Vince Cable will call for greater transparency within the trade partnership

Vince Cable will call for greater transparency within the trade partnership

Article by Alex Lawson – Independent Newspaper Monday 16 February 2015

A trade deal between Europe and the United States has come under fire amid claims that it undermines European cosmetics standards and could put the NHS at risk.
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), an agreement to reduce regulatory barriers for business, has been dubbed “a race to the bottom” after reports that there will be no harmonisation between Europe and America on what substances are prohibited in cosmetics.
Nick Dearden, a director at the campaign group Global Justice Now, told The Independent: “Companies which produce with chemicals which are not even allowed in the European Union will still be able to sell into our markets, undercutting standards we’ve democratically agreed on. It’s a race to the bottom, which doesn’t pitch the EU against the US, but people’s rights against big business.”
Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, will today call for greater transparency within the trade partnership in a meeting with the EU trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom.
Separately, the trade union Unite called on David Cameron to use his veto to protect the NHS from potential legal risks from TTIP.
Unite’s general secretary, Len McCluskey, said: “There is no doubt that NHS services are being included in TTIP. As a result there is the risk of irreversible privatisation because the deal will give US corporations or investors the right to sue our government if it tried to take back services into public ownership.”

The W.E.U. find the T.T.I.P. very disturbing on many levels:

Firstly we have Vince Cable a Pro EU Liberal Democrat asking for greater transparency in the deal, which he knows wont make much difference when the E .U. block are negotiating the TTIP.

Secondly it looks to under mine the NHS but he doesn’t mention which one. As the Health services of Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland are run by their respective Parliaments does he then mean the English Health service which is run by the UK Government, transparency please Mr Cable.

Thirdly with all its faults the English NHS is still the envy of the world in the level of service it provides, these standards are always being tested however any agreement which undermines the quality of service must be rejected as this is messing around with peoples Health and there for their lives.

Fourth we have a British trade Union in the form of Unite trying to campaign for public sector workers in the Health Service, given the recent revelations that Unite’s Tax avoidence scheme meant they paid NO tax in 2011/12, financially supports the Labour party who brought in P.F.I. to effectively privatise the English Health service by the back door, whilst the English Health service faces massive job losses, we do wonder in who’s interests are they campaigning.

Transparency is needed to help protect the English Health Service, not only from our politicians of all party’s, also from Trade Unions.

The WEU are proud to be called a truly independent trade union, not affiliated to any political party or big business, just as our name states we represent the “Workers of England”.