Have written today about the EU's pandemic screw-ups, and the alarming picture they paint (1/?) thetimes.co.uk/article/vaccin…
The most obvious thing to say (as I do in the column) is that Britain has no high ground on this - stones, glass houses, etc. But the vaccine debacle fits with a worryingly familiar pattern.
As one Brussels veteran says, it's the same pattern as the migrant crisis. Bad thing happens -> cries that the only way to solve it is more Europe -> Commission takes over -> everyone feels virtuous about the European model -> Commission fucks it up -> rats in a sack time
But more broadly, it's becoming increasingly hard to pinpoint the areas where Europe is providing economic, diplomatic or even moral leadership - despite its self-image as the wise, kind example to the world
Merkel and Macron are crawling to Poisonin' Putin for vaccines. Europe is behind Brexit Britain in condemning Myanmar, calling out China's obstruction of the WHO investigation into Covid.
Economically, the average American is 40% richer, and the gap is widening. Europe's economic performance since the financial crisis has been a disaster.
Now, many (slash most) of these things apply to the UK as well. But as I say in the column, it's increasingly hard to work out what Europe is an example of these days, except for how not to do it. Please give it a read... thetimes.co.uk/article/vaccin…
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