Tories reject appeal to exempt NHS from controversial EU-US trade deal

Last Updated: October 27, 2015By
Protest against TTIP outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium - 04 Feb 2015 [Image: ZUMA/REX Shutterstock].

Protest against TTIP outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium – 04 Feb 2015 [Image: ZUMA/REX Shutterstock].

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 they are awaiting a reply from the Liberal Democrats, and that they approached the Conservatives asking for support but were refused.

Source: TTIP: Jeremy Corbyn, Nigel Farage, Nicola Sturgeon and Natalie Bennett sign appeal to exempt NHS from trade deal | UK Politics | News | The Independent

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30 Comments

  1. Jeffery Davies October 27, 2015 at 11:04 am - Reply

    One wonders why we have to sign when we trade with them without it jeff3

  2. Dez October 27, 2015 at 11:31 am - Reply

    This is just the continuing march of the World Order which the Cons are fully signed up members and would never see the darker side of such agreements.

  3. AndyH October 27, 2015 at 2:19 pm - Reply

    Awaiting a response from the Lib Dems? Don’t hold your breath Unite.

  4. Barry Davies October 27, 2015 at 3:25 pm - Reply

    The tories are hell bent on privatising the NHS this piece of legislation which was negotiated behind closed doors by unelected members of the eussr commission will allow them the scope to do it and say they had to under european laws.

    • Mike Sivier October 27, 2015 at 4:31 pm - Reply

      I really wish you’d stop using that far-right term for the EU (EUSSR). It doesn’t make sense to suggest they’re Communists when you’re talking about a measure that would place all the power in the hands of corporations.

      • Barry Davies October 28, 2015 at 8:28 am - Reply

        Well maybe if they didn’t have the same vision of democracy as the original ussr then I wouldn’t be referring to it as such besides it isn’t a far right term it is a far left term, which as the whole rotten edifice is being run by an unelected committee is perfectly correct.

        • Mike Sivier October 28, 2015 at 10:34 am - Reply

          No, it’s a far-right term, used by members of BNP if I recall correctly, to describe an organisation they considered to be Leftie. Of course, the USSR was not a Leftie organisation – it was an old-style empire in which the ruling class happened to be the Middle Class rather than the aristocracy. Same with China. The fact that you point out the EU is run by an unelected committee (the Commission) emphasises this fact. You see where you’re going wrong?

      • Barry Davies October 30, 2015 at 12:46 pm - Reply

        Clearly you have no idea of how the eussr works then Mike, only the commission can raise an item to be discussed and the commission has all the executive power to enact that idea, as was shown clearly when it was the commission that demanded that nations who voted against the constitution vote again until they got it right and the commission who changed the name of the constitution to the lisbon treaty there is no democracy in your beloved eussr one place where it is far worse than the original ussr.

        • Mike Sivier October 30, 2015 at 12:52 pm - Reply

          You are correct. I have no idea how the EUSSR works because the EUSSR is a figment of the imaginations of BNP and UKIP supporters.

        • Mike Sivier October 30, 2015 at 12:55 pm - Reply

          Tell you what, Barry, I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll automatically trash any comment from you that includes “eussr” in it.
          That’ll help wean you off of it.

      • Barry Davies October 30, 2015 at 12:54 pm - Reply

        Just say you have no idea of how brussels works it would be more accurate.

        • Mike Sivier October 30, 2015 at 12:56 pm - Reply

          No. And I’m not in the mood for personal attacks today. If you want to be seen here, be polite.

      • Barry Davies October 30, 2015 at 12:57 pm - Reply

        Don’t you think this is a personal attack “Tell you what, Barry, I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll automatically trash any comment from you that includes “*****” in it.
        That’ll help wean you off of it.”

        • Mike Sivier October 30, 2015 at 1:36 pm - Reply

          No – it’s personal encouragement.

    • Barry Davies October 30, 2015 at 2:38 pm - Reply

      It’s a shame that you have not even addressed my original statement, because of course it’s not only the tories but the labour and as we well know the lib dems greens and SNP who are also in favour of TTIP, instead you attack me on a personal level.

      • Mike Sivier October 30, 2015 at 7:13 pm - Reply

        I didn’t attack you at all; I encouraged you to learn something new and modify your behaviour as a result.
        Who says Labour supports TTIP nowadays? I can assure you that Labour has never fully supported it, and the situation now is likely to be further removed from support than it was.

        • Barry Davies November 3, 2015 at 12:39 pm - Reply

          The tories are adopting he German approach of the 1930’s where they got rid of the mentally and seriously ill and those who are said to have learning difficulties before they ever started on the gypsies and jews.

