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THE TRANSATLANTIC TRADE Investment Partnership (TTIP), is a bilateral trade agreement being negotiated between the EU and the US with the aim of reducing barriers to trade. Many of the things we value and that protect us can be classed as barriers to trade. Public services, environmental safeguards, workers’ rights, generic drugs, food safety, agri-food production, animal protection and data protection are all on the TTIP negotiation table.
A crucial vote on TTIP was due to take place this week in the European Parliament but at the last minute was called off. Not only was the vote cancelled, the Parliament then decided to suspend its debate on the topic. This prompted angry scenes in Strasbourg and exposed the rising levels of discontent and division among MEPs.
A victory for those working to stop this deal
The cancellation of the vote was seen as a victory for the thousands of people working to stop this dangerous trade deal. MEPs were put under tremendous pressure from their constituents and civil society right across the EU.
This week alone 24,500 emails were sent to Irish MEPs by their constituents from across the country. Uplift member and small business owner Barry O’ Driscoll was one of the people who contacted his MEPs about TTIP. “I’m worried about what kind of country my kids will inherit if TTIP is allowed to go ahead. We are waking up to the dangers TTIP poses to our environment, our food, our services, our rights. We can’t let irresponsible politicians trade away our democracy”.
Right across Europe people are coming together to oppose TTIP. Earlier this week, the European Citizens Initiative Against TTIP reached its target of two million signatures. From artists to chefs, workers to business people, the opposition to TTIP is spreading and politicians are feeling the heat.
MEP Brian Hayes was critical of the ‘loose comments’ of ‘left wing campaigners’. While MEP Lynn Boylan said “it is very encouraging to see the effect that strong citizen voices can have on the European agenda. The thousands of citizens protesting, emailing and petitioning their politicians have certainly made an impact’.
Secret arbitration courts that allow corporations to sue public bodies
One source of widespread public consternation is the inclusion of an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism. ISDS are secret arbitration courts that allow corporations to sue public bodies and governments if their profit margins are interfered with. As one of the most contentious aspects of the deal, it has become a red line for many MEPs who would have voted against its inclusion if the vote on Wednesday had gone ahead.
If the inclusion of secret arbitration courts remains in TTIP, private corporations could end up having more influence than elected governments over wage setting mechanisms, what we grow and eat, how we use our natural resources, set taxes and much more. Essentially social policy takes second place to big business. Veolia, one of the companies installing water meters across Ireland, recently challenged the Egyptian government for attempting to increase the minimum wage. The Egyptian government has now reversed their decision to proceed. Veolia used the ISDS mechanism.
Secret negotiations
The secrecy of the negotiation process has also come under fire from both sides of the Atlantic. In the US Senator Elizabeth Warren said. “I actually have had supporters of the deal say to me ‘they have to be secret, because if the American people knew what was actually in them, they would be opposed.’ The EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly also criticised the secrecy and lack of information available to the public and made several recommendations for greater transparency.
The big lesson for politicians this week is that they need to stop listening to the business lobbyists and corporate power and instead listen to their constituents, who they represent. Thousands of people have joined the fight against TTIP and the Uplift community will continue to campaign to ensure Irish politicians are forced to listen and act on the interests of people not corporate power. The postponement of the vote and the cancellation of the debate have exposed deep cracks and will only make public opposition to TTIP and ISDS clearer and more influential.
Anne Marie is a campaigner with Uplift. Uplift is a new campaigning organisation that enables people to take action online and offline for a more just, equal and sustainable Ireland. Since launching 6 months ago over 10,000 people have joined Uplift. More information at www.uplift.ie
An earlier version of this article included a quote Euractiv incorrectly attributed to MEP Seán Kelly. It has since been removed.
I have to say it’s hilarious Brian Hayes had a interview/opinion piece earlier on this site where he defending Denis o briens right to privacy ignoring the fact IBRC was supposed to be acting in the public interest. He made no mention of TTIP which you would expect would be 1st priority for discussion in his mind. After his refusal to debate Luke Flanagan one has to wonder is there really a defence for TTIP ?
TTIP is good for Ireland and the EU, despite the silly scaremongering.
There are trade offs in every trade deal, but overall it will benefit our economy.
