Merkel's extraordinary about-turn on Easter lockdown

Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, has always given the impression of being a tough politician who knows what she wants and generally succeeds. Her abrupt totally surprising about-turn after announcing total lockdown over Easter hints at panic. Faced with a third surge in Covid infections she had decided that everything should be shut down in a lockdown measure that provoked an outcry from everyone in Germany. Instead of sticking to her guns she U-turned and said she had a made a bad mistake. Well in practical and realistic terms it was a mistake because she failed to give anyone sufficient notice of the instant lockdown. But the change of mind was symptomatic of the way Germany and the rest of the EU have managed the coronavirus pandemic and in paticular the vaccination programme. It has been 27 countries in a maze, getting lost whichever way they turn. Merkel had said she was against the EU stopping the export of vaccines made in Europe to other countries wbhich of course included Britain. Yet now the German government has joined with France and other EU members to approve legislation that will do just that so that they can get what they think are their due supplies. Britain may have left the EU but we haven't moved further away geographically and we're still close allies and partners in pretty well everything that matters, including trade. How are relations between Britain and the EU going to be cemented in friendship and mutual respect if this sort of political foot-stamping continues? It's time for Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to end this disruptive behaviour and go back to being grown-ups, solving problems with their former EU partner in a conciliatory, diplomatic and intelligent way.