The Obscure Legal System that lets Corporations Sue Countries – Guardian
The Secrets and Lies of the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Read the above articles, and tell me what you think.
If something is indeed harmless, and honest and for the greater good of humanity, if it is beneficial to society …or the even the people of a country, or group of countries, why would it need to be so draconian? So lacking in transparency? Why would something that has measures that benefit people of both rich and smaller countries, and that does not prey on weak government be negotiated so secretly?
What are they trying to hide? If it were such a good deal, and such a good idea, why would so many people across the world be against it?
Watch this video in which Noam Chomsky addresses some of the issues with the TTIP and TPP, amidst other concerns.
Someone on another forum mentioned that there is GATT, the trade agreement that brought the WTO, and they wondered why anyone would want something else? If the aims of the TTIP were legitimate, not predatory, if it was not self-serving but in the interests of global or US-EU trade, why not use GATT to facilitate such new relationships? Or why not sign bilateral agreements?
If it is genuinely trade you are trying to stimulate, surely you should be able to use the legal instruments that are already available, and that are designed to protect both citizens of countries and private enterprise? You should be able to operate within international laws, why create a legal procedure not subject to the laws or courts of sovereign states?
In any case, which fool thought the idea of making an agreement that would give far-reaching powers to corporations, enabling them to sue countries on the basis of ‘future profits’ would be such a good idea?? Which idiot came up with that fallacy?
The whole thing is sinister…totally undemocratic, and President Barack Obama should be ashamed of supporting it. This agreement is the kind of thing you would expect from a sadistic and tyrannical psycho that derives pleasure from the death of the weak and innocent. It’s not something sensible people and well-meaning politicians would come up with.
And why would I say that?
In the article above, we are told that Ecuador, as a result of cancelling an oil-exploration contract has been ordered to pay $1.8 billion to Occidental Petroleum, and that the money is equivalent to the annual health budget of the country? Ecuador is not a rich country and many people live in poverty. Their leaders face the same challenges our leaders face in Africa, including in Malawi.
But even if they were rich, considering the $1.8 billion that is being demanded, isn’t this backdoor robbery? I mean, should corporations be allowed to be more powerful than entire states such that they have preeminence over the will of the government or the people of that country?
How can that be possibly fair, or lawful?
What about the law of the land, the people who live in the country, their country? Shouldn’t they get to have a say as to what happens in their country? Whether a mine is built or not. Whether Oil is extracted or not. Who gets to have the lions share of a particular resource? In any case, they are the ones who own the resources. It’s their country…
In my view, these kinds of agreements are nothing but backdoor schemes designed to steal resources of countries at the expense of their citizenry. They are the embodiment of tyranny against people of both rich and poorer countries; an extension of the negative aspects of capitalism. The TTIP and TPP are designed to enable corporations and the elite to accumulate more wealth and power, and oppress citizens and steal from countries; whether intentional or not, that is the effect.
The TTIP and TTP must be opposed.
- What is TTIP? And six reasons why the answer should scare you
- TTIP: Here’s why MEPs have been protesting it, and why you should too
I once sat next to a big oil company executive on a long-haul flight, after an explosion at one of his company’s refineries, which killed a number of people. I was on my way to speak at an event that his company was banned from. I asked the man how he felt about this. He gave a refreshingly frank answer. “Corporations are driven by one thing, making as much profit as possible. If they’re socially responsible in the process, that’s dandy. If not, too bad. Either way profit comes before people and planet”. That’s why the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is so toxic… … In their quest for profit at any cost, corporations strive for two things, new markets and deregulation. In reality, regulation is what keeps corporations, some of whom are richer and more powerful than countries, in check. The move in the US and the UK to deregulate financial markets was one of the main causal factors of the global financial crash. Regulation, however inconvenient to big businesses, has a crucial role in democracy and economic stability. It provides safeguards against exploitation and protects hard earned rights of the most vulnerable in society.
Malawi Ace 