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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wasn't sure if he could book flights to Europe or not, due to the uncertainty around the trade agreement CETA. Mark Schiefelbein

'Hullabaloo over EU's best trade deal in history makes no sense', says Irish MEP

A French-speaking region of Belgium called Wallonia has voted against the trade agreement CETA – and because of this, the deal will most likely not go ahead.

SEVEN YEARS OF negotiation, two years in ratification and now a stumble at the last hurdle - a small region in Belgium could put an end to a historic free trade deal between the European Union and Canada.

The deal, which was meant to be ratified at a signing ceremony in Brussels tomorrow, was due to be attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

At the weekend, the Canadian trade minister Chrystia Freeland, said it was Europe’s “job” to save a trade pact, which has forced political leaders trying to convince the French-speaking region of Wallonia to change their minds – before Thursday.

Sean Kelly, a Fine Gael member of the European Parliament, has called the entire affair “an embarrassment”, and thinks there is a lot to lose if this trade deal doesn’t do through:

Most people who would look at it objectively would say it’s the best trade agreement that Europe has ever done. And if we can’t have a trade deal with Canada which is a moral democracy, who can we have a trade deal with?

“But actually it’s the other way round, when we do deals with former communist countries there’s no word about it, but when we do deals with friends of ours, there seems to be a hullabaloo about it, it makes no sense.”

Another Irish MEP, Marian Harkin, said that they need to remove a part of the deal to get real support.

An investor court system mechanism is included in the deal, which aims to settle disputes between states and foreign investors – with some critics saying it could be used by multinationals to dictate public policies by suing the state.

Who’s got the power?

Belgium EU summit Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel holds a press conference last week. Olivier Matthys Olivier Matthys

If you’re wondering why a small region in Belgium is able to put a stop to this agreement, while Irish citizens didn’t get a look in, here’s the background to Belgium’s government which allows regions to trump the centre of power.

  • Once a unified monarchy with strong national institutions, Belgium has slowly developed since the 1970s into a federal entity.
  • This happened under intense pressure from the separatist-minded Flemish, fed up with perceived dominance by their southern, French-speaking compatriots since the creation of modern Belgium in 1830.
  • The new set-up saw the creation of regions and linguistic communities, each with their own parliament and government that have grown increasingly powerful after a series of far-reaching constitutional reforms.
  • Each of the regions and communities has an elected parliament and government - with power over major policies.
  • This leaves Belgium with a total of seven elected assemblies: the geographic regions of Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels; the three linguistic communities; as well as a parliament and senate at the federal level.

According to Sean Kelly:

It’s absolutely ridiculous that a regional parliament in Belgium can hold up an entire agreement for the European Union.

Deal Ratification

Belgium EU Summit AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

When Belgium signs an international agreement, even one negotiated by the EU like CETA, each of the seven elected bodies must approve the deal.

In general, this ratification can take place after the signature – and provisional implementation – of the deal. The process can take years.

For CETA, the regional parliaments have been involved for months. After long consideration, lawmakers in Wallonia and the French linguistic community voted to reject the deal, on the grounds that it does not provide enough assurances on protecting the environment, farming or the role of multi-national companies.

Non-Wallonia Non-Trudeau

The EU needs the approval of each of the bloc’s 28 member states to agree to the signature of the CETA deal.

For Belgium to play its role, it in turn needs the green-light of its seven parliaments.

On Monday, after a brief meeting of regional leaders, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel conceded he had failed to get unanimous backing and so was unable to sign off on CETA.

“The federal government, the German community and Flanders said ‘yes.’ Wallonia, the Brussels city government and the French community said ‘no’.

Unless there is some last-minute breakthrough in talks between EU officials and Trudeau, tomorrow’s signing ceremony is unlikely to go ahead.

Additional reporting from Karen Coleman of EuroParlRadio

© AFP 2016.

Read: Here’s why Ireland is afraid of the EU’s new corporate tax plans

Read: Canadian PM says it’s up to Europe to save trade agreement

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    Mute Potatoe-man
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:32 AM

    How was this deal so close to being agreed with us in Ireland knowing so little about it?? Had heard of TTIP, this seems almost identical.

