Indeed. We were members of the club (with all the benefits it bestowed) but had every opportunity to walk away from the things we didn't like. It was almost like having the cake and eating it. Or to articulate it better, from your article,Originally Posted by jon1959
"And on those occasions where the UK really was uncomfortable with the direction of travel taken by its partners, it proved highly successful in negotiating effective opt-outs. These can arguably traced back to its 1978-9 decision to refrain from participating fully in the European Monetary System and proliferated during the 1990s and the first years of the 21st century, eventually covering Euro membership, participation in Schengen, and important aspects of justice and home affairs provisions".
Having said that, the actions of the EU (which they backed away from after all of 2 hours) were quite shocking and politically motivated. They have acted too slowly and too cautiously regarding vaccines and backed the wrong ones.
Don't forget that our government did not pick a winner. They pretty much bought any vaccine going... it was like betting on all the horses in the race and then saying you won. Will we be paying for this for years to come?.
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