LOCKDOWN

How? Everything I'm reading says this is to do with a shortfall in India. The EU threat is a separate one which will compound the problem if they follow through on it.

And while the EU does appear to be acting it a bit of a petty way, you can't stick two fingers up at them like we have and then be surprised to be at the back of the queue. 

Yes probably Do you think then that countries with the capability to produce vaccines should vaccinate there own people before supplying countries who aren’t able to produce vaccines?

I'm defensive of the EU not because I think they're particularly wonderful, but because far too often they're used as a scapegoat, and it's just a roundabout way of moaning about foreigners - something Brits are very good at. We're not even in the EU anymore and we're still bitching about them. It's just not an excuse anymore as far as I'm concerned. 

And yes, I suppose I do find it hard to praise our government. I hate them, basically. 

In a just and humane world people would be vaccinated globally based on risk profile, regardless of what country they live in. It is of course both absurd and dangerous that somebody like me, who has incredibly low risk of serious illness from coronavirus, will be vaccinated probably years before a pensioner with underlying health conditions in a country without the expertise or finance to produce or buy vaccines. 

Spot on. The point I made a couple of months ago on here (which got shouted down by the usual suspects) about there still being 130 countries who have not been able to administer a single vaccine dose between them due to the hoarding of the richer nations, applies. The UN say that 75% of the total world vaccinations so far have been issued by just ten countries.

In a global world it isn’t simply about fairness and evenness, this obviously poses a public health threat to those countries who have been able to afford mass vaccination as the virus still rages around the world. Every nation has a duty to promote fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, and make them accessible and affordable for developing countries, including those in conflict.

I know what you are saying, but that's just the way of the world and it isn't going to change anytime soon - the opportunities and influence in larger and more developed countries will always mean we're at the front of the queue for this sort of thing. I actually like the idea of us sorting ourselves out so then at least we can say Britain is more is less free of it, rather than us dragging our heels taking longer because we've had to hand over supplies to other countries. In this circumstance, I think it's absolutely correct that we get our own house in order. The longer it takes for us to defeat this then the more damage it will have on our economy and jobs, and consequently more people in poverty in our own country. The government are here to govern us, not the rest of the world, so lets get us sorted and then see whatever help we can give to others. Obviously it's in our interests to help other countries so that borders can be relaxed for foreign travel again, but before that's even considered we should finish our own vaccination programme asap. Just my opinion of course, and it probably depends where your moral compass lies, if that makes me a bit of a bastard then so be it!

This doesn't just make you a bastard on this messageboard, I think it'll make you a Tory bastard . 

We aren't hoarding our vaccines we are using them to vaccinate people.
Would you have refused your jabs so that someone in another country should have them?
Try persuading other countries to distribute the vaccines that they have developed before they vaccinate their own population and see what response you get.
I know it will kill you to say it but give the government credit for the vaccine rollout, it has been a tremendous success - 35% of the population given a 1st dose within 10 weeks.

Changing the subject, has anyone used one of these self-testing kits?

www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

A bit of a nerdy question, but why are they doing them in packs of seven? Unless you have one or seven people in your household, you're going to have at least one left over.

Seven does seem like a strange number. You’d have thought an even number would make more sense.

No, I just watch GMB now and again. Government admitted they were counting in the figures the number of tests sent out rather than actually used; therefore it’s reasonable to suggest they sending seven in a pack is part of that - enough to boost the figures without being silly and sending out 20 or 30 per household.

could be something as simple as one spare in case of spoils .

1.4 million tests reported today.lol

If you'd correctly read the link you've quoted you would have seen that it says they are free.