TTIP
The TIP of a large, potentially dangerous and damaging iceberg for the people
The TransAtlantic Trade & Investment Partnership, AKA TTIP, a so-called ‘free-trade’ agreement, is a mainly ‘secret’ deal between our government and the American government (who as we all know are aided, abetted and at least part-funded by huge corporations) so why is it ‘secret’?
It isn’t really secret it is just that most people don’t know about it or care enough about these things and the government hasn’t gone out of its way to publicize it. All secret deals are unpopular with the people so what horrors does this ‘trade’ deal hide from us?
There will a free movement of newly-produced trade goods but apparently we don’t have enough skilled workers in Britain (or Europe) to produce them so thousands will be brought in from India to do jobs that english workers have not been trained to do. Why not? Is it because the workers from India will work for less money? Who knows? The high-powered lobbyists and our government know but they aren’t telling us. Can it get more sinister? (see later.)
Other countries have already signed this investment deal with America and have suffered the costs. This secret deal allows huge, powerful, american global companies to sue governments for loss of potential income. One example is where an american company is suing or has sued an antipodean government which very sensibly made cigarette manufacturers put their harmful products in plain packs.
In a well-publicized attempt, Philip Morris, an american cigarette company, is suing (or has sued) the Australian government for a large sum of money claiming loss of potential earnings. Of course, if successful, the enormous financial cost of this assault on common-sense will be paid by the tax payers of that country and the health bill caused by more people smoking cigarettes will be a drain on the finances (taxes) of the country for decades. Other governments have withdrawn sensible plans to help their people after being threatened by huge, rich and immoral american companies.
These companies are bullying. If they were schoolchildren bullying other school children there would be a large public outcry about this but because the bullies are huge corporations it appears to be all right. I really would like someone to explain that to me in a way that makes some sense.
I rarely listen to what the politicians say anymore because they have proved time and time again that they are either economical with the truth or they simply do not know what is happening or they don't care at all about the people they are supposed to help - you, me, us. This is a worrying trend if you or anyone thinks about it.
Quite how an american company can sue another country for loss of potential income is a little beyond my comprehension at the moment but I guess I am too ethical for the actions of large greedy companies now – either american, british or global.
If this ‘wolf in sheeps clothing’ TTIP bill is agreed by our Lords and Masters in government then we can all wave goodbye to fairness, rights, moral and ethical practices and look forward to crippling taxes, crippling company laws, an even more ineffective government than before and a much meaner existence than we are all experiencing now after 2008.
We will probably lose what is left of our National Health Service which was, at one time - not too long ago, something to be proud of in a then more civilized country. When the TTIP bill goes through we can wave goodbye to all that as american companies interested only in maximizing profit (AKA greed) convert our NHS into another cash cow simply to provide an income stream (or river like the Mississippi?) for the megagiants of american trade and industry.
If the TTIP bill goes through there will be no more countries - simply Trading Zones. Everything moral and ethical is being discarded simply for trade - AKA greed - in this instance. We people will not benefit. The global megacorporations that nearly run and ruin our world will.
The american people now eat much more genetically modified food then we do in Europe at the moment. That will all change and we’ll have no choice but to eat GM maize and GM everything – even though GM foods have not been sufficiently tested for long-term human consumption. Enjoy your food while you can.
The Free Software Foundations in America and Europe see this bill as a threat to allow Digital Rights Management (DRM) to gain more control of the internet and for software patents to be allowed to curtail the development and use of free software. In other words, our freedoms on the internet will be drastically curtailed – so that we will not be able to find out what will be happening to us for one thing.
There is something extremely dark lurking behind all this for those who see. Our present behaviour toward each other - all the competition, all the fighting to get to the top of the heap, always being an ego and putting one’s self first - is a form of war. The aggressive behaviour of the american companies is a form of war against the governments who want to sell harmful cigarettes in plain packets to promote the health of the people that they are supposed to be helping. The american companies are involved in a ‘minor’ war with the people of the countries that they threaten to sue and this seemingly ‘minor’ war is the seed of all ‘major’ wars.
If we allow the american companies to act like this then we are encouraging and supporting wars both small and large. By our actions now we encourage large countries to declare wars on smaller countries. Is this what we want - more and more wars and more killing and destruction. Open your eyes, look into this and see the truth for yourselves before it is too late.
While most people sleep through this horror the chains are being prepared. Please wake up before it is too late.
The TTIP agreement could be finalized near the end of 2014. Have a very happy xmas and/or year-end. It might be your last.
Class: Rotten politics.
Tags: curtailment of freedoms because of trade, profit and greed, stupidity, government for the ‘government’, enslaving the people, small wars make big wars, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam.
Date: 2014-10-10 (but has been developing for months, if not years).
Posted by Keith Gascoigne at www.yoruk.co.uk
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It would be good if you could let me know where it goes. Many thanks.
Of course, you can disagree with what I write and email me about this.
