politics for the 99%

CETA’s specter of corporate dictatorship still haunts Canada and the EU

Written on July 10th, 2016 in politics Comments Off

Published on Systemic Disorder, July 6, 2016.

The most tepid of blows for democracy was struck this week when the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, reversed himself and declared that the parliaments of the EU member states will vote on the “free trade” deal with Canada after all. Only a week earlier, President Juncker had dismissed the idea of any democratic input, insisting that the deal would be unilaterally approved by EU ministers … //
… Consultation process is window-dressing:

The European Commission’s antipathy to democracy is also par for the course. The EU trade office, the European Commission Directorate General for Trade, set up a process of public consultation, but seems to have not paid any attention to it. A spokesman for the watchdog group Corporate Europe Observatory said of this window-dressing “consultation”: … //

… Building on NAFTA’s anti-democratic principles:

No different from the qualifications deemed necessary in existing “free trade” agreements or those proposed in the Trans-Pacific and Transatlantic partnerships. The wording guarantees that corporate lawyers or academics who specialize in existing tribunals and who have adopted the mindsets of their clients will adjudicate these decisions — in other words, a steady stream of decisions elevating the right of a corporation to make the maximum possible profit above all other human considerations. This dynamic has to led to NAFTA becoming a lose-lose-lose proposition for working people in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and CETA will accelerate this trend.

A report on the ramifications of CETA, prepared by Maude Barlow, says: … //

… Pressure will be brought to bear to privatize water systems and other public utilities, and pharmaceutical prices for Canadians will rise significantly — costing as much as C$1.6 billion per year. As is customary with “free trade” agreements, there are no limitations on who or what constitutes an “investor.” The rights of corporations are delineated over hundreds of pages, but the chapters that deal with labor, health, safety and environmental standards use the usual provisional language. For example, in Chapter 21.7, “The Parties endeavour to cooperate and to share information on a voluntary basis in the area of non-food product safety.” When it comes to corporate demands, however, “must” and “shall” are the words used.

CETA, like its cousins TTP and TTIP, would cement into place the right of multi-national corporations to dictate to governments without any democratic input. This would be irreversible. Worse, the approval of CETA would provide fresh momentum for TPP and TTIP. We have no time to waste.

(full text).

Links:

Seul le demantelement du pouvoir financier international peut eradiquer la pauvrete, dans Médiapart.fr, par YASUHIKO YAMAZAKI , le 7 juillet 2016;

La loi Travail adoptée par l’Assemblée nationale en seconde lecture, dans Développez, par Michael Guilloux, le 7 juillet 2016: après un nouvel échec des députés à déposer une motion de censure – Mercredi 6 juillet 2016, la loi Travail a été considérée comme adoptée en nouvelle lecture à l’Assemblée nationale …;

Calais: l’autocritique des socialistes, dans Nord Littoral, par Grégory Faucquez, le 6 juillet 2016;

Que manque-t-il à Mélenchon? dans Médiapart.fr, par JEREMIE CHAYET, le 6 Juillet 2016: l’essentiel des armes anticapitalistes clairement affirmées et revendiquées ! Qu’on se comprenne bien, savoir que l’élection est anti-Démocratique ne m’empêche pas de me servir de la moindre cartouche. Fou qui fait le difficile quand cet homme s’engage sur une Constituante. Oui mais;

Live History (2,007) » Japan 【仏日語放送:】①Pauvrete et disparite ②Guerre et Terrorism ③ Armes nucleaires et Armes de la guere devraient etre les plus graves et les plus urgents problemes !70, 億人の人間にとって①貧…, 54.03 dans Twitcasting.TV, le 6 juillet 2016;

Automation Could Drastically Change the Job Market - Experts, on MeriTalk, by Jessie Bur, July 6, 2016;

Korea: Assembly launches committee to tackle population issues, on Korea Joongang Daily, July 6, 2016;

Central Bank Buying Puts Squeeze on Bond Market, on WSJ, by Ming Zeng and Christopher Whittall, July 6, 2016:
A buying spree by central banks is reducing the availability of government debt for other buyers, intensifying bidding wars when investors get jittery;

India: Gains from sale of inherited house taxable as capital gains, on live mint, by Parizad Sirwalla, July 6, 2016: in case of an inheritance, the cost of acquisition should be the cost at which the previous owner who actually acquired the property other than by inheritance or gift, as increased by cost of improvement made later;

Hillary Clinton opposes a policy that gives people free money — here’s what she gets wrong, on TECH Insider, by Chris Weller, July 6, 2016;

750,000 people are living in poverty in Ireland – on under €218 a week, on The Journal.ie, July 5, 2016;

White House: U.S. wants to be at the forefront of automation policy, on fedScoop, by Samantha Ehlinger, July 5, 2016;

BOOK: Dick Pels, A Heart for Europe, on BIEN, by Kate McFarland, July 5, 2016;

Ni Valls, ni Macron ne sont les héritiers de Michel Rocard. Halte aux charognards, dans l’Obs, par Thomas Guénolé, le 5 juillet 2016;

Pourquoi Michel Rocard reste un éternel incompris, dans les inRocks, par Jérémy Collado, le 4 juillet 2016;

AUDIO – Economic Update, uploaded on YouTube by Democracy At Work: