TTIP & Obama's Recent Visit To The UK

I recently received this email from 38 Degrees after having signed the petition mentioned below. I think it's pretty cool, and I hope it got through to him.

Dear _______ ,

If President Obama hadn’t heard of 38 Degrees yesterday, he has today. Thousands of us chipped in to get an open letter to him about TTIP, the dangerous EU-US trade deal, in the newspapers. [1] The letter, signed by 140,000 of us, was splashed across the Guardian and Telegraph. This is what it looked like - it’s hard to miss!

The US President was meeting David Cameron yesterday and they’re sure to have discussed TTIP. [2] The deal reads like a wish list for big corporations. It could lower the quality of our food, stop us removing private companies from our NHS and allow big businesses to sue our government if they don’t like our laws. [3]

Obama doesn’t have long left as President, so he’ll be thinking about leaving a good legacy. Hopefully our letter will have caught his eye over breakfast and helped him realise just how toxic TTIP would be to his legacy. If he delays or stops negotiations, it would be a chunky spanner in the works for getting TTIP passed.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how each of us, sitting on our own at home, can be heard by people in power. But it’s moments like these, when we bend the ear of the US President, that remind us just how powerful we can be when we pool our resources.

38 Degrees only works because hundreds of thousands of us come together on the issues we all care about to bring about real change. `

Thousands of 38 Degrees members, along with other campaigners, have brought this dodgy trade deal out of the shadows. [4] And together, we’ve put roadblocks in front of this awful deal every step of the way. [5] TTIP threatens so much of what’s most precious: our NHS, our democracy, our public services. Let’s keep working together to protect them.

Thanks for being involved,

Lorna, Nat, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team

NOTES:
[1] 10,459 of us chipped in to put the ads in the papers!

[2] The Independent: Mr Obama is due to visit both the UK and Germany where he will discuss a variety of topics:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/brexit-barack-obama-will-offer-candid-view-as-a-friend-that-uk-should-remain-in-eu-a6984991.html

[3] TTIP - The Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership. It's a complicated name, for a dodgy trade deal. It's easy to get confused in all the detail, but there are some helpful resources out there to understand what the deal is, and why it's bad. It’s basically an EU-US trade deal that’s currently being negotiated. It’s been criticised for a number of different reasons – as a threat to our NHS, our food standards, animal welfare and our democracy. Many 38 Degrees members have been in touch to ask for further information on the deal, so here are some news articles and comment pieces you might like to read:
https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2014/10/12/information-on-ttip/

It might seem strange to talking about a trade deal being negotiated in the EU while the EU referendum is going on. When it comes to TTIP, nothing’s certain. But as negotiations on the deal are going on right now we need to keep on having our say. These articles gives some examples of what could happen to the UK’s involvement in TTIP if we vote to leave the EU:
The Independent: No, we can't protect ourselves from TTIP by leaving Europe. Here's why:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/no-we-cant-protect-ourselves-from-ttip-by-leaving-europe-heres-why-a6853876.html
The Guardian: US warns Britain: If you leave EU you face barriers to trading with America:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/oct/29/us-warns-britain-it-could-face-trade-barriers-if-it-leaves-eu

Leading independent barrister and EU specialist, Michael Bowsher QC, was commissioned by Unite the Union to produce a legal opinion on the potential impact of TTIP on the NHS. In his advice he said that TTIP poses a “real and serious risk” to the NHS. He’s said that if the deal goes ahead as it is, privatisation of our NHS could be irreversible. A full copy of the advice can be found here:
http://www.unitetheunion.org/uploaded/documents/MBTTIPAdvice20111511-25674.pdf

[4] A number of different group across the EU and in the US have been campaigning against TTIP. In November 2015 a three million strong petition was handed into the EU Commission:
The Independent: TTIP: Three million people sign petition to scrap controversial trade deal
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/ttip-three-million-people-sign-petition-to-scrap-controversial-trade-deal-a6680411.html