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    Mute Joan Ryan
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    Oct 26th 2016, 8:10 AM

    @Potatoe-man:@Potatoe-man: or maybe you mean you hadn’t heard about it. It has been widely discussed when TTIP was being debated. A lot of people hadn’t heard of TTIP either.

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    Mute Joan Ryan
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    Oct 26th 2016, 8:10 AM

    @Potatoe-man:@Potatoe-man: or maybe you mean you hadn’t heard about it. It has been widely discussed when TTIP was being debated. A lot of people hadn’t heard of TTIP either.

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    Mute Billy Mooney
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    Oct 26th 2016, 8:21 AM

    Well done to the Belgians. Here’s the key component of CETA.

    “An investor court system mechanism is included in the deal, which aims to settle disputes between states and foreign investors”

    “Free trade” deals are far more about consolidating the dominance of the capitalist oligarchy over the majority than trade. This is another brazen attempt to make the limited “democracy” we have now even more redundant and is being used as a Trojan horse to establish the poison pill of Investor State Dispute Settlement buried in the agreement the across the EU. ISDS is a mechanism to enforce almost total corporate dominance over sovereign nations. For example the tobacco giant Phillip Morris (annual revenue of $80 billion) is currently suing Uruguay (GDP $53 billion) for daring to increase the size of their health warning on cigarette packets.
    Here’s one of the judges who sits on the ISDS kangaroo courts:

    “When I wake up at night and think about arbitration, it never ceases to amaze me that sovereign states have agreed to investment arbitration at all … Three private individuals are entrusted with the power to review, without any restriction or appeal procedure, all actions of the government, all decisions of the courts, and all laws and regulations emanating from parliament.”

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/04/us-trade-deal-full-frontal-assault-on-democracy

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Oct 26th 2016, 9:47 AM

    @Billy Mooney: “Three private individuals are entrusted with the power to review” – do a bit more research on how arbitrators are actually chosen.

    Arbitration HELPED Argentina with foreign debt when the courts would have crucified them. It is a system which better protects poor nations.

    And really – you’re citing the guardian in support of your “arguement”?

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    Mute Billy Mooney
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    Oct 26th 2016, 10:26 AM

    Enlighten us then Matt. How are these arbitrators are chosen?

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    Mute Billy Mooney
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    Oct 26th 2016, 10:37 AM

    Here’s one source to start you off Matt.

    “Investment arbitrators are hidden from public view, barely mentioned in international media. This is perhaps not surprising, given that most people’s eyes glaze over at the mere mention of the words. Yet this small group of elite lawyers have been granted unprecedented power to judge cases that affect millions of people…………. Yet investment arbitrators are hardly neutral guardians, who stand above the law. In fact, they are crucial actors in the arbitration industry, with a financial interest in the existence of investment arbitration. Arbitrators, to a far greater degree than judges, have a financial and professional stake in the system2. They earn handsome rewards for their services. Unlike judges, there is no flat salary, no cap on financial remuneration…… Arbitrators’ fees can range from US$375 to US$700 per hour depending on where the arbitration takes place4. How much an arbitrator earns per case will depend on the case’s length and complexity, but for a US$100 million dispute, arbitrators could earn on average up to US$350,0005. It can be far more. …. And concerns not only arise from the financial benefits arbitrators gain. Arbitrators frequently combine their role with several other hats: working as practitioners, academics, policy advisers or as media commentators. With these various roles, this small group of investment lawyers can influence the direction of the investment arbitration system in a way that they can continue benefiting from it………….. Most of the members of this club are men from a small group of developed countries:
     Proportion of arbitrators from Western Europe and North America: 69% for all cases held at the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)13 and 83% if taking into account arbitrators who have sat in more than 10 cases (see annex A14).
     Proportion of arbitrators who are women: 4%. Two women (Brigitte Stern and Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler) dominate this list, accounting for three quarters of the cases taken by women15.
    Even more important for the cohesion of the arbitration industry is their shared outlook of the world. “Arbitrators have to make choices to resolve the disputes, which are of course informed by their political standpoint”, Brigitte Stern has noted16. Evidence shows that many of the arbitrators enjoy close links with the corporate world and share businesses’ viewpoint in relation to the importance of protecting investors’ profits. Given the one-sided nature of the system, where only investors can sue and only states are sued, a pro-business outlook could be interpreted as a strategic choice for an ambitious investment lawyer keen to make a lucrative living17….. 15 arbitrators have captured the decision making in 55% of the total investment treaty cases known today.”

    https://corporateeurope.org/trade/2012/11/chapter-4-who-guards-guardians-conflicting-interests-investment-arbitrators

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Oct 26th 2016, 1:00 PM

    Start in a library rather than copying and pasting from tinfoil hat sites. There’s plenty of books on international investment law. Each party picks one arbitrator.. Completely their choice. The third is either agreed upon by the parties, or the first 2 arbitrators appointed. So, what court would ever allow that kind of representation?

