Investor State Dispute Resolution, the EU & TTIP

I have just submitted a short comment opposing the inclusion of Investor State Dispute Resolution (ISDR) clauses in the EU’s negotiating position on TTIP, and urge you to join me. I used this web site, at sumofus.org. While their tag line, “Fighting for people before profits” is reminiscent of Lewisham’s rag bag of careerists and trots, both ISDR and all the non-tariff extensions to TTIP should be opposed and the concept of putting people before profit is equally laudable. I said,

My overall assessment is that this is completely the wrong direction and forms no part of an inter-state trade agreement.

Investor State Dispute Resolution proposals entrench the rights of multi-national corporations against the rights of citizens and their governments. They do this in a way that will make it impossible for democracies to regulate business. This will jeopardise equal access to public services, environmental protection, health service delivery, [&] child protection [measures]. The actions in the New York Courts with respect to Argentina’s debt management suggest that it will make the democratic and accountable conduct of macro-economic policy impossible.

The interface of the site makes composing and proof-reading hard which is why I know I have written better, but if you want more,then check out Owen Tudor of the TUC who writes that the TUC are looking to ensure that ISDR & TTIP are voted on in the House of Commons, not just in the scrutiny committees and also writes, why the TUC support Argentina in their dispute with the US vulture funds and the New York Courts.

vulture-3-w640I could and should have added that ISDR will make reversing privatisation illegal, which we need to consider in the light of the Tories privatisation of the NHS and Education, the US company’s purchases of vast chunks of the UK’s public service provision and any proposals to renationalise the rail or utilities, even to the extent of mandating a price freeze. This is all also explored in George Monbiot’s article, “A global ban on left wing politics”.

I know that some politicians think the treaty is worth the jobs, but they too are a chimera. Glyn Moody looks at ISDR in detail on his blog, exposing the transfer of power from politicians to unaccountable courts and techdirt have two articles, one looking at the jobs and economic benefits of treaties such as TTIP. and the other by Glyn Moody amusingly suggesting that the US food safety measures taken in response to mad cow disease would also be illegal and require compensation; it also looks at the benefits case for the UK and comes to the conclusion that they are miniscule.

ooOOOoo

The featured picture is by Xoán Porto, on flickr and published as CC BY-NC-ND, I have resized it.

The vulture is by Adrian Korte, @flickr 2012 CC BY also at www.artikelwissen.info which looks like a german language blog, bit like my wiki.

Nails in the coffin
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