Why the TPPA is a Corporate Coup and stories the NZ mainstream media thought were more important

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The propagandists of the Right are in full flight and trying their spin lines everywhere.

Here are some of them turning up on this blog…

– Is it OK to have an FTA with China but not with the US? Why/not?
– Did you approve of the China FTA at the time it was made?
– Do you think the China FTA has been beneficial for NZ? If so, why/why not?
– Should we stand aside and let an Asia Pacific trade bloc develop that we have no part in?
– Negotiations are about give and take so if the Pharmac issues are to be our bottom line what do we ‘give’ to retain your desired level of control over buying US drugs at reasonable prices?

…in response.

1 – Your question clearly shows you have no understanding of how vast the difference between the China FTA & TPPA are.
2 – The China deal is completely different from the TPPA
3 – Yes because it is completely different from the TPPA
4 – Of course not, but the TPPA isn’t a free trade block
5 – The question shows you have no comprehension of the impact it already creates

Let me be as clear about this as I possibly can – the TPPA isn’t a ‘trade’ deal, it’s a geopolitical response by America to China which ends up benefitting US corporations.

This is Billionaires without Borders.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

The TPPA has 29 chapters, only 5 of these are about trade. The rest are about expanding American hegemony into the Pacific while empowering corporate interests.

Stiglitz makes this point…

You will hear much about the importance of the TPP for “free trade.” The reality is that this is an agreement to manage its members’ trade and investment relations – and to do so on behalf of each country’s most powerful business lobbies. Make no mistake: It is evident from the main outstanding issues, over which negotiators are still haggling, that the TPP is not about “free” trade.

How powerful are these corporate interests? Check out emails that were recently declassified…

Confidential USTR Emails Show Close Industry Involvement In TPP Negotiations
While a full range of stakeholders would be affected by the outcome of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement under secret negotiation by the United States and a dozen trading partners, corporate representatives have had a special seat at the negotiating table, as shown by hundreds of pages of confidential emails from the US Trade Representative’s office obtained by Intellectual Property Watch. The emails give a rare and fascinating perspective on how policy is developed in the trade office.

What is striking in the emails is not that government negotiators seek expertise and advice from leading industry figures. But the emails reveal a close-knit relationship between negotiators and the industry advisors that is likely unmatched by any other stakeholders.

…and how easy was it for NZ to be manipulated…

At one point early on, Doug Nelson of CropLife said his team had been lobbying government officials in Kuala Lumpur and Vietnam on “agchemical data protection,” and that “their reception to our TRIPS Article 39.3 emphasis on data exclusivity was very positive.” He asked if CropLife could make a presentation at an upcoming round of TPP talks in New Zealand or if there was a spot on the US delegation for a representative. USTR official Stan McCoy replied simply that they did not know how the New Zealand government was going to handle private sector side meetings.

In another email in 2011, McCoy told GE lobbyists, “In case your CEO will be at the patent reform bill signing, I wanted to let you know that NZ Trade Minister Tim Groser is planning to attend. It would be a lovely opportunity for a CEO to turn to him and, for example, encourage NZ to support a strong IP chapter in the TPP…”

…none of this however is of interest to the NZ mainstream media. They believe that real news is too hard for the laid back anti-intellectual NZ reader. They don’t want to spook sleepy hobbits to wake from Briscoe sales and buying more property so it’s an endless river of mind numbing crap.

Here is what the NZ Herald and Stuff decided was more important than a corporate coup removing NZs economic and political sovereignty the day after the TPPA was signed.

Sports gamblers panicking that the All Blacks won’t win the Rugby World Cup.

A porn renovation TV show might make some more money than they first thought.

A boat falls off a trailer.

A bad bus trip.

The world didn’t end after a religious prophecy 

A radio host wears the same togs as Kylie Jenner.

An Apartment that got flooded by a fish tank was sold.

Government spends $600 000 on flowers

A dog gets put down.

That’s right folks, the single biggest erosion of our political and economic sovereignty for US corporate interests has to struggle to get any attention amongst a sea of sports gamblers feeling depressed, porn renovation TV shows, boats falling off trailers, bad bus trips, world not ending, radio hosts wearing togs, flooded apartments, spending money on flowers and dogs being put down.

