https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/18/drug-shortages-normal-in-uk-made-worse-by-brexit-report-warns
Some shortages are so serious they are imperilling the health and even lives of patients with serious illnesses, pharmacy bosses say
Seeing this has reminded me to submit my repeat request for my ADHD meds. Now I get to enjoy spending the next week wondering if I’ll be able to get any this month.
I hate how Brexit is played down even in this headline. It makes it seem like it was always going to get like this and Brexit just made it a bit worse.
"Drug shortages more than double since we left the EU"
Is how I want to see these headlines spun.
Its why they chose to go on through with brexit, right when we were staring down the barrel of a pandemic and economic shutdown, despite the EU saying we can pause until its over. It left those utter tories enough with plausible deniability to be able to declare its everything else's fault but brexit.
Because everything bad that happens since Brexit definitely ALWAYS was caused by Brexit? Even when other European countries face similar challenges?
Doesn't matter. I fully understand that correlation does equal causation.
The pro Brexit media would spin everything as being the fault of the EU. So why can't people who are pro EU spin everything that's bad as being because of Brexit?
There's nothing false about the headline I put forward (its there in the article) it's just spin. And that's still better than the out and out lies we were fed by the eurosceptic press in the decades up til our leaving.
They have the same shortages of ADHD meds in the USA, so I'm sceptical TBH. It seems like they'll say anything to avoid blaming the drug companies.
Seems more relevant to compare the situation in EU countries. Are they suffering from shortages?
Yep, e.g. here’s the list of current shortages for Germany:
https://anwendungen.pharmnet-bund.de/lieferengpassmeldungen/faces/public/meldungen.xhtml
In Sweden, over 1000 packages are listed as a backlog risk-situation. But the numbers are a bit inflated, because each package counts as another item on the list (if Paracetamol 500mg with 30 tablets is marked, it's probable that both Paracetamol 500mg with 100 tablets and Paracetamol 250mg with 30 tablets will also end up in that situation).
So yeah, there are shortages, especially for medicines that have become increasingly popular (Semaglutid for example)... but it is very likely Brexit has made it worse for the British, as otherwise many could be imported easier from the single market.
that will happen when you send your best drunks and cricketers half way across the world on boats
I was going for illegal drug shortages at first from the title, and then that made me ponder the efficiency of the legal trade routes Vs illegal.
Predictions on when we'll rejoin the EU?
I'm guessing by 2035 we'll be actively negotiating a rejoin.
We won't be rejoining for another 20 years at least. What we will be doing is forming agreements and pacts over those 20 years that slowly bring us into realignment without using the "R" word. They will be easy economic wins for future governments with less political baggage as the Brexiters die out.
Honestly I think it's going to be generation or more before rejoining is going to be on the cards. The wounds are still too raw currently on both sides of the channel.
The "Bregret" needs time to sink in before rejoining is possible.
I think that's optimistic to be honest.
2025-2030 it'll be Labour maybe improving the relationship a bit but showing that the other major party can't really make a go of it.
2030-2035 probably still labour. At this point things will be more settled and other issues will be at the fore. Hopefully electoral reform.
2035-2040 either growing feeling that we'd be better off in the EU than out of it, or if we're really lucky the first PR elected government and it can be talked about.
2040-2045 if PR then pro EU coalition probably looks to get maybe get us into the EEC. If no PR then main parties start to openly admit that public mood has changed and saying we'd be better in is no longer political suicide.
2045-2050 If PR we start to put feelers out to the EU and bring ourselves in line with them. If no PR the calls for a referendum start.