Thread by @astroehlein

On some things, it's like Brexit never happened…

Johnson & von der Leyen have the same policy of blocking wider vaccine production globally to boost pharma monopoly profits, prolonging the pandemic.

☠️ more death

☠️ more suffering

☠️ more time for new variants to emerge

I think the fact that they both have the same deadly policy has made the push to end this madness more difficult.

People in the UK & EU got so entrenched in positions of "hoorah for brexit Britain" or "the EU is the sane one here" that neither side would ever want to admit that both the UK & the EU can be wrong - that they can both have the same deadly policy.

And, simply, people are more reluctant to criticise their "team".

The vaccine nationalism we've seen in pandemic response often played on these themes & entrenched them… "Look at how much better we're doing than them!"

Meanwhile, both sides forgot we're dealing with a global pandemic & a virus that doesn't care if you're pro- or anti-brexit.

Over 320 experts have called on the UK government to stop blocking the #TRIPSwaiver on intellectual property rules on vaccines & other meds, so that developing countries can manufacture their own.

Also applies to EU, which is also blocking it.

bbc.com/news/health-60…