Joe Biden’s visit to New Zealand comes amongst
desperate moves to try to rescue the deeply unpopular Trans-Pacific Partnership
Agreement (TPPA). Citizens opposed to the TPPA will be at Auckland Airport
today to call for an end to the TPPA.
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Legacy: “doing an end run around
democratic process?”
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The TPPA was on the agenda for talks in Australia
and is expected to be discussed in Auckland on Thursday. The TPPA is in deep
trouble in the US, with both Presidential nominees recently affirming their
rejection of the agreement.
There is overwhelming evidence that the TPPA
will produce little if any economic benefit, cause social and environmental
damage, and result in the loss of governments’ right to regulate. Yet, the
current President is still talking about the TPPA as a key part of his legacy
from 8 years in office.
The campaign against the TPPA in New Zealand,
It’s Our Future, is calling for talks to be abandoned. Spokesperson Barry
Coates said:
“The US President and Vice President should
not be leaving a toxic legacy from their time in office.”
“People are waking up to the dangers of giving
over powers to foreign corporations. The TPPA’s investor-state dispute
settlement mechanism would allow foreign investors to challenge the decisions
of our Parliament and our judicial system.”
“The recent TransCanada US$15 billion case
against the US government’s rejection of the KeystoneXL pipeline shows how
action on climate change will be further undermined by the TPPA.”
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People are waking up to the dangers of giving
over powers to foreign corporations
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There is strong and growing opposition to the
TPPA and similar pro-corporate treaties around the world, including huge
opposition to the parallel Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
negotiations between the US and EU. A majority of the New Zealand public oppose
the TPPA, according to opinion polls.
There is no chance to pass the TPPA in the US
using the usual democratic processes, so the US administration is trying to
push the TPPA through during the ‘lame duck period’ between the Presidential
election on 8 November and the time the President takes office on 20 January
2017. As with the previous push for Fast Track Authority, the wheels will be
oiled by lavish corporate contributions.
Barry Coates commented: “Doing an end run
around democratic process to pass the TPPA is not a legacy that the Obama/Biden
administration should be proud of. It’s time that governments – including the
US and New Zealand – started listening to their people, not just the big
corporations.”
It’s Our Future is calling for a halt to the
ratification process in New Zealand, and if the TPPA is to continue, there
should be a binding referendum on New Zealand’s participation.
It’s Our Future spokesperson Barry Coates
concluded: “The world has moved on. The TPPA is a throwback to the era of
extreme liberalisation, trickle-down, growth-at-all-costs policies. It has
benefited big corporations and the wealthy few, and caused massive inequality,
unstable economies, climate chaos and a hollowing out of democracy. It’s time
to change direction.”
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