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    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:43 AM

    Wallonia is doing Europe a favour by holding this up to further scrutiny. If the deal is allowing merchandise into Europe which would not meet the high standards that Europe has in place for its own producers then that should be addressed. If the deal is potentially giving large foreign multinationals the opportunity to influence policy in Europe by suing Europe then that should be addressed. It is amazing that within a seven year negotiating process that these problems were not seen and addressed. Perhaps this type of European negotiating contributed to Britain voting successfully to leave. People are saying why should a region with 3.6 million people hold up an agreement? Let’s not forget that Ireland has a population of only 4.6 million, and look what Europe did to us in our time of greatest need. Saddled our future generations with enormous debt. Turned capitalist theory on its head when it suited them. As I wrote at the start Wallonia has done Europe a favour by standing up to the herd mentality.

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    Mute Revolting Peasant
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    Oct 26th 2016, 12:02 PM

    I stand with Wallonia.

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    Mute NO 2 FF/FG/LAB
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:08 AM

    Be nice if sean kelly could give a single reason as to why it’s a good trade deal

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    Mute ISBA - Seamus Maye
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    Oct 26th 2016, 8:58 AM

    Yes Sean Kelly, Investor State Dispute Settlement and all that, make no mistake but CETA / TTIP are primarily engaged in a transfer of (even more) power from sovereign states to global corporations, just read the text of both deals. Sean Kelly (and indeed your colleagues) are selling us out. Farmers will be particularly hard hit.

    Can we have a referendum on CETA / TTIP-not bloody likely because you know well what the outcome would be.

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    Mute Ciaran Ó Fallúin
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    Oct 26th 2016, 11:48 AM

    @ISBA – Seamus Maye: “Farmers will be particularly hard hit”

    Just so we’re clear. Per the below link, the ban on Irish Beef was lifted earlier this year to coincide with the signing of CETA, in it’s absence tariffs etc will still be in place and we won’t be selling beef to Canada.

    How can farmers be “hard hit” when the place the couldn’t sell to, remains unreachable… Farmers love exporting, especially beef where we’ve a competitive advantage, it seems a shame to not export any to Canada which is the like result of this deal collapsing.

    http://www.farmersjournal.ie/beef-exports-to-canada-to-start-within-three-months-197544

    Is the farmers journal anti-farmers now?

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    Mute ISBA - Seamus Maye
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    Oct 26th 2016, 12:26 PM

    Ciaran-don’t have time to go into this today. The behaviour & structures within d agri sector, especially beef, is unsustainable. Farmers r little more than serfs buying inputs at artificially high prices, having zero market power & at d mercy of processors & multiples. Thus farmers are squeezed at both the input stage & at farm-gate. The most valuable part of the animal, fifth quarter is taken off farmers (half the beast) without payment or any retention of title clause & converted into dozens and dozens of high value added products. We do have a quality advantage but certainly not a competitive advantage as you state. I welcome all markets 4 Irish beef but we must look at adding value because our cost base is so high & this must be done by farmers. The whole co-op model needs to be re-examined with a view to rebalancing market power between processor / multiple / input supplier and farmer. Opening up the Canadian beef market has little to do with CETA & everything to do with mad cow disease. China, Japan & the US have also recently re-opened their markets to Irish beef as well. All of these markets were closed due to BSE crisis. CETA is about handing over more and more market power to global corporations. I wish it weren’t. Will there be repercussions if “Roundup” is banned, will the manufacturers use these ISDS kangaroo courts to fleece sovereign states. More than likely, that’s you & me. It’s important that we don’t get caught up in EU / Government obfuscation tactics.