This is why we are a nation of sheep.

 

24 COMMENTS

  1. Indeed…..I read the Herald today online.

    It now reminds me off the latest reel of ‘Friends’ ….. or some other retro 1990’s garbage. Truly… to the NZ Herald …you have now become shallow , tacky , voyeuristic and totally irrelevant.

    We had the IKA panel… yet the fact remains no matter who are your financial masters…. you are now very pathetic.

    As is TV3 …Stuff…. there is an endless list of irrelevant agencies masquerading as news yet are ludicrously – and quite publicly – now known to be trite fluff… froth on a beer that looks nice but means nothing.

    You have no balls.

    When we look at hard hitting people like Kim Hill…and how not many would come away unscathed from an interview with her…

    And then compare that with the drivel that passes for news?

    We can see the difference between distraction and truth.

    And Ill let you in on a little secret that has always been around since time immemorial…

    People know truth when they see it.

    And we also know why you media moguls got rid of Dita De Boni and John Campbell.

    Oh yes….we’ve got your number…we’ve got your name , kiddo’s…

    We know what YOUR all about… Goebbels did the same thing around 60 years ago.

    And one other thing… most empires last at most 200 years…and to date?… the neo liberal one shows signs even now of crumbling in mass populace discontent in less than 30 years…

    Just watch you back the right horse…

    • Yes wild katipo,the Herald is a tacky paper, Tim Grosser defending his part in the deal saying its all fine,Bernard Hickey saying there are gains , how would he know has he read it? if he has why cant we ,?
      Most of the comments say they don’t trust the governments to look after our interests.so tired of the secrecy ,its as though we are all irellevant and only American ring ins need to know.

  2. Spot on Martyn, so what is to be done?
    They say ‘we get the Govt we deserve’ and cretins who care more about TV and the historically reputation of NZ, than doing something real about it today, ALMOST deserve to be serfs in their own land.
    The only thing that will save us is some form of radical political move, and sadly that doesn’t look like it’s on the horizon, and often those radical movements go badly wrong, for all concerned.
    The right wing have dumbed down the NZ populace, the Media is now a corporate controlled propaganda machine, and the rich are reaping the rewards.
    What a travesty for this once great, fair and decent country !!!

  3. …none of this however is of interest to the NZ mainstream media. They believe that real news is too hard for the laid back anti-intellectual NZ reader. They don’t want to spook sleepy hobbits to wake from Briscoe sales and buying more property so it’s an endless river of mind numbing crap.
    That is about the best summary of NZ MSM that I’ve seen yet. So succinct but exactly right.
    Yesterday I saw Stiglitz give an interview on BBC World, in which he clearly stated no consumers in any of the countries that signed up would benefit from the deal. It hasn’t found it’s way on YouTube yet, but I’m sure it will eventually.

  4. In your usual brilliance you made the point exactly Martyn.

    TPPA has 29 chapters & only 5 deal with free trade????

    As a 5th Generation Kiwi I ask;

    Are Kiwis now so stupid not to be so “inquisitive” to check out why there are 29 chapters that all signed when only 5 deal with free trade????

    Do Kiwis really trust their future to nameless overseas Corporate goons, without fighting first for their rights to be able to read and have reviewed by our legal experts, the whole 29 chapters before they agree to sign ours & their lives and those of their kids and grandchildren away now and forever????

    • Did we have a choice of signing away Clean Green , I think not.
      Key and Groser just did what they wanted and ignored us as though NZ was theirs to do what they liked.

      In Wake up New Zealand this morning,the first article states that Putin says that Isil is Americas paid mercenrys, put in Syria to unseat Assad.
      Iraq has asked Putin to come in and get rid of Isil.
      Russia has aircraft patrolling along the west coast of America .

      The article shows what two superpowers can do, and the outcome could be WWIII
      30,000 American scientists are going to bring a prosecution on Al Gore for promoting climate change ,the scientists claim its a fraud,read the article,Gore has made a fortune out of it.Gore gave up the presidency of USA to G W Bush,with the bribe he could run the climate change con.

