My goodness, yes! I will copy my e-mail to Gerard Batten, MEP (UKIP!) and his reply: Dear Ms Hodgkins, You can read my position on this by going to my website www.gerardbattenmep.co.uk I am against. Regards, Gerard Batten MEP UKIP London From: Una Hodgkins [mailto:una.hodgkins@googlemail.com] Sent: 10 October 2014 17:48 To: gerard.batten@btinternet.com Subject: TTIP and the power of corporations Dear Mr Batten, I hope that you will be at the anti-TTIP "European Day of Action" tomorrow at 13.30 at Parliament Square, London to hear about the phenomenon of non-elected, unaccountable, global power exercised more and more visibly by large, multinational corporations in the last 40 years. There will be demonstrations in every capital of Europe and major cities, and also in the USA. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment "Partnership" is no such thing: it is a Christmas wish list for foreign corporations, especially in the new field of trade in services. Having reduced tariff barriers on goods to zero there are only "non-tariff" or "regulatory" barriers left to free trade between the major regional power blocks of USA and EU. The "foreign" corporations will use a parallel system of arbitration tribunals available only to them to claim "investor rights" to sue sovereign governments (of the EU especially) for "lost profits" if these governments do anything which might adversely affect the contractual business of the corporations, using the "Investor-State Dispute Settlement" mechanism. This far-reaching private legal system places corporations on the same footing as governments. It effectively intimidates governments who stand to lose millions or hundreds of millions of pounds or euros for trying to protect their populations with environmental, food safety, worker protection, intellectual property and public services legislation. To consider that these laws are "barriers to free trade" is to profoundly misunderstand the role of national legislation. Furthermore a secretive "Regulatory Co-operation Council" will scrutinise all future legislative proposals to ensure regulatory "convergence" - read "a race to the bottom". Why do the governments of Europe go along with binding their own hands? Because they are already in the pocket of the international multi-national corporations who employ their populations, pay PAYE or equivalent (but not enough corporation tax), "invest" in new ventures, lobby the European Trade Commission hundreds of times more effectively than civil society groups, etc.... The Governments of Europe (and of course USA) have given up their role of regulating big business but YOU should NOT abdicate your responsibility to investigate and judge (please read all of George Monbiot's article http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/04/us-trade-deal-full-frontal-assault-on-democracy. It covers every aspect of this monstrous "Alice-in-Wonderland" scheme). The argument that there is a bonanza of "new trade" to be gained from TTIP (1%?) and thus "new jobs" is rubbish. Just look at how many middle management jobs have been lost in the last few years, how existing jobs have become more fragile and wages have been frozen for most people. This is likely to get worse if corporations continue to tighten their grip worldwide. The ISDS is the most odious, sinister and tyranical proposal. Juan-Fernandez Armesto, a Spanish tribunal judge said: "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." There are no corresponding rights for citizens. We can't use these tribunals to demand better protections from corporate greed. As the Democracy Centre says, this is "a privatised justice system for global corporations". Please see Corporate Europe Observatory (Corporateeurope.org) and 38Degrees.org.uk. I do hope that you share my concerns. I have read that you are against including the NHS (a public service, still, just about....) in TTIP and would specifically exclude it. I hope that you are also concerned about the many other services targeted by TTIP, such as education - US-style education?! Kind regards Una Hodgkins ("Save Our Hospitals" - campaigning to save the A&Es at Charing Cross, Hammersmith and Central Middlesex hospitals, and the whole of Charing Cross)

Entire Thread

Topic	Date Posted	Posted By
TTIP: European Day of Action Saturday 11th October Parliament Square 2pm	10/10/14 18:31:00	Una Hodgkins
Re:TTIP: European Day of Action Saturday 11th October Parliament Square 2pm	10/10/14 20:48:00	Michael Daley
Re:Re:TTIP: European Day of Action Saturday 11th October Parliament Square 2pm	10/10/14 21:03:00	Una Hodgkins
Re:Re:TTIP: European Day of Action Saturday 11th October Parliament Square 2pm	11/10/14 16:38:00	Robert Fish
Re:Re:Re:TTIP: European Day of Action Saturday 11th October Parliament Square 2pm	12/10/14 16:11:00	Una Hodgkins
Re:Re:Re:TTIP: European Day of Action Saturday 11th October Parliament Square 2pm	12/10/14 16:19:00	Una Hodgkins
TTIP - 38 Degrees Petition	12/10/14 23:21:00	Robert Fish

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