It comes as no real surprise that the leader in the vaccination race is Israel. It has the best medical research in the world, the best tech innovations and a population, all raised in the army at some point, who listen and obey. Argumentatively, but they obey. They also have a government who are used to making quick decisions. 70 years of living surrounded by sworn enemies will do that. Ok, the ‘ultra orthodox’ are an obvious exception in terms of anything to do with common sense, but that’s another conversation.

Next on the ‘jab-em-quick’ table comes the UAE. A tiny nation of 9 million people, all so rich that none have to actually go to work.

Then comes the UK. Bless ‘em. We’ve vaccinated over 8 million of our people already.

Europe is way down on the list. I mean ‘waaaaaay’ down. Because they don’t have enough vaccines. And so are enraged that Astrazeneca have told them they can’t supply all that the EU ordered in the time promised. Which is why the Europeans went into vaccine-panic on Friday and… and… and…

What they did was threaten to overturn a Brexit agreement which had only taken 3 years, 5 prime ministers, 785 negotiators and millions of foreigners to agree. Three weeks later the EU threaten to ‘prevent exports of vaccine from the EU’.

Seems a little harsh, a little greedy, a little reactionary. But that’s the tip of the iceberg. And the iceberg in question is the island of Ireland. As anyone on the Titanic could have told you, icebergs are dangerous things.

To ‘prevent exports from the EU’ translates, in English as well as Gaelic, into ‘putting a border up between Northern and Southern Ireland’. Always a fractious place. Between those that no-one can understand and those who understand very little that doesn’t involve concrete. As the government went into overdrive over this horrendous threat, the statisticians were greatly concerned as to whether renewed ‘troubles’ in the Province would count as ‘Covid deaths’?

The Euros have, obviously, removed this stupid threat, with even tossers like Macron realising that you don’t start a war because of… because of…

Because of your own tragic inefficiency.

The UK ordered 100 million Astrazeneca vaccines in May. The EU ordered 300 million (their population is 8 times what ours is, so not a massive amount), in August. 3 months later. The UK then ordered 40 million Pfizer (including my one) in July. The EU ordered their Pfizer supply in November. Four months later. Four months of (I’m guessing, but you just KNOW) endless bickering, arguing, debating, procrastinating and bureaucracy. It’s what they do best. Much as I didn’t want to leave Europe, the horrendous ‘processing’ of any decision or action whatsoever is something I won’t miss.

Our government, for all the accusations of it ‘acting too late’, got the vaccine bit spot on. ‘They’ didn’t. Tossers.

Happy peaceful Sunday

A xxxx