      What of all the other countries in the TPP fraud.are the people in those countries unwilling participants,has America set up the leadership in those countries to give the same outcome as NZ,or are we the only puppet controlled idiots?

      Its said America and One World Order now own over 40% control of the
      worlds population, possible more. America as ruined the middle east, except the countries who are joined with America in persuit of world domination.
      Well Russia is out playing Obama, Putin has got more traction by showing the middle east exactly what Obama is up to.

      The world is being put into turmoil and poverty ,because the fight is on for supremacy by America and Germany,and the wealthy Arab countries.
      Russia is our hope because they wont be controlled. the BRICS countries, about 140 last count are a threat to the supremacy of the
      bullying countries.
      Key has probably signed up to the wrong side, it would be in NZs best interest to be one of the Brics countries, but of course Key is not interested in the best interests of NZ,only his own and the puppets who control him.

      Maybe it would be of interest to read the press of other countries to see the response of the people to the TPPA. We need to be united to overcome the threats to world peace if there has ever been such a thing.

      • “30,000 American scientists are going to bring a prosecution on Al Gore for promoting climate change ,the scientists claim its a fraud,read the article,Gore has made a fortune out of it.Gore gave up the presidency of USA to G W Bush,with the bribe he could run the climate change con.”

        WTF??

        You make some really outrageous claims sometimes in your comments. I just can’t take anything you say seriously if you hold to this kind of rubbish.

        That was back in 2009. It was led by John Coleman, a climate change skeptic, not all his “30,000” had PHd’s, and nothing ever came of it.

        Extraordinary claims such as the one you made require extraordinary evidence.

        Just can’t take anything you say seriously after that particular claim. You’re making the left look REALLY bad.

        • Read Wake up New Zealand and read for yourself Lara.
          Educate yourself there is more going on than you are aware of.
          These are not my claims, Al gore didn’t invent climate change he took advantage of it ,he did make a fortune from speaking tours ,I don’t give a damn wether you take me seriously or not,your opinion is of no concern to me.
          You make no mention of other items in my comment ,just the one you think you are expert on.

  5. Yes, excellent Post @ Martyn Bradbury. Thanks for taking the trouble.

    The above list of comments from Right wing commenters is a list of logical fallacies.
    They use , perhaps by deliberate collaboration, those seemingly genuine questions to spread confusion and to implant benign ideas into those minds who are too harried and distressed to bother with much other than feeding their kids and paying absurdly leveraged up mortgages.
    I get the feeling that even if we Kiwis all acted together and tried to force out the Corporate Killing machine now, today, we’d have a serious fight on our hands and one that was perhaps un-winnable.
    Look around? We’re 4.3 million unarmed people brainwashed into not being able to resist while living on a resource rich country with an endless supply of fresh water and on any given roadside in any part of NZ one could grow enough food to survive much less availing ones self of an agricultural infrastructure second to none.
    Embrace your enemy. Resistance is now futile.
    Who amongst you now wishes the dear old QE 2 would sail her ships into Wellington harbour, level their guns at the Beehive and blow the fucker into oblivion? Then, while they’re at it? Take out all the Banks down town. All of the filthy, greedy, scheming , conniving fuckers!

    • Well said countryboy, im sure quite a lot of people think of violent ways to rid ourselves of enemy within.

  6. Martyn,I missed watching the video you show.i must have been tired.

    This isn’t a trade deal its WAR
    What is needed is this video played over and over on big screens in the cities of NZ
    I wonder if RT will play it.RT has a big following .

    Maybe copies of this video can be sent to all mps.

    This video shows what a traitor Key is ,he knows all the details of the deal ,and trying to fool us into thinking the deal is good for us.

    Surely this video could be used in evidence to bring him to justice. we need to see the tpp transcripts.
    Thank goodness we have WikiLeaks,Pilger, Julian Asange,Edward Snowden,and all hero whistle blowers.