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    Mute Ciaran Ó Fallúin
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    Oct 26th 2016, 3:14 PM

    @ISBA – Seamus Maye: The CETA removed the tariffs which make Irish beef artificially more expensive in Canada, making it a more viable option and driving demand. You’re no idiot, but you chose not to mention that.

    Farming cannot survive as it has tried to for generations, it can only be sustained through diversification. Diversification of products where possible and if someone is a beef only farmer, they need to diversify the markets into which they sell to protect themselves against isolated shocks. That’s not just bad farming to do otherwise, it’s bad business. If I offered a business selling lollipops outside a school and the school amalgamates with another 5 miles away that I can’t reach, I’ve had a bad business model all along. Farmers need to move away from demanding the new school not be opened, or that everyone in Europe do a whip around to compensate me for developing an unsustainable business plan.

    I’m not disagreeing with all you’ve said above however, there’s an sacrifice of control which governments hand over to corporations in trade agreements, but that’s almost literally the definition of privatisation – I know some people hate that word and think it evil, but I bought a flight last week to London and had change from 200 euro. Sometimes, society benefits far more from privatisation than from protectionist fear mongering.

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    Mute Jack
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    Oct 26th 2016, 4:56 PM

    In most cases privatisation leads to job losses and in many cases poorer service. My favourite case is always when privatisation occurs the new private operated wishes to cut services (the non profit making but in many cases vital ones for communities). Then the government eventually gives them a subsidy to continue running such services, once again transferring yet more resources from the public to private sectors. When Irish rail opened up the catering to the private sector the prices instantly went up, I fail to see how this benefited consumers or workers, all it did was use what was a public service to create profits for a private company.

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:14 AM

    Our politicians wouldn’t be able to answer any questions, seeing as most if not all of the them have not read the t&c’s of the agreement!

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    Mute Anna Kavanagh
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:48 AM

    This is a copy off a discussion I had with Enda Kenny on Sunday morning via text message. He had failed to respond to a text message I had sent him earlier in the week.

    “Enda you expressed your full support for CETA to reporters in Brussels on Friday. If this deal goes through you will have signed away our sovereignty. Our children and our grandchildren will hold you to account because they are the ones who will suffer consequences. My view is not of the wall. Our loss of sovereignty has been explained by Farrel Corcoran who is the Emeritus Professor of Communication at DCU and former chairman of RTÉ in an article in the Irish Times.
    Anna
    He responded immediately.
    “Every Govt in EU supports this deal strongly. The Canadians have the same set of values as the Europeans.
    Your grandchildren will surely benefit from the many small businesses that will thrive in Ireland as a consequence of the trade agreement.
    In the context of Brexit it will provide another major opportunity for Ireland which has built our strength as a trading nation to create thousands of further jobs.
    It is my hope that the concerns of the Wallonian regional govt can be dealt with by agreement in the next short time.
    Thanks for your message.”
    My response:
    “Enda thank you for replying but can I point out to you that most governments like your own across the EU did a solo run without consulting their parliaments. Belgium is a democracy. I’d be very interested to hear you explain the ISDM which gives big multinational companies the power to sue sovereign governments. I’d like to hear your view on what happened to Argentina when they tried to provide drinking water for the country’s poor last year and were taken to court by the private water companies and forced to pay fines totalling more than $400 million. The reply you have given me is a well worn cliche written by the spin doctors working for the multinational companies that are going to benefit from this deal. More than 3 million people across Europe signed a petition and the European trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström in response to journalists questions following a demonstration of more than a quarter of a million people in Berlin said “I do not take my mandate from the European people.”
    Anna
    His response:
    “Thanks. Dáil Éireann has to give its consent and approval to the Ceta deal.
    Everyone will have their say. We are a Democracy after all.
    We have a publicly owned water utility. It will always remain so. Argentina has floated its currency, abolished export tariffs, and has to capacity to flood Europe with cheap beef posing a really serious challenge to the Irish beef production sector so critical to thousands of Irish farmers.
    Well worn cliches never result in decisions.
    Politicians have to make these decisions in the best interests of all the people. I believe that the Ceta agreement worked over 7 years is a good agreement for both EU and Canada. Thanks.”
    My reply:
    ” Enda you have not addressed the issue that was put to you. The Seanad voted against it and you still have not answered my question on how this deal gives multi national corporations the power to sue sovereign governments if their profits are compromised. The issue is not what Argentina is going to do with it’s beef or the state that its economy is in at the moment. The issue is that it was fined when it tried to provide cheap water for it’s poor people. You are signing away our sovereignty. As your term of office comes to an end you are handing the reigns of government over to multinational corporations. You have put all future government of this country in a straight jacket. Their hands will be tied. No matter what they do it will have to be done bearing in mind that CETA gives multi national corporations the power to sue in a three-man court that beyond the jurisdiction of sovereign governments via the ISDM mechanism. Not since the act of union 1800 has there been such a loss of sovereignty. Do you want your legacy to the Irish people be such that all government policy will be dictated by whether or not a foreign multinational company can sue us?
    Anna

