Steve McGookinAmid vaccine row, Europe sees worrying Covid spikes
It was a week of contrasts as the world continues to wrestle with the Coronavirus. As the UK reached the landmark of having half its adult population receive at least one vaccination, the uneven rollout continued across Europe, with further potential disruption over the AstraZeneca vaccine, as the supply row escalated between the drugmaker and the European Commission.
As Britons protested and fretted over exactly when they might be allowed to go on holiday, cases spiked in a number of European countries, leading to a new round of lockdowns.
In short, despite some big strides – in the US, the Biden administration hit its 100 million vaccination target early – we’re far from out of the woods just yet. Amid anxiety over emerging variants, the World Health Organization warned that more people are dying of Covid-19 now in Europe than during the first wave a year ago.
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Brexit fallout continues to disrupt UK
The increasingly fraught vaccine situation will be discussed during the virtual meeting of the European Council this coming week.
The gathering of the heads of government comes as the economic fallout from Brexit continues to accumulate, and with the EU beginning legal action against the UK for unilaterally acting to prolong the ‘grace periods’ on rules that form part of the Northern Ireland protocol.
On St Patrick’s Day, meanwhile, the new US president left no doubt about his stance on the Irish Sea border issue.
Stormont and Westminster are set for another flashpoint this coming week, after NI Secretary Brandon Lewis moved to speed up access to abortion services in the province.
In Scotland, pressure continues to grow on First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, after a committee of MSPs found she had allegedly ‘misled’ an inquiry into her predecessor Alex Salmond. Any damage to her personal support could be a concern for her party ahead of local elections in May, but polls show the SNP still well ahead, with a small majority of Scots in favour of independence.
- UPDATE: On Monday afternoon, an independent report found that Ms Sturgeon had not breached the ministerial code by her involvement in the Salmond saga. The report said that the First Minister had given an “incomplete narrative of events” to MSPs, but said this was a “genuine failure of recollection” and not deliberate. It is uncertain whether a vote of no confidence scheduled for Tuesday will now go ahead.
This past weekend saw Census Day In England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland’s survey was delayed for a year).
See Also:
‘Celtic’ Biden’s Call To Irish-America
Is The UUP’s Response To The NI Protocol A Vote Winner?
The Long Way Home – Finding A Way Through The Brexit Debacle?
Northern Irish Parties And Europe
Reinforcing Northern Ireland’s In-Betweenness
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US tests waters on diplomacy
The Biden administration’s first high-level talks with China did not get off to a particularly auspicious start this week, as new Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Chinese counterpart in Alaska in an effort to re-define US-China relations.
One thing the two sides did agree, however, was to set up a joint working group on climate change, as well as other measures for “mutually beneficial co-operation”.
Meanwhile, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is apparently adjusting to a new relationship with a different occupant of the White House, responding to President Biden’s characterization of him as a “killer” by challenging him to a televised debate.
In the US itself, a fresh wave of immigration is creating a potential humanitarian crisis on the southern border for Biden’s newly-appointed Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas.
After this week’s deadly shootings in Atlanta, President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris met with local politicians to address the fears of Asian-Americans.
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From The Big Lie To A Great Undoing
The UK Must Not Walk Away From The People Of Hong Kong
Book Review: ‘Mao’s Great Famine’
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Long-dormant volcano erupts in Iceland
A volcano that had been inactive for centuries erupted near the Icelandic capital Reykjavik on Friday, throwing molten lava into the night sky. Authorities said the Fagradalsfjall eruption was not on the scale of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption which caused significant disruption to air traffic in 2010.
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‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’ – Join Northern Slant for a virtual discussion
Finally, as part of the Imagine Festival, Northern Slant will be organizing an online discussion around the subject of what a post-pandemic Northern Ireland might look like in this, its centenary year, and whether we can build a society that isn’t just a “stepping stone” for our young people.
It will air on March 27th and we’d love for you to join us. Full details are here.
See Also:
How The Imagine! Festival Was Re-Imagined
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See Also Last Week’s Five Points:
Also published on Medium.