    Its obvious now what the spy agencies were set up for,to keep an eye on dissent,to control people through getting info on them and blackmail.
    The spy agencies were definitely not set up to keep us safe from terrorists,there wernt any real terrorists until Obama invaded middle eastern countries and incited people to fight for their rights.
    We realise from this video America wasn’t just after oil, they wanted world domination,by force.
    Its all been planned up to the wire, only now with all the criminal trade deals, its being shown how we will suffer if we let Key and his cabal get this deal through.
    Thank you Martyn, how would ever know whats happening without TDB, The writers on TDB deserve medals ,I just wish I had money to help ,but all you readers who can, shower your support we must win this blasted war and get rid of current leadership(yes I have a name for everything) they don’t lead us they force us to do their will.
    My only weapon is my computer.
    Its to be wondered how much money has been thrown at all the services in NZ to support Key,and other TPP countries.
    We need Glen Greenwald and investigative journalists like Nicky Hager to show whats going on , Nicky Hager wouldn’t get the same dirty politics treatment now, Key and Slater wont fool people again,Slater was just a tool to be used by Key, maybe he’s wised up by now.

  7. I have been thinking we need protests but on second thoughts John Key dosnt care what we think and if everyone in the country protested he would ignor us. He is a dictator and a tyrant, different ideas are needed.

    • Elle…we marched in the North back in August remember. I know in Kaitaia those NOT marching knew little or nothing about the TPPA.

      We handed out single sheet info to folks attending the market.

      Something similar perhaps?

      Simple but verifiable information about TPP, the process, the potential(probable) negative effects for NZ using examples that the average person in the street, or outside the supermarket can understand.

      Something we can download from a website and print out and disseminate. Activism can occur (and why not ) by setting up without the required permits in the Square, the pak n save foyer, and the like.

      The biggest enemy here is ignorance….and the information being too big to explain in concentrated form.

      A giving real life examples of how it could affect the average person now and into the future.

      Just a thought.

    • I wouldn’t have a clue I was quoting from Wake up New Zealand they are usually pretty good and anyway they can still make a case prosecuting Al Gore even if they don’t have phds

  8. The TPPA is not a trade deal between countries; it is a business deal between corporations, with the negotiators set to personally profit from it.

  9. HAVE ANY OF YOU HEARD OF …”GLOBALISATION” ??

    It was Marketing “Spin” .
    Warning of a BIG coup. Takeover. (not just NZ, but other nations)

    TOOOO Bad you didn’t notice back then.!!!

    Well, TPPA is just an offspring of what you couldn’t see coming, and still can’t see now..

    * * * * *

    DO WATCH THIS: (15 YEARS AGO WARNING!!!!)

    . A little heard of NZ Documentary from 15 YEARS ago ,PREDICTED EXACTLY what is happening now.

    OMG. SO ACCURATE.
    Here is just an exerpt,& SO SPOT ON!
    (This is before “TPPA “, but bear in mind that the MAIN AGENDA was already in place long before , starting with WTO

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqClKOKo9u4

    PLEASE NOTICE the term

    “Forced Trade”

    ie FORCED.

    (Ask yourselves, By WHOM??)

    • Yes Cassie he knew what he was talking about,it was WTO now its TPP,
      Tpp is far more insidious and dangerous, we are in for a rough ride.

    • Fascinating link, CASSIE; thank you for posting it.

      Apparently, there really is nothing new under the sun. And to think it was explained to us all a whole 15 years ago!!

      Just makes me wonder what we will think of the 2015 Trans-Pacific rip-off in another 15 years from now. You know, when global climate change has kicked in, when global over-population has kicked in, when unimaginable levels of Western debt have crashed the global economy.

      Will we be laughing at the profound idiocy of the TPPA? Or crying?

      Government of the naive by the naive, for the naive?

  10. It was obvious that the National government would sign whatever was put in front of them. Oh sure, they made some noises about not signing anything unless it really meant something, but in the end it didn’t really do anything much for NZ but they signed it anyway. They were always going to sign it regardless, they were too afraid of an American backlash if they didn’t.
    The next stage of the plan was to spin it out through their buddies on Fairfax, APN and of course the goblins on television.
    I suppose you really have to hand it to the NZ MSM. If you can convince a whole lot of New Zealanders that an agreement which entails waiting around 25 years for any benefits is the best thing since sliced bread good, then they are either very good or New Zealanders are exceedingly stupid. Crosby Textor – you’ve done it again!

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