Westminstenders: Events...

[RedToothBrush]

Events have taken over. EU / UK negotiation have been put on ice due to covid-19.

The US has banned all travel from Europe - apart from to the uk and Ireland - in a manner which is highly political to drive wedges.

The effects of leaving the European Medicines Agency may be much more serious than anyone could have anticipated.

There's a oil price war going on between Saudi Arabia and Russia which has further driven market fears led by covid-19.

There the crisis in Turkey with Syrian refugees which is also distracting the EU.

We are facing lockdown and economic turmoil over the next weeks and months.

Johnson is having his leadership moment with deaths projected to possibly exceed UK WW2 deaths.

We are desperately trying to recruit negotiators as it's suddenly become apparent we don't have enough to carry out all the trade deals we want.

The civil service will be stretched to its limited by covid-19. Yet we also have Brexit to consider.

Where next? How bad are things going to get?

I normally hate coconut. But I like the dark chocolate Bounty bars. Do they still exist? Why do I like them?

Quite a scary thread on agressive and nasty behaviour at supermarkets

Yes! to dark chocolate Bounty bars - in Sainsbury’s and used to stock them in Tesco filling station shops.

I might have a wee stash (fortunately nobody else here likes them).

You can still occasionally find dark chocolate Oranges too.

I'm finding the self-isolation timeline of Nadine Dorries confusing.

That's because she is full of shit, and an attention seeking narcissist who is trying to make it all about her. She's also a bit dim, and completely misjudged her little flare of publicity, and is now going to have to style out her lie whilst trying to second guess what will happen next so she can carry on lying for her own ends.

I think that sums it up. Anyone care to disagree ?

I'm finding the self-isolation timeline of Nadine Dorries confusing

Yes, me too. It was all very mild, and quick, with opportunity to Tweet snarky comments about loo roll hysteria for the purposes of gee-ing up supporters of the "it's just fluuuuuu" ilk.

Well, that is my instinct but I'm aware of my own biases.

Maltesers, RTB? Now I know you live in a parallel universe - they’re always the first to go in my world.

(I’ll message you my address if you want to dispose of them in my direction )

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/15/trump-offers-large-sums-for-exclusive-access-to-coronavirus-vaccine

theguardian.com
Trump offers 'large sums' for exclusive access to coronavirus vaccine
Philip Oltermann
4-5 minutes
A researcher at the German biopharmaceutical company CureVac demonstrates work on a vaccine for the coronavirus at its laboratory in Tübingen.
A researcher at the German biopharmaceutical company CureVac demonstrates work on a vaccine for the coronavirus at its laboratory in Tübingen. Photograph: Andreas Gebert/Reuters

The Trump administration has offered a German medical company “large sums of money” for exclusive access to a Covid-19 vaccine, German media have reported.

The German government is trying to fight off what it sees as an aggressive takeover bid by the US, the broadsheet Die Welt reports, citing German government circles.

The US president had offered the Tübingen-based biopharmaceutical company CureVac “large sums of money” to gain exclusive access to their work, wrote Die Welt.

According to an anonymous source quoted in the newspaper, Trump was doing everything to secure a vaccine against the coronavirus for the US, “but for the US only”.

The German government was reportedly offering its own financial incentives for the vaccine to stay in the country.

When approached about the report by the Guardian, the German health ministry would only confirm the accuracy of the quotes attributed to one of its spokespersons in the article.

“The federal government is very interested in vaccines and antiviral agents against the novel coronavirus being developed in Germany and Europe,” the spokesperson quoted in the original article had said. “In this regard the government is in an intensive exchange with the company CureVac.”

The German health ministry spokesperson declined the opportunity to correct any inaccuracies in Die Welt’s account.

With its headquarters in the south-western German city of Tübingen, CureVac also has sites in Frankfurt and Boston in the US. Linked with the German health ministry, it works closely with the Paul Ehrlich Institute, a research institution and medical regulatory body that is subordinate to the German health ministry.

On 11 March, CureVac released a statement that its CEO, the US citizen Daniel Menichella, was unexpectedly leaving the firm and would be replaced by the company’s founder, Ingmar Hoerr.

At the start of the month, Menichella was invited to the White House in Washington to discuss strategy for the rapid development and production of a coronavirus vaccine with Trump, the vice-president, Mike Pence, and members of the White House coronavirus task force.

The White House has been contacted for comment.

Thanks for your kind posts. I had a bad night, couldn't sleep because of DS2's coughing, and got a bit wobbly.
Seen out of hours GP and feel better, although he has a bad chest infection that needs to be dealt with more drastically than it was.

The bakers I went to today has new strict rules about how many people can enter and 1m between those queuing outside. Lots of people outside in the sunshine just now. I voted. Strict rules in theory, but the sanitiser gel seemed to be optional.
I got a text from a mum at DS2's school, saying she'd been to the library yesterday ( , bearing in mind all schools shut here on Fri...), found that she couldn't borrow books and it's now totally shut. So suggested a book swap system where the kids all lend each other books over the coming weeks. I suggested she ask a doctor about her cunning plan for virus swapping.

auld 💐 hope ds feels better soon x

Dh has phoned mil. So....we shall see!

I've got a chicken in the oven...something so comforting about the smell of roasted chicken!

auld 💐

" “but for the US only ”

That's really alarming
Plans on holding the rest of the world to ransom ?
Or just wants the foreigners to die ?

DG Hierarchy of Needs, updated:

Plans on holding the rest of the world to ransom ? Or just wants the foreigners to die ?

I think the possibility of a two for one might be too tempting. He's a great businessman. He does great business. You know, he's great at business. This is great business ....

Who is he planning on doing business with if everyone else is dead?

All the best people...

Disliking coconut isn’t particularly unusual, surely? After all, isn’t it a universal phenomenon that the little Bountys are the last things left in any box of Celebrations?

It was one of those teachable moments that no one anticipates as a parent when I explained to coconut-loving DS2 (then 9) that he should eat all his other favourites first in a shared box of Celebrations because there are always unloved Bounties left at the end & he will have his fill then. It has been a universal truth in every office I have worked in. I am flabbergasted to hear of a household where there are Maltesers left. Those are usually first to go.

Thanks, BCF and Yoikes.

We have moved in under 24hrs from "Students are not allowed on campus on Monday but staff can come in" to "All university premises are shut to everyone as of Monday."

Busy trying to locate ingoing and outcoming Erasmus students, find out what they're doing/ have decided, and advise them (no, if you happen to be back in France for the weekend, don't return to the UK because your stuff is there and you think there's less chance of catching CV there than here; no, your travel insurance won't cover medivac home if you do get it in the UK...).
Next task is setting up online teaching...

Hope the roast chicken and lemon drizzle were good.

Who is he planning on doing business with if everyone else is dead?

No need to buy Greenland if it's vacant premises.

Breaking news folks....the Irish government are ordering pubs to close. That’s it, we’re done for!

A little known fact about coconut (I used to work for Bounty):

80% of the nation are coconut rejectors. I stand with the 80%.

Oooo, yeah, coconut is not nice. I can cope with a Bounty if desperate because they're so sweet but yuk otherwise.

I love bounty bars and coconut milk!

Have you noticed that gorse blossom smells of coconut?

Report here that Germany will give one million masks to EU for distribution to smaller or poorer EU members.

Don't think that includes the UK - BJ would be too proud anyway