      • Barry Davies November 3, 2015 at 12:38 pm - Reply

        Labour are 100% in favour of our nation being governed by the unelected committee of failed politicians in brussels they say that TTIP will go ahead ergo labour supports what they are told to support so by definition are in favour of it.

        • Mike Sivier November 3, 2015 at 8:21 pm - Reply

          How do you know so much about the beliefs of all members of the Labour Party, when you aren’t one yourself?
          This particular Labour member has serious doubts, and is absolutely set against the TTIP in its current form – as is the Labour Party in the European Parliament.
          If you want to attack anybody over TTIP, attack the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.

  5. Barry Davies October 28, 2015 at 10:48 am - Reply

    Not at all The eussr is not only used by the far right BNP they actually started using it after its original use by UKIP which is also not far right as its members come from all political hues, but whom have the same belief that the UK should be run by the UK not by the unelected committee in brussels and that we should not be subsidising failing nations, not least due to the euro, in 27 other nations to the detriment of our own nation.

    • Mike Sivier October 28, 2015 at 10:57 am - Reply

      UKIP is far-right, I’m sorry to say. It’s the leadership, not the membership, that determines the direction of that party, and they are all further to the right of the political spectrum than the Conservatives (with whom they shared many policies pre-election, so don’t try to tell anybody UKIP isn’t right-wing).
      One would think that UKIP, wanting to disassociate itself from criticisms of being far-right, would have stopped using the ‘EUSSR’ term after the BNP started. Carrying on just seems to bolster the impression that the two are politically close.

  6. Barry Davies October 28, 2015 at 12:45 pm - Reply

    No it isn’t far right it’s leadership are from all aspects of politics just like the membership, only a far leftie would think otherwise, I also know labour party members who refer to the eussr as the eussr because it is seen to be so politically close to the original one. One would think that anyone who believes in democracy would be against the democratically deficient brussels governance.

    • Mike Sivier October 28, 2015 at 12:56 pm - Reply

      Look at your own language: “Only a far leftie would think otherwise”. Only members of the far right use such vocabulary.
      As I have already discussed the mistakes made regarding the political natures of the EU and the USSR, I shall refrain from further comment on the issue.

      • Barry Davies October 30, 2015 at 10:02 am - Reply

        look at your own language describing UKIP as far right because they believe in home governance rather than being told what to do by a corruption riddled democratically deficient body in a foreign country, is not right or left wing politics it is common sense, I’m glad you have stopped attempting to pretend there is not a great many similarities between the eu and the ussr.

        • Mike Sivier October 30, 2015 at 11:38 am - Reply

          I never said UKIP is far right because its members believe in home governance. Why would you lie about that?
          UKIP is far right because its leaders support far right policies. Look at the last election manifesto – either they supported Conservative policies or they went further than even the Tories were planning.
          As for similarities between the EU and the USSR – maybe there are, but not for the reasons being suggested by far-right groups like the BNP and UKIP.

      • Barry Davies October 30, 2015 at 12:49 pm - Reply

        Why else would you be claiming UKIP is far right after all that is the socialist argument for claiming ukip is far right, you could equally say that they are socialist because they have supported labour policies as well, the truth is that it is made up of members of all political hues who just believe in democracy and that we would be far better off out of this failing political bloc. screaming far right all the time is neither true nor does it do you any credit whatsoever.

        • Mike Sivier October 30, 2015 at 12:52 pm - Reply

          The facts are as I have stated them. I have no intention of arguing in circles with you. Go and look up what UKIP is really about. You might learn something!

  7. screaminkid (@screaminkid) October 28, 2015 at 12:57 pm - Reply

    This is what Tories hav been working towards for decades-,2 break down the great labor health standard of free medical assistance at the point of delivery!
    This will mean many UK ill will die from lack of Ability to pay!
    Neo nazis cudng have achieved a better out come and all those UK citizens who died in WWI&II DIED AIN VAIN!!

    • Barry Davies November 5, 2015 at 11:01 am - Reply

      Unfortunately as any tory will tell you labour were responsible for far more PFI deals, privatisation by the back door than the tories have been, hopefully Corbyn can return Labour to what it should be instead of Tory light which is what Blair/Brown were.

      • Mike Sivier November 5, 2015 at 11:46 am - Reply

        Yes, it is indeed unfortunate that the Conservative Government of 1979-97 left so little in the pot that Labour had to resort to PFI in order to repair the health and education services that the Tories had left in such a godawful state. Clearly the Tories did not believe in fixing the roof while the sun was shining, despite what they say now.

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