    Two hours later I got this response:
    “Disagree with respect. In matters of any impact on sovereignty or transfer of powers Ireland decides by referendum, as we have done on all EU treaties.
    Multinational corporations are obliged to pay their taxes where economic activity is generated as happens here. Ireland has closed loopholes in law being exploited by any multinational companies and is a leading proponent of changes internationally in response to the OECD report on what should be done internationally.
    Irelands court system has always been absolutely clear in its judgements in all respects with multinationals.
    As you know we have a special commission looking at the question of supplying clean and high standard drinking water in Ireland where people have always made a contribution for 50 yrs and more. Multinationals have nothing to do with that here and never will.

    Multinationals are subject to the laws of our land, they do not make our laws and the situation you describe could never happen here. Irish water will always be a publicly owned utility.
    The same multinationals you refer to employ 200,000 people here every day, and help to provide opportunities and careers for for our young people all over the country and also provide them with opportunities to lead the world in many respects of research in areas like health, sciences, data etc.
    Thanks for your message.”

    This is my reply:

    ” Enda with all due respects you are skirting the issue and not addressing it. not once have you referred to the ISDM mechanism which is my “bone of contention.” This is not about water or the amount of employment multinationals provide in this country. This is about giving multinational corporations the power to sue sovereign governments.
    Due to the way in which CETA defines an ‘investment’, corporations will be able to sue governments for profits they haven’t even made yet. This is how, when it had only spent $2 billion on the project, a multinational company-TransCanada launched a $15 billion suit against the US government because Barack Obama halted a tar sands pipeline in the name of climate change.
    Do you want want to leave as a legacy to future generations a situation where Irish people will be held to ransom by multinational corporations via the ISDM mechanism?
    Anna
    I got no response to this text and that does not surprise me. From start to finish Enda fudged the issue and failed to answer my question regarding the ISDM mechanism. In years to come future generations will read this correspondence and see how Enda Kenny knowingly sold his country for a few pieces of silver.

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    Mute Brent Weaver
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    Oct 26th 2016, 2:18 PM

    Far play from pressing him. I once wrote to him about the privatisation of water treatment plants, before Irish water was setup. Namely the Srowland Treatment plant (link below) which was contracted for “design, build, and operate” under a 20 year contract with Veolia (Ireland). Not local authority, or Irish Water involvement.

    I ask him if, behind the scenes, the water infrastructure was been (de facto) privatised, and would Veolia then sell the water to Irish Water, who would sell it onto the Irish people?

    Never got a response from ANY political party!

    http://www.veolia.ie/our-services/public-utilities/case-studies/srowland-water-treatment-plant

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    Mute Róisín Daly
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:50 PM

    @Anna Kavanagh: Well done

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    Mute Róisín Daly
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:50 PM

    @Anna Kavanagh: Well done

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    Mute saoirse janneau
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    Oct 26th 2016, 8:14 AM

    @Anna excellent post. Its has done 2 things. Its 1) highlights your grievance about the IDSM mechanism and 2) it shows clearly that Enda has no understanding of the implications of what he has just signed. We should be thankful to wallonia for its stance in regional government. Otherwise this would have been swept through and ratified without anyone knowing about it.et tu brutus Enda! Political powers are being dominated by multinational corporations. They will usurp political power and decision bit by bit. How come we can see it and they cant. Whats the quid pro quo?

