Tweets of the Week: Covid Vaccine, Imam Schools, MEP in a Bus

Covid vaccine hope is a major stock market plus, Michel’s EU school for imams causes a fuss, and an outraged MEP doesn’t want to take the bus. 

This week we are supported by the European Left, find out more about their European Forum later on. 

Well 2020 has thrown us enough curve balls, so it’s nice to have some positive news for a change – even the markets are celebrating a potential new vaccine and the defeat of Donald Trump out, pointed out Nikos Chrysoloras.

Pfizer and BioNTech say their COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective reported Barbara Tasch.

Le Chou, as usual, went a bit off piste suggesting that lipstick stocks would surge and sourdough flour futures collapse.

The European Commission confirmed a contract for up to 300 million doses of the vaccine, “once it has proven to be safe and effective.”

Which Sam Morgan pictured a little bit like this!

If you want to tell positive stories, look no further than How a little-known German biotech firm founded by the children of Turkish immigrants became a leader in global coronavirus vaccine race.

This week the european left, greens and progressives forces are promoting their annual European Forum. The 2020 edition starts on 8th November and will run online throughout the month, this year focussing on the Covid-19 pandemic challenges to humanity and how to refound a Europe of solidarity. Check out the full programme  at europeanforum.eu 

This week the European Council President presented a new idea that was met with widespread skepticism. 

Specifically he wants to set up a European Institute to train imams in Europe in order to “fight the ideology of hatred.”

Diego Velazquez said the idea is so outlandish and bad, that he can’t possibly have said it — we all just misunderstood him because of his champion English accent.

DG Meme was first to hail “DG GOD, created from a rib of SECGEN!”

NextgenerationEUiman? Suggested James Crisp referencing another of the Commission’s widely ridiculed titles.

Meanwhile Member States were also getting in on the action and flexing their  “antiterror muscles”

Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz says his government will create a new category of crime called “political Islam”

Oh for fuck’s sake Chancellor could you fucking not begged Luc Dockendorf

Clarifying that any expletives are in fact perfectly valid technical terms in diplomatic jargon.

Finally in another unedifying example of diplomatic debate, EPP MEP Markus Ferber launched into a rant at European Parliament President David Sassoli because he still has a driver while regular MEPs have to use public transport. 

Ferber was demanding the return of per-diems and chauffeur service suspended during lockdown.

Welcome to #PlanetMEP, tweeted James Franey “not a good look,” particularly during the coronacrisis.

Fellow MEP Martin Sonneborn was also unimpressed suggesting the hashtag #prayforferber

Cue much of German Twitter telling Ferber exactly what they think about his plight!

Thats is for this week join me again next week for more gripes and snipes in the Brussels Bubble Twittersphere