When footballer David Beckham played for Real Madrid, the English sports press and the generalist used to highlight, above the analysis of sporting events, the figure of the emblematic player for them, David Beckham. I remember a headline highlighted by the sports newspaper Star Sport, on the front page and in big letters, the day after a match: Beckham, 1. Sevilla, 0. Then came the analysis of what the match was.
Their emblematic player was, for a long time, the true ambassador of the British Empire in that third world country that, for them, was still Spain. In the 4 years that they lived in Madrid, the Beckham couple could not (or did not want to) learn a word of the language of Cervantes and his wife, Victoria Beckham (you know that in the progressive British Isles, the woman when she marries adopts the Husband’s last name), he used to highlight in interviews that he does not like Spain because it only smells of garlic.
Great Britain was a member of the EU for 44 years. It was a stone in the shoe in European construction. He never believed in the project, among other things because he did not want to transfer sovereignty from his legendary Im British and because, how were they going to compare themselves to shit from countries like Italy, Portugal or Greece …! Until Brexit came.
Nothing portends that relations between the British and the EU, between London and Brussels, will be easy in the future. Not only because, despite long and exhausting negotiations being preceded by mutual mistrust, the Brexit campaign on British soil was built on a big lie, Trump-style. And because, although it is true that David Cameron never believed that the referendum would go ahead, the populist and demagogue who today sits in Downing Street 10 always bet on it since he was mayor of London and now must convince his majesty’s subjects that the exit is the best the Empire has done since World War II. A long and painful post-Brexit awaits us, because Johnson and his people have to keep the British First flame burning.
The pandemic vaccine is testing and setting the pace for future relationships. After jumping the scandal of the contracts signed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (a Swedish-British company) to which European citizens we have given 336 million euros, of our taxes, to accelerate the research of the vaccine and its production as payment for the supply of 300 million doses, plus an additional 100 million (according to public contract). Now it turns out, The vaccine is ours! All the British tabloids cry out.
Not just the conservative / populist government-minded press, I was amazed at how The Guardian joined the anti-Brussels coven: EU demands British vaccines, was the most restrained headline, because the other conservative and tabloid press compete on the ground. of insult, similar to the most lucid moments of Brexit: The selfish EU, They want to steal our vaccine, EU wants to hijack our vaccine, Selfish, wait your turn !. Nothing about the need to fulfill contracts by the company. Again lies and half truths take to the streets in Great Britain. The pirate Boris Johnson, after his media hosts stormed out, opted for a conciliatory tone in official response to the EU’s demands. From Brussels, the pharmaceutical multinational is asked that the doses requested, pre-financed and agreed in the contract, be delivered as soon as possible and we only want our contracts to be fully complied with. No reference to the prfid Albin. Brussels has remained in the contractual arena between a legal entity representing 27 states and a company that threatened not to fulfill its contract.
In these days when Europe surfs for its third epidemic wave, it is accompanied by the British variant. The British strain that scientists say is far more contagious and deadly than the original strain, even the South African variant. We European sufferers have said nothing about it, we have not even gone to the easy joke, but, somebody has any doubt what the British tabloids and politicians would have said if the variant had been born in some EU country and was affecting its citizens. ?
This is not a conflict with Great Britain, despite the fact that they want to present it as such, it is the EU’s requirement to the Anglo-Swedish company, to fulfill its contract before the announcement by the pharmaceutical multinational of delays in its supply and the suspicion of its diversion to third countries. Brussels has made public the contract signed with the pharmaceutical giant. London no. They resist this, in the purest pirate style despite the fact that article 13.1.e of the agreement signed by the EU and AstraZeneca literally says: AstraZeneca guarantees that it has no contractual or other obligation with any person or third parties regarding at the initial doses agreed with the EU. White and bottled.
This is not talked about in the British tabloids. On the contrary, it is blamed by the pirate Johnson: Great Britain is guaranteed five doses for each citizen, when we finish the vaccination we will be generous with third countries. Pure imperial language. Great Britain, 5. European Union, 0, and this time without Beckham.
While all this is happening in the Europe of citizens, if you have 50,000 euros you can already hire a luxury vacation with vaccine included in Florida, the Arab Emirates or India. The potentates of the countries of Latin America, like their counterparts in the Salamanca district in Madrid, are already preparing their bags to benefit, once again, from the effort that others have made with our taxes to carry out the vaccines that will end the nightmare. The queues are not for the rich … nor for some politicians, generals, bishops … (the latter with the added advantage that they do not have to pay 50,000 euros).
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