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    Mute Ó Connmhaigh
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    Oct 26th 2016, 12:02 PM

    @saoirse janneau:
    and yet the EU ideologues insist the bloc is a force for good only.
    Each year some 20,000-30,000 lobbyists patrol the corridors of Brussels. The vast majority represent big business, which certainly do not have the interests of European citizens at heart.
    TTIP was negotiated – in secret behind closed doors, similar to CETA – between 5,000 bureaucrats and big business.
    Yet the ideologues call those who question, let alone challenge or object to the way the EU is going, as racist.
    European people are caught in a pincer movement between ideologues on the Left and big business on the Right.
    Something is about to go ‘pop’. Something big.

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    Mute Brent Weaver
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    Oct 26th 2016, 2:10 PM

    Remember when BIFFO couldn’t believe when the Irish voted against Lisbon (I)?

    When asked about the Treaty and why people should vote for it, all he could say was “jobs, jobs,jobs”. When journalists further quizzed him, he had to admit that he didn’t even read the document, and couldn’t give any reasons as to why people should vote for it!

    Despite him calling Libertas lunatics, they’ve been proven to right in many cases since.

    MEP Sean Kelly strikes me as a party dolt who couldn’t be bothered to read CETA and come to form his own opinion. He’s a technocrat who’s opinion is given to him by others.

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    Mute Patrick O Shea
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    Oct 26th 2016, 11:41 PM

    Payed off is another possibility for Kelly

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    Mute Willy
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:38 AM

    Smell a rat, and he’s sure to be there ..
    Panic by EU , the hidden could be become seen…

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    Mute Bairéid Rísteard
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:42 AM

    Whats so good about this ‘deal’?

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    Mute Ciaran Ó Fallúin
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    Oct 26th 2016, 11:39 AM

    @Bairéid Rísteard: What a reasonable question. n the most part, the agreement sets rules for trade between the EU and Canada, removing tariffs and barriers to trade. It’s boring as hell, but in order to trade in foreign states, agreements will always be required to ensure minimum standards are adhered to.

    E.g. Simplistically, Canadians have been hearing about Denny rashers for a while now and want to see how it stacks up against Canadian bacon. But tariffs have made rashers too expensive to export across, similarly, we keep hearing we should be using maple syrup but can only get our hands on that fiver a bottle imitation stuff. This agreement allows for efficient rasher for syrup swaps knowing that EU standards of rashers are delivered for some of that high quality sweetener.

    To reach agreements on cases such as this takes years of negotiations which take place behind closed doors so that other countries looking to trade with the EU don’t get wind of what Canada’s asking for and demand the same.

    If all that sounds like an elaborate coverup to put fluoride in your water, stealing your essence, then you should be opposed to this treaty. If it sounds like a necessary part of international trade, well, I’ll be over here hoping for a cheaper breakfast.

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    Mute Mumpsimus
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:40 AM

    Can some one tell me why this is such a great trade deal? What has Canada got that we need so bad?

    What’s the point in having a trading block (EU) if there is free trade with other nations/trading blocks? Should we not protect our European jobs and trading standards first?

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    Mute Patrick Gough
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    Oct 26th 2016, 7:16 AM

    oil. Canada has oil.

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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Oct 26th 2016, 7:46 AM

    30 million affluent consumers as well as access to NAFTA.

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    Mute Karl
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    Oct 26th 2016, 6:18 AM

    I am Wallonia !

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    Mute the truth hurts
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    Oct 26th 2016, 7:00 AM

    Sean Kelly is a traitor to his country. A national embarrassment.

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    Mute Eoin Mc Donnell
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    Oct 26th 2016, 7:43 AM

    Why were we in Ireland not allowed vote on it?

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Oct 27th 2016, 2:11 AM

    @Eoin Mc Donnell: They did but kept it very quiet as CETA would destroy farming for the small farmers in the EU.

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    Mute Carl O' Maolain
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    Oct 27th 2016, 3:45 AM

    If it is only required to be passed by the Dáil then we’re f#@**d. Minority gov, proped up by FF, with the same agenda means a free pass. If it requires a referendum, as per our constitution…..well that just means we shall vote the right way second time around.