Flanagan is a rabble rousing shrill, more interests in legalising certain drugs and protecting turf monopolies.
The concerns regarding TTIP have nothing to do with the economy. They are social, environmental and regulation concerns. I recommend you give it read before falsely assuming it’s all about the economy
I recommend you give it a read before falsely assuming it has “nothing to do with the economy”…. It’s a trade deal!!!
I said “falsely assuming it’s all about the economy” why are you misquoting me?
@ Diarmuid
Opinion on ISDS?
Diarmuid, so beneficial is TTIP to the economy that is it was agreed in the morning, it would take 13 years for our economy to grow by 0.05%!!! Trade deal?? Go and really inform yourself as to what the real meaning of this abomination means for ordinary people.
If you want to stop the secret court beinbg set up that can over rule both our constitution and the Dail, then sign this petition to stop TTIP in the EU parliament. https://stop-ttip.org/
I’ll see you tomorrow diarmuid where you can once again troll me then disappear when I ask you a question.
how can losing your sovereignty to private companies possibility be good for our kids and Ireland. I’m a citizen and human being not a customer.
Hi “Kev”, sorry I don’t wait on your every trolling word. I literally quoted your silliness.
Looney lefties can’t make one coherent argument against a trade deal which independent research has proven will be beneficial to our economy. We are the most U.S. dependant economy in Europe.
All scaremongering “us-against-the-man” BS. Good lads.
Diarmuid,a trade deal??? TTIP if implemented tomorrow, it will, in 13years time, grow the economy by 0.05%. You call that a beneficial trade deal?? The launch of a new mobile phone will grow the economy by more overnight! Trade is the least part of this “deal”.
why are all the apes for TTIP
What about people ??
it’s taken the mick out of the guys that are for TTIP. over last few days in this debate a few guys have monkeys or ape photos,
Because while TTIP probably will have at least a marginally positive effect on the Irish economy, the other things it brings far outweigh that benefit and most of us don’t want to sell out for a minor economic boost?
Your missing the point Diarmiud, whilst it might improve the economy in an overall GDP sense, and add apparent growth it is not good for normal working people, or for the quality of the types of products they might want to eat or consume…Whilst its right in some ways to criticize people for opposing the deal, (there is always another side to a story) and I’ve no doubt some things being said are incorrect, regardless in a much broader sense it is a bad thing. You probably are an advocate of free-market economic liberalism and in that sense you would be supportive of the deal but the people opposing it are part of a new public consciousness. You may label them Looney lefties in a derogatory sense but their worries are justified. Over the past ten years many people have experienced first hand the real consequences of such free markets and their embedded irrationality and perhaps they wish to govern their lives in a different manner, that’s why they oppose TTIP, regardless of whether it improves growth by.05%.. growth which you must remember is always unevenly distributed across the economy
A lot of things could benefit the economy. Many of them bad. Some of them illegal. While broadly a laudable goal, “benefiting the economy” at any cost – particularly in relaxing oversight and accountability tends to be rather BAD for the economy in the longer term. See Ireland 2008-2014 for example. The TTIp is a cash for democracy deal. It is a very bad deal. It undermines national sovereignty now in return for promises of trickle down wealth someday.
well said Peter and in the nicest way.the best post todate
Trade offs Diamuid? Thats an amazingly naive statement. Its not merely a ‘left wing rabble’ against TTIP, many on the right feel its anti-capitalist. Very few but those who stand to personally gain from it see TTIP as anything but a disaster waiting to happen. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/10/obscure-legal-system-lets-corportations-sue-states-ttip-icsid?CMP=share_btn_tw
none of fg members in the eu parliament responded when asked what way they were voting
silence yet again
Make no mistake about it, if the TTIP vote comes up before FG are removed from government, Ireland will be unwillingly signed up to this immoral monstrosity.
FG, or any Irish party, can’t stop TTIP. They can contribute to debate, sure. Better to be on the train, than miss it.
Diarmuid, TTIP and its resident evil ISDS is the agenda this government has been working to since it got into power. Everything this government has done has been to get this country ready for TTIP.
Apparently one of the secret ISDS clauses in TTIP obliges every woman in the country to hand over their first born to the Illuminati. And FG want to sign us up for this!
god Diarmuid not another train? I remember Enda’s last train. He said we has to be on it to protect jobs and look what happened.
