Green Party members will join Devon campaigners from a wide range of campaign groups and Unions this Saturday 11th October to raise awareness of a coalition Government supported EU-US trade deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
The Exeter day of action will take place in Bedford Square between 11am and 2pm and be one of many hundreds of events taking place across the UK and other countries in Europe.
David Cameron’s government is pushing hard for TTIP which is currently being negotiated in Brussels;critics have described it as a ‘corporate power-grab’. Concerns about the deal focus around three main areas: regulatory harmonization which threatens hard-fought-for EU regulations on the environment, workers’ rights, public services and consumer standards; Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) which would give multinational corporations the right to sue governments over laws and regulations that affect their profits and the secrecy around the negotiations which have shut out public debate.
Exeter Green Party’s prospective Parliamentary candidate, Diana Moore, said: “Greens in the European Parliament have been at the forefront of the campaign against TTIP for many months and as a national Party we are totally united in our opposition. People should understand that this deal could lock-in privatisation of our public services such as the NHS, and undermine food safety and environmental regulation. The deal could allow products such as hormone-treated beef and pork and genetically modified foods, currently banned in Europe, to make their way into our shopping baskets.”
Ms Moore is calling on Exeter’s MP to make clear whether he opposes TTIP or not:
“I would welcome clarification from Ben as to his position on TTIP as Labour MEPs in the European Parliament are supporting this treaty, while many local Labour Party members are against. I hope that he will join with the Greens to oppose a treaty that threatens to undermine worker rights and could allow US corporations to take over the health service.”
Last year in the House of Commons, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas sponsored an Early Day motion on TTIP expressing concern at the inclusion of ISDS in TTIP and calling for talks on the partnership agreement to be frozen. Campaigners involved in Saturday’s action say local people need to put continued pressure on the Government and European Institutions to ditch the deal.
Notes
- http://www.nottip.org.uk/
- A full briefing on TTIP can be found here: http://www.wdm.org.uk/sites/default/files/TTIP%20briefing.pdf
- The action day has been organised through Devon Development Education by individuals involved in a range of local organisations including: Exeter Friends of the Earth, Exeter Green Party, Exeter Labour Party, 38 degrees, Unison, Save Our NHS, Exeter TUC, Anti-Cuts Alliance, WDM and the #noTTIP group.
- Caroline Lucas EDM: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/793