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    Mute Will Byrne
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    Oct 26th 2016, 9:09 AM

    Seán Kelly talking up democratic values while describing a process which has had absolutely zero democratic input

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    Mute kingstown
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    Oct 26th 2016, 7:24 AM

    Critics and eurosceptics often accuse the EU of being undemocratic. The minute a regional parliament acts democratically and challenges the EU then those same critics and naysayers accuse the EU of inaction and uselessness!

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    Mute Tony Hartigan
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    Oct 26th 2016, 8:23 AM

    Am I been suspicious when I say Canadians own what was our LOTTO Canadians own TOPAZ FUEL Canadians own our only OIL REFINERY.

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    Mute david doyle
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    Oct 26th 2016, 8:38 AM

    When the US drop trade barriers with Canada we will be inviting every american company into Europe not just canadian

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    Mute Tony O'Regan
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    Oct 26th 2016, 9:12 AM

    @david doyle:
    That’s the real plan, TTIP through the back door. Fair play to Wallonia, if there’s nothing sinister about the Court Dispute System, then why not just remove it? Clearly it’s being kept in because powers that be want corporations to be able to influence/dictate public policy in EU, like suing a state for not allowing Fracking as it “unfairly effects their ability to create profits”, I mean it’s not hyperbole or paranoia if Philip Morris has used a similar court to try to sue “Uruguay after it adopted a number of anti-tobacco regulations with a view to implementing the 2003 World Health Organisation’s framework convention on tobacco control, aimed at tackling the health dangers posed by tobacco.”, which they have.

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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    Oct 26th 2016, 9:21 AM

    Exactly! This is just another conduit to the same things as TTIP by another route. Once Corporations establish the means by whatever route, to sue governments for compensation for anything which prevents them making a profit. Governments will, to prevent being sued for every decision, have to defer to them in everything effectively giving them a veto. Once that step is taken there will be no going back.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Oct 27th 2016, 2:12 AM

    @david doyle: NAFTA?

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    Mute Stiofain Murray
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    Oct 26th 2016, 11:06 AM

    Any deal negotiated in secret which affects all of us, must be opposed.

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    Mute Revolting Peasant
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    Oct 26th 2016, 12:23 PM

    Sean Kelly bemoans that a trade deal with Canada, “a moral democracy” but if him and these other bollocktitions took the time to understand the peoples fears over these types of deals then they would realise that it is the inbuilt protection of corporate multinationals business plans that is a cause for concern as these corporations certainly do not have the reputation of be moral.

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    Mute Unsecured Bongholder
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    Oct 26th 2016, 1:48 PM

    Note that all the other Irish MEP’s voices left out of this piece. ALL of them oppose this deal. But just like ISDS secrecy we never get the full truth, even on the journal it seems. NChilders LBoylan lukeming M.Anderson Mattcarthy LiadhNiRiada All opposed to deal, their voices ALL conveniently left out of piece too. Didn’t suit the narrative i suppose.

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    Mute Anastasia
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    Oct 26th 2016, 7:36 AM

    Just a thought let’s deal with every country that wants our products time to think of Ireland just saying

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    Mute Patrick Gough
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    Oct 26th 2016, 7:05 AM

    The uk voted to leave the EU due, among other things, lack of democracy. This seems to indicate too much democracy.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Oct 27th 2016, 2:09 AM

    CETA is just more of the same like TPP, TTIP and the TiSA Agreement, which means less jobs for the smaller businesses as in farmers, reduction in protection of labour and environmental laws and regulations. And… the introduction of new pesticides and GMO’s, do people not care?

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    Mute John Moynihan
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    Oct 26th 2016, 12:11 PM

    Whether you agree or disagree with the policy you have to see that this isn’t democracy. 1 out of 7 says no and it’s rejected which leads to 1 how many now? 30 odd saying no which also means it’s rejected.

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    Mute Revolting Peasant
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    Oct 26th 2016, 12:26 PM

    @John Moynihan:

    No it isn’t democratic, a referendum would be better.

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    Mute Brendan O'Neill
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    Oct 26th 2016, 8:16 AM

    Fair play small piece of Democracy still alive and not caving in to big business and there yes men two bags full merchant’s,

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    Mute Julian West
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    Oct 26th 2016, 2:38 PM

    I note that tiny, unimportant Wallonia (population 3 1/2 million) is able to override the expressed will of the whole Republic of Ireland (population 4 1/2 million).

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