[evan_au (OP)]

Recently, the heads of Germany and France have come out strongly against deploying the Oxford University/Astra-Zeneca vaccine in their respective countries.

Are there objective reasons for this, or is it just another victim of BREXIT-19?

[charles1948]

Perhaps the EU is being cautious, they want to see what happens?

[set fair]

Apparently they are backpeddling.

[Petrochemicals]

Sour grapes, anything to injure Britain at the minute. Shellfish now need to be in purification tanks for weeks even though they have been importing them for years, you would never guess we had a trade deal. They nearly instigated  trouble in Ireland after harping on about how much they cared about it for 4 years.

[Petrochemicals]

And there's more

www.thesun.co.uk/news/14341773/coronavirus-uk-astrazeneca-blood-clots-vaccine-covid-update-live/amp/

[alancalverd]

The UK, in various forms, has been at war with Europe (in various forms) since 45 BC. If European politicians want to sacrifice more of their electorate to this pointless feud, that's democracy.

[Bored chemist]

They nearly instigated  trouble in Ireland

No, they didn't instigate it.
The UK left the EU, not the other way round.
The blame for this lies squarely with Boris and his pals.

[alancalverd]

And what has that to do with trouble in Ireland? Are you implying that the EU is at war with all countries that are not members? Or that such lesser countries are in a state of perpetual civil war? Did the EU magically put an end to organised crime in Ireland? Most of  us thought it was done by the UK giving the criminals their own parliament.

Fact is that the EU's cash cow has dried up and they are not happy about it.

[Bored chemist]

And what has that to do with trouble in Ireland?

Quite a lot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brexit_and_the_Irish_border

Are you implying that the EU is at war with all countries that are not members?

No; implying or inferring that would be silly.

Or that such lesser countries are in a state of perpetual civil war?

No; implying or inferring that would be silly.

Did the EU magically put an end to organised crime in Ireland?

No; implying or inferring that would be silly.

[Bored chemist]

Fact is that the EU's cash cow has dried up and they are not happy about it.

Our biggest market is snarled up, and we aren't happy about it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56370690

[alancalverd]

The Irish border pre-existed the EU. Joining the EU in 1973 did not bring about an end to organised crime and terrorism in Ireland or Great Britain. The Anglo Irish Agreement was signed in 1985 and the Good Friday Agreement  in 1993, with no obvious input from or mention of the EU. The border is a matter for agreement between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

[Bored chemist]

The border is a matter for agreement between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Do you realise that, because the RoI is part of the EU, the border between the North and the South is also the border between the UK and EU, and that is why the Tories' decision to leave the EU (and thus introduce a trade border) is the cause of is a problem?

[Bored chemist]

Joining the EU in 1973 did not bring about an end to organised crime and terrorism in Ireland or Great Britain.

Nobody had mentioned that issue.

[Bored chemist]

The Anglo Irish Agreement was signed in 1985 and the Good Friday Agreement  in 1993, with no obvious input from or mention of the EU.

That's part of the point of the EU, it makes border issues easier. The EU didn't need to get a mention because both sides already understood what the trade rules would be

[alancalverd]

And there's no reason why they should have changed. Simple rule: all goods of EU origin and CE compliance will be imported without customs duty, likewise exports. It would be in the EU's interest as the balance of trade favors everyone else.

Do you realise that, because the RoI is part of the EU, the border between the North and the South is also the border between the UK and EU,

That's for RoI to sort out with EU. The first time they voted on the matter, they voted to leave.  I'm perfectly happy to deal with Spurs supporters as long as they are happy to buy from an Arsenal man!

It seems that the EU is already falling apart as different nations make political or economic decisions about vaccine purchase.

[Bored chemist]

Simple rule: all goods of EU origin and CE compliance will be imported without customs duty, likewise exports.

So... the same as if we had stayed in the EU...

And there's no reason why they should have changed.

Quite.
But some bunch of fools voted to change it.

That's for RoI to sort out with EU. T

No.
They already had that sorted out.
Some bunch of fools decided to change it and they are responsible for the consequences of that change.

[charles1948]

Isn't there one comforting thought in all this - if the vaccine brouhaha eventually escalates into war between the UK and the EU, we'll win - because we have nuclear weapons, carried by our Vanguard SSBN force equipped with multiple 100-KT highly-destructive MIRV warheads.

Whereas the EU has no nuclear weapons.  Except for France of course, which has its nuclear "force de frappe"
So we need to be careful with the French.

But the rest of the EU is defenceless against our nuclear onslaughts - especially the big-talker Germany.

Therefore, perhaps our future talks with Germany should contain an oblique threat to destroy Berlin, should the discussions not turn out to our satisfaction.

All this may seem ridiculous, at present.  But when you look back at history, is it?

[alancalverd]

Simple rule: all goods of EU origin and CE compliance will be imported without customs duty, likewise exports.

So... the same as if we had stayed in the EU...

Precisely. But with no commitment to pay a membership fee or to abide by any other rules. A single market can be a single market, as it was intended to be, with no need for political interference.

Why is the EU being so difficult? Surely not because the UK was a net drain on Germany! 

[charles1948]

Simple rule: all goods of EU origin and CE compliance will be imported without customs duty, likewise exports.

So... the same as if we had stayed in the EU...

Precisely. But with no commitment to pay a membership fee or to abide by any other rules. A single market can be a single market, as it was intended to be, with no need for political interference.

Why is the EU being so difficult? Surely not because the UK was a net drain on Germany!

Surely it's obvious - the EU is being "difficult"  because if we left "easily", that might encourage other countries to try to leave. 

Also some Germans resent our having won WW2 "unfairly", by sneakily reading their messages at Bletchley Park.

[Bored chemist]

Surely it's obvious - the EU is being "difficult"  because if we left "easily", that might encourage other countries to try to leave. 

Leaving "easily" was never going to happen.
Most of Europe has worked out that leaving is a bad idea.

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/11/17/majorities-in-the-european-union-have-favorable-views-of-the-bloc/pg_2020-11-17_eu_0-01/
They don't need to be "difficult"; and they are not.
They are treating the UK as they treat any other non EU state.
This was pointed out before we left; and was dismissed as "project fear" by the brexit liars.