So much vaccine talk this morning, my take fwiw is that the EU's main problem on supplies has been panicked leadership, since January and still ongoing, compounded by relaxing lockdowns too soon. And in the first case in particular some of the panic is due to UK doing better.
In terms of sheer numbers of vaccinations the EU stands 6 or so weeks behind the UK. Not great, but really not cause for the weight of threats and bluster alternately playing out since January. And for that the buck has to stop with Ursula von der Leyen. She has failed.
As we should have learnt this week if not before arranging supply of vaccines is complex. The UK did well or got lucky (a bit of both probably), the US spent a vast sum of money. The EU by its nature has not been well set up, and is line with global average.
What I think is also less appreciated is that while the UK was late to autumn / winter lockdown and erred just before Christmas we have more or less stuck to a 5 month harsh lockdown, including 3 without schools. Comparing notes, out lockdown was stricter.
And I think the UK's messaging has been much improved since the self-styled gurus of messaging left government. It turns out the dates for easing lockdown which seemed too cautious were probably right. So we started getting more right under new management.
Plenty here for the EU to reflect upon, but the first advice is always to stop digging - advice which so far has not been taken among silly and frankly dangerous talk of stealing intellectual property. Because we will all soon be vaccinated - and hoping these work long term.
The rapid pace of vaccine development has been a global success story, not surprisingly with always the risk of being undermined by some element of nationalism. That includes the UK with our own restrictions. But the EU is in no good place to lecture.
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