TTIP even without ISDS will require negotiations for common regulations and restrictions between Europe and the U.S. Given that our regulation standards are far higher than those of the U.S., it will mean either a tightening of theirs or the loosening of ours. Which is most likely do you think? I wouldn’t be surprised if they are getting everyone to focus on ISDS, just to remove it before the agreement is set in stone. The majority of people will see the removal of ISDS as a win and opposition will back down, leaving them free to negotiate our regulations out of existence.
People power wins the day. Now let’s stop toxic Irish Water and the hated water charges in their tracks!!
Daryl Walsh, Stopping IW will become meaningless under TTIP and its resident evil ISDS. But if we stop TTIP and its resident evil ISDS, IW becomes a meaningless super quango.
This isn’t over.This trade agreement is written by big business. MEP’s do not have a copy of this 30,000 page document to read through at their leisure. It is kept in rooms where they have to sign in and sign out to read it. This very fact means very few know all of the details. There is also a 30 year moratorium on some of the details included in the agreement. “The details must remain secret because if the people knew about it they would oppose it” ladies and gentleman this is what democracy has become.
Thanks for that information. what are we electing. it’s hard to believe
Now lets stop the water tax
TTIP ain’t gone away by a long shot.
The very first thing the USA did when Australia signed a free trade agreement with several years ago was to campaign to stop the Australia subsiding prescription drugs. In the end what sold as a benefit for Australia turned out just being a mechanism for American farmers flooding Australia with cheap produce subsidised by the USA p’s lack of workers rights and cheap labour.
TTIP is about one thing & one thing only – corporate greed / lust for power. Check out this video of the EU Commissioner who you’ve never heard of and listen to his glib nonsensical replies to serious concerns. Note his arrogance & complete disdain for the ordinary European citizen. A complete sc$m bag.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnOTyOjV4I4&sns=em
Power to the (little) people!
Good outcome. Good article explaining what this is actually about. Well done.
Come the next election people need to remember who in Government is pro-TIPP
also they should remember who is pro-TTIP, trade and workers rights are probably more important than hurling
Yeah…the ones who reduced unemployment were in favour.
The ones who oversaw the return of growth were in favour.
TTIP is the death of Democracy, it is nothing less than a totally perverse take over by large corporations. For the sake of the planet and our children this madness has to be stopped.
This only happened because people who do the research stood up and did not shrug off any contrarian opinion as a conspiracy and said no look at TTIP it’s not what it seems .
Look to the TV and print media if you want to be led like a lamb to the slaughter .
Great news. The little people are still alive and kicking. TTIP will simply lead to privitization of what is left of public services.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-VckxfWwNw
Have a look and inform yourselves about the reality of TTIP.
bin it.
It is a nightmare TTIP, It kills small businesses to feed the big ones, those who donate a lot of money to political parties, you know the sort…
Great news well done one and all
The thing with the agreement is that it’s being sold as a means to open up the USA to our trade. In fact, it’s the reverse. The USA wants to get their goods into the partners markets. I’m still about trying to buoy up the American producers’ profits and bugger everyone else. It’s monopoly by stealth.
TTIP would have followed TPP in a very similar way…
https://wikileaks.org/tpp/
Demos Cratus People Power .
Yeah but….think of all those SME’s that could be allowed to grow to the level where this could be beneficial rather than wipe them out…..
Fair play to the journal for soft balling the obvious with “The Chambers ” approach of…..yeah.
Poisoning wells and burning bridges sound great as well, let do them as well, sarcasm…
Idiotic illiterate Luddites. These are the types of clowns who objected to us joining the common market. So….it will probably be popular among lefty crusties.
And a favourite among the ranting rabid right Tom. Capital rules, that’s the only way forward, eh Tom??
Well those who convince themselves to feel inferior will always feel inferior. The only way to alleviate the fear is to educate yourself. Read, read and read.
Alternatively in six months time you’ll still be here whinging.
“read, read, read……you can be reading away Tom, all the reading in the world did not stop the Lisbon Treaty, they will find a way to blackmail and lie to the peoples of Europe……you sound like an awesome Politician…..yes, yes, yes sir whatever you say Sir……..
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