TTIP is a hugely influential trade deal between the US and the EU. 38 Degrees members recently voted to prioritise stopping the part of the deal which lets businesses sue governments that introduce new laws that could damage their profits. [2] This is already happening in other countries. Right now the Australian government is being sued by a tobacco company after introducing laws banning branding on cigarette packets. [3]
Sounds sinister right? It really is. And, unsurprisingly, negotiations over TTIP are shrouded in secrecy. The deal’s being thrashed out right now by politicians and corporate lobbyists behind closed doors.
So if we’re going to beat this thing together, first thing’s first - we need to bring TTIP into the open. Let’s get TTIP out of secret negotiations, and into public conversation. We need to cause a massive public outcry to stop this trade deal from sliding under the radar.
Let’s create hard-hitting ads and splash them all over the country. From full page spreads in newspapers, to bus stops and billboards. The 38 Degrees staff team will work with an agency to come up with a brilliant design, and we’ll make sure it’s seen everywhere.
Together we can stop global corporations running our government and ruining our planet. Can you chip in a few pounds now to help fund a massive, people-powered ad campaign across the country?
https://secure.38degrees.org.
TTIP would put the profits of big business ahead of everything else. It would weaken the rules which protect consumers, our environment, our welfare and health services, to much weaker levels seen in the USA. And it would stop future governments from rolling back privatisation of our public services, such as the NHS, energy companies, or the Royal Mail. [4]
There are a lot of things 38 Degrees members could do to stop this. A no-holds-barred nationwide ad campaign will shine a spotlight on these dangerous proposals. And it’ll be a first step towards making sure TTIP becomes too toxic for any of our MPs or MEPs to back.
We know how much of a stir massive ad campaigns like this can cause in Westminster. During the gagging law campaign, after a key vote in the House of Lords, one peer cited newspaper ads funded by 38 Degrees members as an important reason why he voted the right way. [5]
If nobody is talking about the issue, then it’s easy for the government to go ahead and agree to this dangerous deal. Will you chip in now so these ads can be designed, printed and put up across the country as soon as possible?
https://secure.38degrees.org.
Thanks so much for being involved,
Megan, Bryony, Blanche & the 38 Degrees team
PS: TTIP is a pretty complicated issue. But there are lots of helpful resources out there to understand it more clearly.
This report by John Hilary, executive director of War on Want, is good place to start. It looks at the many problems with TTIP, and deals that allow businesses to sue governments, in a clear, but thorough way.
http://rosalux.gr/sites/
NOTES:
[1] 38 Degrees: TTIP- Poll results:
http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/
[2] ACTA: Investor-to-state dispute settlement is a rigged system:
http://acta.ffii.org/?p=2112
Corporate Europe: Civil society groups say no to investor-state disput settlement in EU-US trade deal:
http://corporateeurope.org/
[3] BBC: Philip Morris sues Australia over cigarette packaging:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
[4] John Hilary: The transatlantic trade and investment partnership: A charter for deregulation:
http://rosalux.gr/sites/
[5] Hansard: Transcript of a debate on the gagging law in the house of lords. Lord Walton of Detchant references our newspaper advert in the link below:
http://www.publications.
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