[5] 38 Degrees members have piled on the pressure at every opportunity where MPs or MEPs have been discussing TTIP. David Cameron said he wanted TTIP agreed by the end of 2015 - but it’s 2016 and nothing's been agreed yet - and that’s in large part because of people-powered pressure.
The Independent: Controversial TTIP trade deal between Europe and the US to be agreed within 'the next six months':
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/g7-summit-controversial-ttip-trade-deal-between-europe-and-america-to-be-agreed-within-the-next-six-10306342.html
Last summer, MEPs had their first vote on TTIP. It had to be delayed because together with campaigners across Europe, 38 Degrees members kicked up a huge stink and forced MEPs to oppose so many different parts of it. It eventually passed, but over half of the UK’s MEPs voted against it:
https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2015/07/08/ttip-who-voted-for-what/
And the first time MPs had a chance to debate TTIP, thousands and thousands of 38 Degrees members wrote to our MPs to ask them to represent our opposition:
https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2015/12/11/38-degrees-members-call-on-mps-to-speak-out-against-ttip-in-parliamentary-debate/

BC

One of the biggest problems with TTIP, and treaties governing trade (NAFTA and the TPP -Trans-Pacific Partnership which is being negotiated) is that they are big deals -- big fat opaque documents. There have been complaints about TPP that the contents being negotiated haven't been seen by many representatives in Congress.

Big trade deals are never about 'the people'--what they want, what they need; they are always about the prerogatives and interests of the corporations--on both sides of the deal. What the proles hear about the big deal is all about "trade, jobs, prosperity, new opportunities for everyone. Who would say no to all those good things? Then the deal passes and the proles discover it's another big, fat corporate dick shoved up their asses.

I suppose there is some remote possibility that TTIP (like TPP, NAFTA, et al) could be, perhaps, not entirely malignant, but I wouldn't count on it.

So, without the document in a clear, honest form, one can profitably reflect on

Who wants it?
Why would they want it?
How will that help me?
What if it doesn't do me any good after it passes?

BC

Anti-TTIP info here: https://stop-ttip.org/what-is-the-problem-ttip-ceta/faqs/

Elizabeth Warren on the TPP:

Hanover

Even if all your efforts amount to nothing, which I suspect they will, it was exciting.

Saphsin

I'm most worried about its potential effects on the internet... what I read so far is disastrous.

↪Hanover

Well, similar dubious and unpopular trade deals have been prevented from going ahead in the past, so there's a likelihood that history will repeat itself. If it does go through, a backlash is inevitable.

But yes, whatever happens, it was kinda exciting.

Thorongil

Alternatively, you could petition him to sign it in order to hasten the cannibalistic self-destruction of modern capitalism, thus in turn hastening the glorious socialist revolution.

ssu

The process of creating the TTIP and its draft is a perfect example of how much power corporations have; how they use this power; and how weak nation states have become.

mcdoodle

It looks like the French have said Non to TTIP. Good for them.

Cavacava

France has no veto power over the deal with the EU, but it could inspire the EU to suspend the deal, which has been negotiated for years. Obama (who must be the most productive lame duck ever) is trying to get it rammed through before he leaves office...neither Trump nor Clinton want it.

BC

Alternatively, you could petition him to sign it in order to hasten the cannibalistic self-destruction of modern capitalism, thus in turn hastening the glorious socialist revolution. — Thorongil

You're being satirical I assume, but there are people who actually mean it when they say things like this. I know of no reason to think such a strategy would work, and even if it did, the hideous interregnum while we wait for capitalism to collapse isn't worth heaven later. Heaven Now, I say.

The process of creating the TTIP and its draft is a perfect example of how much power corporations have; how they use this power; and how weak nation states have become. — ssu

This is relevant to the new discussion about The Establishment. It has changed -- not just yesterday; it has been changing for some time, and it is still changing. The transnational and/or supranational corporations are just doing end-runs around the State -- at least the more phlegmatic-tax-enforcement-policy-states. The Big National States are not without resources, but they have to also have "gumption", chutzpah, balls, brass knuckles, resolve, nerve, a big stick or dick -- whatever you want to call it. Most of them don't seem to be able to get it up.

ssu

Looks like at least from my perspective that the TTIP is dead.

It's not only France, Austria and Germany aren't happy with it either.

In Austria, the country's chancellor released a statement similar to that of president Hollande. Werner Faymann said: "at the moment, this trade agreement is certainly unacceptable. The justified concerns of the population that exist must be taken seriously. Private arbitrators are not necessary between developed jurisdictions, and therefore [ISDS is] to be rejected in TTIP. And the erosion of our hard-won social, environmental, and food safety standards is unacceptable."

