Monday - November 17, 2014

AS AMERICA DRAWS CLOSER TO THE EU

So bmews … whatcha think of this headline?

G20 summit: Cameron promises to fire ‘rocket boosters’ under controversial EU-US TTIP trade deal

Yawn? Really?

OK.  Does anyone (besides LyndonB who will know) have a handle on this thing?  Bet not.

TTIP is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
So far so good? Okay.  Besides some eurocrats, who is behind this deal that might happen?  If it secretly hasn’t already in some form.

It was officially launched by Obama AND … the European Commission President in June of 2013.

So what else makes it controversial?
Well, companies could challenge and ultimately overrule decisions made by elected governments.  Nothing to worry about. Right?

The EC bmews. EC.  A ruling body within the EU. As in, EU!
The European Union.

So then, and cos I do understand I am not the brightest spark on these matters,
something I have banged on about for how long now, is getting closer.

While the story here comes from a left leaning paper, and the comments by readers are generally anti USA, that does not make it less worthy of your attention.  Many of our critics make the claim that America only does that which is in its own best interests.  Well darn don’t that beat all?  And I guess we’re the only people, the only country on the planet, that has any self interest.

Just a heads up guys so ya know what’s in store.  And it is.

I’m not clear on the argument re. foods, the suggestion being that the folks here will import unhealthy food from the USA, where everyone is is grossly overweight. 

I can not imagine what kind of food the ppl here would be lost without. They already have more variety due to imports from Europe and a vast improvement in their own cookery, and much better supermarkets then are found where I’m from in Ca. Especially the German owned markets which btw, are killing the Brit ones on both price and a match on quality often surpassing the home grown.  What I’m trying to say is … the Brits really don’t have any huge or urgent need of imports from the USA.  I do of course, because there are still some things American I have trouble getting if at all. But I’m not starving and not unhappy with what is available.

One thing they do worry about here is their national health being sold off to private American concerns. 

Do a bit of research on this.  You’ll find differing arguments naturally. But I’m a bit narrow in my approach to things.  Pres.Barry is leftish, so are the folks of the EU, big business aside.  That’s what I focused on.  If we do really more serious trade deals with the euros, will we eventually have to sign up to other eu mandated things that just are not a part of American culture?

Critics claim Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership would put the NHS at risk of being sold off to American health companies and lead to lower food standards.

David Cameron has promised to fire “rocket boosters” under a controversial EU-US trade deal that he believes could be worth £10bn to the British economy.

But the Prime Minister admitted that he needed to persuade the public about the merits of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Critics claim the deal would put the NHS at risk of being sold off to American health companies and lead to lower food standards, allowing less healthy US products into the European market.

Mr Cameron dismissed the criticisms as “weak” and any threat to the NHS as “nonsense”, saying: “It’s our NHS, it’s in the public sector, it will stay in the public sector, it will remain free at the point of use.” He insisted the deal could enhance, rather than undermine, “decent and robust” food and environmental standards.

But he added that it was vital for supporters of the deal to take on the criticisms before they gained enough traction to threaten public acceptance of an agreement. Public protests against TTIP were held last month in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

Mr Cameron, speaking after a meeting between EU leaders and the US at the G20 summit in Australia on Sunday, said that there was agreement to accelerate what have proved to be drawn out negotiations.

The Prime Minister insisted that TTIP will be “good for Britain, good for jobs, good for growth, and good for the British economy”. However, there have been criticisms that the discussions have been highly secretive, leading to fears that the terms might not be as advantageous to the UK as the Government has insisted.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union, said: “David Cameron is riding roughshod over the people of Britain by refusing to listen to their concerns over the threat this trade deal poses to the NHS.”

He asked: “If TTIP is not a threat to the NHS then why doesn’t David Cameron just make an explicit commitment to use his veto in Europe to get the NHS out of TTIP? The Government spent months trying to brush the threat of TTIP under the carpet but massive public pressure has forced the Government to admit the NHS is part of the deal. When you see the links that the Tory Party has to private healthcare you have to ask who is this Government really working for?”

SOURCE AND READER COMMENTS OF SOME INTEREST

Here are a couple of reader examples but ,,,, I’d like to hear from our LyndonB on the subject, cos far as I’m concerned, what he thinks on the subject will be the correct one.

GRINDELOW 6 minutes ago
Neither Cameron or any other UK politician or MEP has any influence on the TTIP negotiations which are between the US and EU bureaucrats. Some MEPs have said they haven’t a clue what’s going on.
I’ve no doubt Germany will be in on negotiations but as the the rest - forget it.
The EU works on behalf of big business which is why there are more lobbyists than bureaucrats with over 20,000 bureaucrats.
Today virtually all new wealth accrues to the richest 1%. The TTIP will create about 0.5% more growth but at the price of downsides in terms of more unemployment and loss of taxation inside the EU.

In today’s world this translates to more profits for big companies which will feed directly to the richest 1% whilst the hollowed out middle class will be left further and further behind.
The richest 1% believe in trickle down economics because they know it works fine for them because it there is no trickle down.

MONTY 30 minutes ago
The USA does not go into trade deals to benefit any other country. The benefit has to be for America.
The really troubling section of TTIP is the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)this is a tribunal set up to allow companies to sue governments for loss of profits or future profits. The hearings are held in private, in international courts at the World Bank in Washington DC, this bypasses the legal system of the country being sued, meaning details are often impossible to uncover.
The NHS can be exempted from this treaty but our present government does not plan to do this.
Under ISDS it would be possible for corporations to sue governments for changing work regulations or increasing the minimum wage. It is OK to have trade treaties but it is very worrying to have ISDS as part of such a treaty, this smacks of corporations trying to control governments and the citizens of a country.

Posted by peiper     on 11/17/2014 at 04:25 AM   
Filed Under: • Big Business • International •  
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