Re: A gift?
@Dan 55
"Well they would have opted out in the same way the UK did or Hungary did."
Your simple search should have enlightened you a little. They didnt opt out at the start, when the EU cocked up so badly they were watching vaccine be manufactured in their borders to be exported, all because the EU failed to order in time.
The EU did so badly that some countries opted out afterwards as your search discovered. You may also remember Germany breaking the EU agreement of not negotiating with suppliers the EU was negotiating with. All because the EU did a poor job at it.
Lets entertain your hypothetical version. The UK remains and while every member caves to the pressure to show solidarity our government is more competent and refuses. Somehow the UK is better run than every member country and refuses the pressure to drop our own plans (like Germany did) and throw our lot in with the EU. I dont have such faith in our government but that is what it would take. So-
As happened in reality the UK orders vaccine, the EU does as it did and throws its toys out of the pram as it did. We know the EU threatened the UK and so the UK offered to share some of the production we ordered. We also know they stole vaccine to be exported to Australia and performed raids to find the mythical vaccine being exported that was destined for the EU. So inside the EU they wouldnt even need to argue with the UK, we are in the EU and for the greater good of the EU they would just take as much as they wanted and there would be nothing we could do.
Reality stumps ideology. Sorry