TTIP: Jeremy Corbyn, Nigel Farage, Nicola Sturgeon and Natalie Bennett sign appeal to exempt NHS from trade deal
The fact that the Tories support TTIP and flatly refuse to protect the NHS from corporate rapists tells you everything you need to know.
Yes, there are arguments that the NHS is already exempt from attempts by private business to take it over, but that is no reason for refusing to make that position clear.
In fact, the flat refusal of the Conservative Parasites to support a motion to keep business interests out of the NHS tells us that, in fact, they do indeed very much want those businesses to take over.
Don’t believe what they say – watch what they do. Decide what you’re going to do on that basis.
Leaders of almost every major political party in the United Kingdom have signed an appeal not to allow a transatlantic trade deal known as TTIP become the Trojan horse that allows American business interests to take over the NHS.
The appeal, organised by the trade union Unite, has achieved the rare feat of bringing together all of Northern Ireland’s main political parties. TTIP, or the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, would free up trade between the US and the EU, by allowing companies from either side of the Atlantic to operate under the same rules.
One of its most controversial elements would be the creation of a new supranational court, the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) through which foreign investors could sue governments, or the EU, over any action or legislation that hurt their businesses. It is feared that an American private healthcare firm which was prevented from buying up part of the NHS would be able to go to the ISDS and claim millions of pounds in compensation from the British government for lost business.
The appeal drafted by Unite says: “TTIP must not restrict the scope for decisions by any level of government, public authority or NHS organisation relating to public healthcare [and] must not give US investors new rights that they could use to sue any level of government, public authority or NHS organisation because of policies relating to healthcare.”
The appeal has also been signed by the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the Ukip leader Nigel Farage, the Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, and Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, and by Peter Robinson of the Democratic Unionist Party, and Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness.
The organisers, from Unite, say that they approached the Conservatives asking for support but were refused, and are awaiting a reply from the Liberal Democrats.
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The only problem is that the Con-sheep-ative Party “believe” it is the best way forward (gets them and their mates more money). What the 22 cabinet members believe becomes gospel!
Cameron not only refuses to exempt the NHS from TTIP but he refuses to list and protect any British products that are curently covered by Protected Status. Other EU countries have made sure that their own products have been listed as still to be protected. As well as US-style health insurance we will be welcoming Welsh Lamb from California, Cornish Pasties from Vermont or Arbroath Smokies from Rhode Island, say.
The TTIP has so much going for it – except that it is all going to the US. The TPA’s (US Trade Partnership Agreements) have proved disastrous for other countries precisely because they were set up to benefit the US economy, nobody else’s.
Isnt it time we had a National stoppage in protest against these self gratifying heartless morons, hit there ‘buddies’ in the pocket they will start to listen or start a movement for a national election
.
Is it possible for a country member of the EU refuse the ratification of the TTIP ?
Yes.
why sign at all
Not good enough: the whole thing needs to be scrapped unless they are prepared to negotiate openly… end of story!
The current exemptions apply only to areas of NHS publicly owned (Nationalised). Not privatised or franchised????
The thing is with Torys is that they don’t all have the money but they wish they did. They buy into the PR spin via the Mail. Sun et all. and think that the nice Mr Osbourne is looking after their interests then when faced by the truth, the attempt to cut tax credits and the proposed cuts to attendance allowance for example, they jump on board the xenophobic bus and blame the EU and immigrants rather than face the fact that the government is screwing them as well as the rest of us.
Come on guys. TTIP is an EU/US negotiated protectionist policy. It is being negotiated in secret by the EU commission, the European Parliament don’t get to vote on it, Cameron can do absolutely nothing about it, whether he agrees with it or not. Exempt the NHS? he is King Canute, as omnipotent as the Blair Government were through the weights and measures fiasco. Cameron is smack bang in the middle of a “keep the UK in the EU” campaign. If he opens his mouth on this one, yet again there is another stick the “Leave EU campaigns” has to beat him up with.
The UK will have to ratify TTIP before it is adopted here, as I understand it.
Each government now needs to confirm this to move it to law, which means it is more or less all on the shoulders of the gangsters we call a government.
Not for another few years, at least.
The negotiations aren’t anywhere near being finished.
Do you really think Cameron would say, “jolly good guys, no more TTIP” if we voted to leave the EU? He and his corporate chums are salivating at TTIP being ratified and would strike up something similar of their own if they could.
Fortunately he won’t have the opportunity – TTIP won’t come to the UK to be ratified until at least 2020, by which time he’ll have quit as prime minister and his party will hopefully have been voted out of government.
I wish I had your optimism Mike. Cameron may well be gone, probably replaced by someone even worse, such as Boris, but he may well have done enough damage to the constitutional boundaries by then to stop any chance of a democratically elected non-Tory government.
Yeah, Jeremy Corbyn is warning about that in the Mirror today.
When a Con says that something is “clear”, I know I am looking at mud (and that’s the polite term).
When it is used by a Con to refer to TTIP, I know he has pound & dollar signs in his/her eyes and that taxpayers are going to get screwed again.
We leave the EU, the Tories wont need to wait for the EU members to to ratify it, the UK on it’s own could just ratify it without the EU and the Tories are going to ratify this deal whether we like it or not?
Certainly strengthens my belief in staying in the EU.