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Monday 26 February 2018

Brexit: and TTIP

A couple of months after the referendum, the Express was reporting about anxieties over a possible TTIP agreement:
What is TTIP and what does Brexit mean for the the US-EU trade deal | World | News | Express.co.uk

And many were relieved that Brexit would mean not taking part in TTIP:
We thought the best thing about Brexit would be avoiding TTIP - but the fight isn't over yet | The Independent

And there were apparently quite a few things to be worried about:
Futures Forum: TTIP, the NHS and the South-West
Futures Forum: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership >>>> "an increasingly contentious topic"

Both Brexit and TTIP are indeed interrelated:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Last week, the Sun revealed how there was renewed interest in the TTIP model for future trade with the UK: 

Secret documents show European capitals are considering a far-reaching pact based on their past negotiations with the US
By Nick Gutteridge in Brussels
23rd February 2018
EU countries are defying their own chief negotiator and mulling a bumper trade deal for Britain, The Sun can reveal.
A “Brexit trade note”, meant for diplomats’ eyes only, suggests a Canada-style (CETA) agreement championed by Michel Barnier would be insufficient. Instead it is far more flattering of a deal based on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which was thrashed out with Barack Obama but never signed.


Leaked docs show EU capitals considering trade deal with UK - The Sun

The Financial Times was more sanguine earlier today: 

Britain, the EU and post-Brexit regulation
UK’s hopes for mutual recognition agreements reflect wishful thinking

Alan Beattie 6 HOURS AGO

True, the EU did contemplate pushing this further in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the US, tentatively exploring the idea of equivalence, or accepting trading partners’ rules if they were judged to produce the same outcome. Despite vast tomes produced on the subject, including this 530-page page-turner on vehicle crash test standards, those talks, along with the rest of TTIP, went almost nowhere.

Britain, the EU and post-Brexit regulation

So, to what extent is the UK or even the EU going to get a version of TTIP?

Well, we've had more 'leaks':
Greenpeace trade-leaks.org | TTIP | CETA | TiSA | JEFTA | MERCOSUR » Brexit, trade and the environment: what’s the big deal?
Futures Forum: Brexit: and the future of food and farming: from the Initiative for Free Trade

A new campaign from 38 Degrees looks at the issues:

Liam Fox

A leaked dossier has exposed that a group of powerful trade lobbyists are pressuring the government to ditch our food, environment and health standards - so that the UK can make a trade deal with Donald Trump: 
A hard-Brexit think tank accidentally published its plans for US-UK ‘shadow trade talks’ - Unearthed

If they win it could mean dangerous chemicals in the food we eat, to allowing our NHS to be sold off: 
Theresa May Refuses To Rule Out The NHS Being Part Of UK/US Trade Deal

This is because of something called “investor-state dispute settlement.” It’s already part of some trade deals America has with other countries, and when it was proposed as part of negotiations of an earlier trade deal, known as TTIP, leading lawyers warned it could pose a “real and serious risk” to our NHS.

The leaked dossier proves that these shady lobbyists are worried about the public turning against them: IFT FTA [page 7]
There's one big hurdle. The lobbyists are bankrolled by big business - which means they've got the security to plan for a five year campaign. [page 10]

Hundred of thousands of us have already signed the petition demanding the public aren’t locked out of future trade deals: 

Just look what we did when we were faced with TTIP, the biggest corporate takeover attempt in our lifetime. Thousands upon thousands of us joined together and we brought that dangerous deal to its knees:

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