Tweets of the Week: MEP Sex Party, Brexit Tunnel and Vaccination Plans

MEP makes hasty exit, there’s still no movement over Brexit, and new Covid vaccine the UK gets it.

No prizes for guessing our top story this week….

Thank you Jozsef Szajer, for the gift that keeps on giving.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few days, the far right Fidez MEP was caught breaking the COVID19 social distancing rules at a “gay gangbang.”

As Bruno Waterfield explained, police broke up the party of at least 25 men as Szajer tried to flee through a window, injured himself, before trying to claim European Parliament.

Making sure that everyone would get the correct news, Hungarian journalist Sándor Zsíros gave a quick tutorial about how to pronounce the name József Szájer:

Le Chou was surprised that MEPs actually have sex lives!

Simon Nichelson ran a poll for an official hashtag:

And Twitter has spokedn: So sex and drugs and EP payroll it is then!

Ryanair, never one to miss a marketing opportunity suggested there are better ways to leave Brussels than shinning down a gutter.

However many rightly focussed on Szájer’s hypocrisy, not only a close ally of Viktor Orbán, he personally re-wrote Hungary’s constitution to include the line: “Hungary shall protect the institution of marriage as the union of a man & a woman…”

And has done more than most to undermine LGBT rights in the country.

In less exciting news, the interminable Brexit talks rumble on, as reporters run out of ways to say “the clock is ticking”

Sources from both the UK and EU Brexit teams said they are bemused by the idea that talks have “entered the tunnel”. One said “negotiations cannot become any more intense.”

Martini Seltzermayr reckons the only reason Brexit negotiators would enter a tunnel is to brick it up!

Is that light at the end of said tunnel? No, it’s just Michel Barnier dragging himself out to brief EU27 ambassadors on the state of the play in the negotiations.

Spoiler alert: there’s no change!

 

As Tom Newton Dunn reported, it appears the four-day tunnel has failed. Barnier told ambassadors that “a deal hangs in the balance”. “Differences still persist on the three main issues”.

Plus ca change.

This week we are supported by POSTEUROP, the organisation of European Postal Operators. To find out why when making a purchase, clear delivery information is the number one priority for Europeans. To find out more about EU consumer habits, following #Deliver4Europe. 

This week the UK also announced that it would be administering Covid 19 vaccinations.

 

Well played scientists. Happy vaccine day, everyone, tweeted Gary Linker.

But echoes of Brexit soon loomed.

Brexiteer and recliner in chief, MP Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed “We could only approve this vaccine so quickly because we have left the EU.”

Frédéric Moreau  was incredulous: The Vote Leave government is claiming a German-developed, Belgian-made vaccine as a British triumph. There could be no better reminder of the importance to the EU of rules of origin.

And Mike Galsworthy pointed out that the vaccine was supported by a £100m loan from the European Investment Bank.

Belgium meanwhile will begin vaccinations from 5 January announced PM Alexander De Croo 

And on Monday the European signed its 5th vaccine contract, securing almost 2 billion doses of future #COVID19 vaccines.

Europeans will be able to get them, once they have proven to be safe & effective, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Of course Berlaymonster wanted to know… are you allowed to have them *all*?