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One of the most potentially dangerous pieces of hidden legislation ever pushed by politicians, is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). If it were ever written into EU and US law, it would allow corporations to sue the government for the loss of future profits due to legislative or other changes. While technically that can happen already, TTIP would have made it happen in a secretive court, with corporate lawyers and no judicial oversight. Essentially, skirting the current legal system in favour of one linked with corporate interests.
Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of George Monbiot and others, TTIP was brought into the light and given the treatment it deserves, with protests and petitions drowning support from many politicians. However others still continue to push it forward, urging current head of the EU commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, to support the the legislation. This, despite his claims during his election to the commission, that he would not “sacrifice Europe’s safety, health, social and data protection standards … on the altar of free trade.”
David Cameron himself has come under fire in the past few months for not excluding the NHS from any potential implementation of TTIP, which could theoretically allow organisations like US private health companies, to sue the government for supporting the NHS and thereby denying them profits. Similarly there are fears that TTIP would allow the NHS to be sold off to those same companies. Cameron for his part has denied this, suggesting that TTIP would grant the UK a large “economic prize.”
As The Guardian points out however, this is a bizarre stance to take considering Cameron's rhetoric about maintaining British independence through severing ties with the EU. TTIP would grant powers to corporations that could, through intimidation, allow them to force public policy. If they don't get what they want, they can just sue the government. In countries where laws like this have already been implemented, it's led to Tobacco companies suing governments for discouraging smoking and mining firms to sue them for preventing environmentally damaging drilling.
Of course these sorts of legal disputes can take place in standard court rooms, but doing so would give the public a chance to weigh in on it through a standard jury. Something that for some odd reason, David Cameron and other politicians don't want to happen.
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KitGuru Says: The sad thing is other parties like Labour and the Liberal Democrats support it too.
Image source: No 10.
Welcome to modern democracy
All the progress in democracy made over the last 200 years is being undone by right leaning politicians with vested interests.
Labour has been Tory with a smile since Tony Blair
Conservatives are pandering to the extreme right UKIP
Liberal Democrats ruined their reputation when they made to many large concessions in the coalition with the Tories. They’ve completely lost the student vote for example.
If we leave the EU, I’m going to start looking for work in Aus or Canada.
I’m thinking Germany or elsewhere in the EU. They have good Universities there. The UK will lose a significant proportion of its educated and trained classes quite quickly if we sign up to the TTIP and check out of the EU, and they’ll be left with poor service workers who don’t have the cash or skills to get out of the country and the smug self-satisfied gits who run the country – i.e., wealthy and connected but as stupid as a brick wall.
If we leave the EU I’m going to throw a party 😀
I live in Swindon, this is an industry town based around Honda and BMW.
Both will be at risk of closing if we leave the EU, because why stay?
I’ll move to greener pastures while my home country fades into obscurity.
If I wanted to stay in Europe, I’d head to one of the Scandinavian countries or see about transfering with work to Eindhoven in Holland
Why?
It will do so much harm to the country.
Just to pander towards some nationalistic idiots?
We’ll loose our bargaining chips with our most important trade partners. It’s a daft move.
The NHS, which is already strapped for cash, will be even worse off.
Your national insurance contribution will rise to fill the gap.
Quality of care will fall overall.
The second we leave the EU, the sharks will start circling the UK’s net neutrality.
I wish Scotland got its independence so I could move away from this sinking ship.
please tell me you are joking, The money we save from not paying the ridiculous fees and subsidies to Europe would more than repair our NHS (of which Europe wants us to get rid of btw). If we were to pull out of europe do you honestly think they would stop doing business with us ? not likely. Wouldn’t it be nice for us to be able to deport Terror suspects back to their own country without having to worry about them crying about “human rights” and dragging the process on for years whilst costing the tax payer hundreds of thousands in legal fees ?
what net neutrality is this ? we are censoring more and more websites every day.
Yes, we pay X amount to be apart of the EU. It comes with a lot of benefits that are worth far more however. Our free trade deals would have to be re-negociated with the EU block. Benefits from migrant skilled migrant workers far out stretch the ones who are here to leach (as in, the leachers are a really small percentage of migrants). A lot of companies would re-evaluate whether it’s within their bussiness interests to stay in the UK, take a look at the bussiness make up of Swindon for example, Honda, BMW and Intel. All are internation companies that could get a far better deal elswhere if we left the EU.
I’m not going to disagree with the deportation of some terror suspects. That was a farce that took far too long, however, human rights should be respected. You can’t claim a moral high ground while sending people to countries where you know full well they will be tortured.
The NHS is being privatised by a back door anyway. Most of it is outsourced these days. 4 years ago, the NHS payed for me to go private for my wrist operation (in Bath) and that must of cost them a pretty penny.
And tell me, where has it been said that the EU wants to get rid of the NHS? Most of the big players in the EU have a nationalised health service simular to the NHS.
I’m not going to be able to convince you to change your mind, just like you’re not going to be able to convince me to change my mind.
All I can say is step back and look at the bigger picture. Yes, some things that come from Brussles are rediculous, but the benifits far outweigh the costs.
fair enough we shall have to agree to differ on the leeching EU and the fact that only Germany puts in more money than us into the EU and we get the least out of it, not to mention the amount of money we would save on not paying for MEP’s. I suggest you do some reasearch of your own and don’t listen to any of the political figures being spouted out as they are all biased one way or another.
Censorship is a completely different issue, this is about limiting access to commercial sites unless they pay the ISPs.
you are correct , I got a little confused there for a moment.
3 million jobs inside the UK alone depend on the EU, If the UK leaves the EU there’s going to be 3 million unemployed over night adding to the already staggering number of 2.5million.
To be fair, censorship is closely linked to net neutrality when it starts being abused.
It’s a fuzzy line
This person gets it.
People don’t seem to realise how much our economy depends on the EU, directly and indirectly. For example, I work for a Dutch company here in Swindon. Would my job be as secure if it wasn’t for the EU open market?
They wouldn’t of been far behind to be fair. maybe 5 or 10 years. but once the money ran out, they’d be in the same boat.
I’d be tempted with Australia or Canada.
Well, if this does go through, might be a good time to think about buying shares in Weyland-Yutani.
If we leave the EU our trade will not cease at all.
But if those people do become unemployed then they will be able to retrain as nurses,doctors,teachers,firemen,police officers, there are so many possibilities that we could achieve with the money saved from not paying the EU.
No one said trade would cease but if the UK leaves the EU importing/trade from outside the UK would become a lot more expensive hence prices would go up and it’s not a question of if they lose their jobs, They will lose their jobs, European companies will pull out of the UK and hey presto 3 million more unemployed which is not a good thing.
There is no proof that European companies would pull out of the UK but even if they did they would be replaced by companies from the other 6 continents on this planet.
I wouldn’t say those students are the brightest bulbs in the room. Truly anyone that voted for the conservative crime party gets what they deserve and goes to show just how moronic and asinine people can be! Oh and BTW the Canadian Conservative Party is so extreme right wing it makes me shiver. Canada is in just a bad shape as the UK thanx to idealogical legistlation being made by right wing nutjobs that hate democracy. Why do conservatives hate democracy so much?
as if any major players want to set up shop in UK. you truly are delusional
really ?? what is stopping them at the moment ?? European sanctions please do some research then at least you can look like an educated idiot instead of just an idiot.
Because they’re backwards looking.
Hell, it’s even in the name, Conservatives.
The days of Britain being a major empire ended in WW2 but some people look back with rose tinted glass.