The Continent Strikes Back

Hell hath no fury like the European Union. Spurned Eurocrats declare war on British independence. They are demanding trade deals in exchange for COVID vaccine, pitting wealth against health.

“We made a mistake, and we immediately rectified it”. That, broadly, has been the Brussels line since the vaccines débâcle last week. Commission officials have rushed to put as much distance as they can between themselves and the abortive announcement of border checks between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ursula von der Leyen’s officials privately blame the Trade Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis; his officials blame her.
But the proposed border in Ireland – something that, for five years, the EU had claimed would risk a return to violence – was not the most serious mistake Brussels made. Far worse was its decision to ban the export o ...