4 ms·
The EFF is correct that this is a travesty, but the real scandal is the undemocratic way the TPP is being negotiated in the first place.
by Estragon 12y ago
The EFF is correct that this is a travesty, but the real scandal is the undemocratic way the TPP is being negotiated in the first place.
- snowwrestler 12y agoIt's being negotiated the same way every single international agreement has been negotiated, so that's probably not a scandal.
- Brakenshire 12y agoBut it is much more powerful than the trade deals of the previous generation. Whereas those earlier deals dealt exclusively with trade, new deals also include 'non-tariff barriers', i.e. things which are a mixture of trade and domestic policy, like regulation of food, product safety and the environment. But the mechanism for negotiating the deal remains the same as before. That is manifestly unacceptable.
- snowwrestler 12y agoFrom the U.S. perspective, NAFTA and GATT are more powerful than TPP would be. Both address NTBs and were negotiated this way. On top of that, international security agreements like NATO and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty were negotiated this way, and those arguably have more serious import for a nation than trade.
- Estragon 12y agoChattel slavery was done much the same way everywhere, but doesn't make it any less of a scandal. I'm not equating this with slavery, just pointing out that your argument is bogus.