Mervyn and Trish]

He just did

[Stephen]

What's it with all theses----- ------?

It’s either Lewis or Morse code.

I think it means dot dot dot dot dot dash dot dot dot dot dot dot.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Looking back I can only assume it means "extremely brilliant", but he was too polite to say.

[Mervyn and Trish]

"In Germany, only 60 percent of the doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine to arrive in the country have been used."

I rest my case!

[towny44]

Some German politician is now threatening to withhold Pfizer supplies for our 2nd jabs, the EU really does seem pissed off with the success of our vaccine roll out.