Think TTIP is a threat to democracy? There’s another trade deal that’s already signed

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Think TTIP is a threat to democracy? There’s another trade deal that’s already signed

If you needed proof that trade agreements are just an excuse to hand big
business power at our expense, look no further than Ceta, a deal between
the EU and Canada

Nick Dearden
Monday 30 May 2016 09.58 BST

As the great powers gathered in Japan for last week’s G7 summit, a series of massive trade deals were under attack from all sides. And yet, from Donald Trump to Jeremy Corbyn, there is a recognition that “trade” has become little more than a synonym for big business to take ever more control of society.

The US-Europe deal TTIP (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) is the best known of these so-called “new generation” trade deals and has inspired a movement. More than 3 million Europeans have signed Europe’s biggest petition to oppose TTIP, while 250,000 Germans took to the streets of Berlin last autumn to try to bring this deal down. A new opinion poll shows only 18% of Americans and 17% of Germans support TTIP, down from 53% and 55% just two years ago.

But TTIP is not alone. Its smaller sister deal between the EU and Canada is called Ceta (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement). Ceta is just as dangerous as TTIP; indeed it’s in the vanguard of TTIP-style deals, because it’s already been signed by the European commission and the Canadian government. It now awaits ratification over the next 12 months.

The one positive thing about Ceta is that it has already been signed and that means that we’re allowed to see it. Its 1,500 pages show us that it’s a threat to not only our food standards, but also the battle against climate change, our ability to regulate big banks to prevent another crash and our power to renationalise industries.

Like the US deal, Ceta contains a new legal system, open only to foreign corporations and investors. Should the British government make a decision, say, to outlaw dangerous chemicals, improve food safety or put cigarettes in plain packaging, a Canadian company can sue the British government for “unfairness”. And by unfairness this simply means they can’t make as much profit as they expected. The “trial” would be held as a special tribunal, overseen by corporate lawyers.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/30/ttip-trade-deal-agreements-ceta-eu-canada

[Melissa G]

1. This garbage needs to be illegal. It is already

Insane and immoral.

[bjo59]

2. Too few people know or care about these trade deals (in the U.S.) and that's just the way

the corporate owned media wants it. Oh well, we'll all know soon enough, much to our ever lasting regret. But then maybe people will be too excited over driverless cars to ever notice that national sovereignty became a thing of the past.

[rhett o rick]

3. The Clinton fans seem to be ok with these killer trade deals. One even told me that

American workers wages needed to get in line with China and Africa.

[Populist_Prole]

4. In the long run we'll even out....In the long run, we're all dead

In the short run, the rentier class enjoys a bonanza of profits.

"One even told me that American workers wages needed to get in line with China and Africa."

Whover said that presumably didn't include theirselves in the race-to-the-bottom arbitrage.

[rhett o rick]

5. Exactly. We were told that NAFTA would help raise the Mexican's wages to our levels.

Progressives knew it wasnt true and sure enough, it ended up hurting wages in both countries. Now we are being told that TTP will fix NAFTA. Yeah Lucy won't pull the ball out this time.

When will people wake up and see that we are not only losing ground economically to the Wealthy 1% but we are also losing our freedoms and liberties. It's a rhetorical question. Far too many prefer a strong authoritarian to lead them instead of being free with all the responsibilities.

[tom_kelly]

6. When will they wake up?

I don't know. If the cable tv industry died, it wouldn't take long at all.

[ananda]

7. Sad..

.. for everyone.

[passiveporcupine]

8. I'm linking to a recent post that got locked

I guess for being in the wrong group. It's an excellent thread that contains some clips of Sanya Reid Smith, Legal Advisor and Senior Researcher, explaining the problems in the trade deals to three different countries (many revealed by wiki leaks). It's worth watching all three clips. She is excellent and brings up everything that is wrong and even explains that from current trade deals some countries have already been sued and had to pay huge penalties for trying to protect their own country or citizens.

It's a really something everyone needs to know about, but because of the secrecy, it's being passed by a lot of countries and I imagine citizens from all those countries don't know what their governments are doing to them, until it's too late.

We need trade deals, but not deals that remove our own sovereignty to care for our country and people.

There is a fourth clip by wikileaks that is a good one to watch too. Please watch and share these clips (and thanks to Baobab for posting this thread). Watching these made my blood boil.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1469150