United Kingdom V: Son of a beach

[MartyG]

So which members of the Westminster cabinet have a stake in the Oxford vaccine... I’m sure that’ll leak soon.

My best guess would be none given it's not a public trading company.

[teddymeow]

I'm starting to feel increasingly anxious about Covid-19 and really beginning to feel like it's the start of the end of the world.

The fact that it isn't going to go away, there'll be future spikes, the fact that the vaccine isn't guaranteed to work.

It's all piling on top of me and it's taking a huge amount of mental.energy to break down and bawl my eyes out.

Just me?

[Neon Ignition]

It's definitely going to go away I feel, just that it will be a 2021 thing and people will have to suffer an unnecessarily damaging Second Wave first. The vaccine trials on each front sound hopeful but being realistic about the ability to source enough of it, enough needles, vials etc then distribute it given the sheer incompetence shown by our government means 2020 is a right off. But the end will come I feel.

[kryss]

It's definitely going to go away I feel...But the end will come I feel.

Just making sure everyone knows these two things are connected! Not THE END the end!

This is difficult, but we have each other.

[CMcK]

My best guess would be none given it's not a public trading company.

AstraZeneca are contracted to actually produce the 100 million doses of the vaccine. And they are a publicly traded company.

[Neon Ignition]

https://news.yahoo.com/critical-shortage-glass-vials-could-012547566.html

Here's the real crux of 2020, 'critical shortage' of glass vials will heavily reduce vaccine distribution

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/jul/21/uk-coronavirus-live-covid-19-latest-news-updates

And 900,000 public sectors get a payrise but no-one in the social care sector. Social Care workers have been told to rely on minimum wage increases.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/20/russia-report-to-be-released-on-tuesday-after-nine-month-delay

The Russian Report will finally be released today after a nine month delay

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/jul/21/coronavirus-live-news-trump-backs-face-masks-as-patriotic-eu-set-to-agree-stimulus

The EU has agreed a $750bn Support Deal for its nations

[teddymeow]

The EU has agreed a $750bn Support Deal for its nations

Well then, isn't it great that we voted to rema.... Oh bollox.

[QualityChimp]

Goodbye NHS!

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[Dogg Thang]

Genuine question just for my own education - is there a justifiable reason (that is in the best interests of the people of the UK) they would have voted this way?

[teddymeow]

Genuine question just for my own education - is there a justifiable reason (that is in the best interests of the people of the UK) they would have voted this way?

No. It's all about filling their pompous pockets!!

[MartyG]

AstraZeneca are contracted to actually produce the 100 million doses of the vaccine. And they are a publicly traded company.

It's unlikely AstraZeneca is going to make much money from the Covid-19 vaccine as it's going to be done close to costs - them producing it is not a good reason to buy shares in the company alone, especially when there's a big risk the trials might not even be successful (and there are around another 150 groups trying to produce a vaccine). Big pharmas like them and GlaxoSmithKline are investing, researching and releasing new drugs all the time, their cancer drugs research is actually a better reason to invest, more as a long term steady gain stock in a portfolio as invested in by many pension groups.

As it is I can only find one MP with a glancing reference to AstraZeneca mind which is Damian Colins. If anything I would think the government would be very careful of ensuring they cannot be accused of nepotism and profiteering from Covid-19. I'd suggest that AstraZeneca has been asked to produce it because they have the capacity and resources to manufacture the large amount of doses needed rather than for nefarious reasons; not everything is a conspiracy.

[Dogg Thang]

No. It's all about filling their pompous pockets!!

It would certainly appear so. I guess what I'm wondering is, if they were put up to it like in an interview or whatever, how they could justify it to the public?

[Neon Ignition]

They wouldn't bother, at this point the public has proven itself to be vocal but utterly impotent at holding the Tories to account. Johnson and Cummings would sell off 80% of the NHS and people would should 'protect the NHS!' whilst still voting them back into office with a landslide.

[Golgo]

It would certainly appear so. I guess what I'm wondering is, if they were put up to it like in an interview or whatever, how they could justify it to the public?

They would cite the patent and well-proven benefits of opening everything up to competition in 'the free market' - a fantastical construction at the best of times but especially so when it comes to the modus operandi of pharma. Still, that would get them off the hook with no further questions asked. They might also point to the excellent public healthcare record of the US?

[teddymeow]

It would certainly appear so. I guess what I'm wondering is, if they were put up to it like in an interview or whatever, how they could justify it to the public?

There's the issue. Their response simply needs to be "you voted us in with a majority". It's disgusting.