Taking action on TTIP – how can we put pressure on politicians? Impressions from the Turning the Tide event
Date: 5 December 2014
On Monday evening I attended a workshop organised by WDM aimed at building the skills and knowledge of people who want to lobby their MPs and MEPs to stop TTIP. Speakers included MPs Zac Goldsmith (Conservative), Geraint Davies (Labour), Andrew George (Lib Dems), MEP Jean Lambert (Green Party) and Polly Jones of WDM.
For those of us concerned about TTIP, the news that it represents a serious threat to democracy (such as it is) comes as no surprise. And while there is still much work to be done in terms of raising awareness of the dangers of this deal, it is vital to start thinking beyond awareness raising, to tangible actions we can take to voice our concerns about the deal and the highly secretive way in which it is being negotiated. I welcomed the workshop as an opportunity to move on from the ‘reeling-in-horror’ phase to connect with other people who share these concerns and to actively try to do something about it.
Parliamentarians were there to present ways in which we could appeal to MPs across the political spectrum in Westminster to challenge TTIP from a perspective that might appeal to their party. MP Zac Goldsmith underlined the fact that knowledge in Parliament around the deal is poor, and suggested to those of us represented by a Conservative MP to appeal to their distaste for the threat to British sovereignty that TTIP might pose. We had the opportunity to ask questions about the ways in which TTIP will affect people in the UK. Due in part to the secrecy under which the documents are being held, MPs could only answer some questions speculatively. MEP Lambert of the Green Party (as the only party opposing the deal) gave a perspective of the negotiations from Brussels, and recent developments about the success that public pressure is having in making some of the documents open to all MEPs.
Polly Jones helpfully put the prospective “benefits” of TTIP being championed by the European Commission and big business in sharp perspective, and debunked the argument put forward by the EC that the nature of international trade negotiations dictates that transparency is impossible. We also learned that the cost of representation alone (regardless of whether they win or lose) for a Government before an international arbitration tribunal (such as under the ISDS mechanism) can be as much as $30 million, which comes from the tax payer. Other participants expressed concern at the deal as a symptom of the broader problem of corporate capture of government and growing global inequality spurred on by free-market capitalism.
A break-out into group sessions, as well as cups of tea and biscuits enabled us to open up discussions about what actions we could start to take at a local level. The idea of holding public meetings to which we would invite councillors and MPs in our constituencies and writing to local newspapers came through as important first steps. Other groups suggested engaging with local businesses to set up ‘no TTIP’ zones. I came away with new ideas about campaigning on TTIP locally, taking part in international days of action against TTIP, such as that held in October this year, and joining a local action group.
