I agree that TTIP should have generated a far wider discussion in this country, when others in Europe are on the streets 24/7. Hanover being one such City.
Now that much of the general gyuist has been leaked, we should try and find comments on the substantive from those who sat in negotiations and could not stomach the implications this treaty would bring.
The Monroe doctrine is bad enough, but to usurp Government and democratic resolve to get your way is piracy.
As I have no other term for this unprecedented treaty, Doha and Uruguay trade rounds are merely leading into this really bad control freakery.
It also raises the question as to where our future interests lie. Do they lie with the here and now, or in the future with our children and what is left for them?
Do our interest lie in the unfettered low/No tax transatlantic junk food trade, a deregulation of chemical hazards,environmental hazards, genetic manipulations with strong,dominant marker genes running havoc and all foods that spring from them, transport regulations/specifications, pollution limits, competition laws, wage structures rules and regs., making us all liable for mistakes that happen under that regime.
AND ALL OF IT NEGOTIATED OVER OUR HEADS BY UNELECTED COMMISSIONERS?
NO WAY JOSE!
Our interests,imho lie here in Europe and Eurasia. We should do everything in our powers to stop a war in Europe fought for neocon reasons to get at Putin and Russias resources. What has been going on in Ukraine since they shot the plane down should be far more controlled than to just leave it to NATO.
Our interests to be in Europe are traditional, historic and depict our needs now and in future. Needs that can’t be met by a fracked out, not just in energy terms, society that can’t live with higher energy prices, a society that fetters the most expensive dream lifestyles on earth, harbouring a ferocious throw away attitude, fearful, armed, crassly divided and ghetto-rised, Varying economic prospects have created parallel economic activities, some very unsustainable and dangerous, lead by a power structure that involves massive companies and the military industrial complex running puppet regimes for international gain by ANY MEANS.
And this is were Europe has something different to offer us, dialogue and partnership with a people which have lived with each other for over a thousand years, have quarrelled and cooperated with, in good and in hard times, a commonwealth of equals at our doorstep. Should I mention the Erasmus programme? how much we have grown together? our common ancestry ( we are all saxons now:)
our common responsibilities to protect out people and theirs as well as our children’s prospects here.
good news is that most of the three year negotiations are stuck, TTIP will not be signed this year, however much more refugees are being created in Libya.
And we all know which woman to say thank you to for her active interference in Libya. C’mon Bernie, persuade the democrats to get their braincells out of the freezer.