In Germany, which has been at the forefront of the fight against TTIP, the concerns are even more widespread. The socialist partner in the current coalition government there, the SPD, stated: "The SPD will not accept any reduction of consumer, environmental or labour protection. The same applies to the precautionary principle, which is anchored in EU law, and [ISDS's] private arbitration tribunals. Otherwise, the agreement will be rejected by the SPD."

I think it has been dead for some time now and opening it up will cause nausea to the people as it reeks so bad. The momentum for the TTIP going through as planned is obviously lost already. But still Cameron is pushing for it.

Cavacava

"The EC chart shows that of the 27 chapters that make up the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, 18 are more than half way through the negotiation process as the proposals from both sides are consolidated into one text." The Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ttip-chart-shows-how-far-advanced-eu-us-trade-deal-negotiations-really-are-a7016396.html

Prior to Greenpeace's leak of parts of the report, their goal was to complete the deal by years end, based on what EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström said in this article.

swstephe

I still have a number of questions about what is going on.

First, from everything I've seen, the US has a lot to gain from the agreement. What does the EU gain? What would motivate European leaders to agree to something that is clearly unpopular to Europeans, especially with several critical issues going on at the same time. I think most Europeans can still remember how the US mostly wrecked the world economy with the banking/housing collapse -- why hand over their sovereignty. It looks like it would be political suicide to not oppose it in the strongest possible terms, (I guess France is already there). Unfortunately, the US media is completely silent on the subject, (most major news networks focus about 90% on political primaries, which used to be pretty minor news subjects). Everything else I've seen is pretty liberal, anti-GMO, anti-growth hormone, anti-corporation.

Second, speaking of which, where are all the Libertarians? I thought they love free trade, so why aren't there Libertarian pundits defending TPP, TIPA and TISA? It basically overthrows state "coercion" and hands most of the power to removing all barriers in commerce. Do they think there is something not-so-free about these agreements? They had been becoming fairly powerful. In the 2012 US elections, they were #3, after Republicans and Democrats, garnering an unprecedented 1% of the US vote. I heard the Koch brothers are quietly funding another candidate, but nothing else.

Cavacava

As a guess, Libertarians don't think any trade agreement is 'free trade', it is government restricted trade. Free trade is free trade, you have something to sell and someone else wants to purchase it, you sell it, no trade agreement, no taxes, etc., and they buy it.

As far as what's in it for EU: not sure I know all the answers. This agreement and the other Pacific agreement have not been generally available until last week when Greenpeace leaked the EU negotiation which has been going on for years. I think that agricultural food access, and such things as name provenance (Bordeaux wine, Rhine Wine, all the cheeses), names American mfgs have assumed but not paid for. The cost of importation of heavy equipment from Europe...the so called "Chicken Tax". Of course corporations such as Monsanto have major stakes in the outcome of these talks.

↪Cavacava

Urgh... Monsanto. If you type "Monsanto" into the Google search bar, at the top of the list of related searches is "Monsanto evil".

Cavacava

↪Sapientia

Monsanto is pretty much "The Ugly American", although maybe not for much longer as a separate company, if Bloomberg is right http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-12/bayer-said-to-explore-bid-for-40-billion-seed-company-monsanto

One of the issues facing Capitalism in general is its need to realize economies of scale. The larger the company the more efficient it can become. Less and less people are required as workers and managers, enabling corporations to syphon off more and more capital value to its shareholders.

Technology/corporate capitalism is going to either save us or sink us, and I don't know which, but I suspect that, along with our continually vanishing middle class, it will ultimately sink us. I think the purpose of such economies of scale, & new technologies ought to be our relief from banal, alienating work, making it easier for us to pursue our passions. All I see is that it is making it harder and harder to break away from a debt ridden lifestyle, which is engendered in our cultural system.

Money talks, nobody walks. Corporations understand how it works, you pay off enough politicians, and you get your way. Here in USA there is a double whammy, corporations are considered legal persons, which means corps can fight citizens in court and lobby to support its business' causes with a ton of money. Corporations are telling people how they should vote...a vote for Mr. X will help you keep your job.

TTIP & Obama's Recent Visit To The UK

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