One of the most pernicious parts to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, is the way it will let private corporations sue our government if we pass laws they don’t like.
We’ve already seen how dangerous this can be for a nation’s sovereignty thanks to numerous attempts at this offshore. So-called “investor-state disputes” have hit several Latin American states with literally BILLIONS of dollars worth of court-ordered payments to corporates; and proven that even things New Zealanders would regard as sacrosanct – such as our right to turn down mining companies from exploiting our heritage – can be turned into lucrative lawsuits that net payouts in the hundreds of millions of dollars to opportunistic foreign corporates.
Lest you think this is a problem confined to the Bolivarian Revolutionaries and Banana Republics* of South America … even economic colossi like Canada have found themselves subject to lawsuits from offshore corporates. Closer to home, we’ve recently witnessed intricately dodgy maneuverings from cigarette companies like Philip Morris that allowed them to sue the Australian government over plain packaging laws for cigs.
If Anglosphere nations with incredible international clout such as Canada and Australia aren’t immune to being bullied like this – what chance does little New Zealand have when taking on foreign conglomerates whose own GDPs are frequently massively larger than our own.
Hell, given the “roll out the red carpet” approach our National-led government’s traditionally taken whenever an offshore company puts the screws on (you may remember that time NZ comprehensively re-wrote its labour laws after John Key personally got the hard word from Warner Brothers) – would we even BOTHER to fight?
Given the history, we here in New Zealand First believe that the protection of our economic national interest is TOO IMPORTANT to be left to the (ironically named) National Party.
That’s why NZ First MP Fletcher Tabuteau has put forward a Private Member’s Bill that will PROTECT our sovereignty by preventing foreign corporates from suing our government for “loss of profits” when we pass legislation that serves New Zealanders.
It’s called the Fighting Foreign Corporate Control bill, and it’s just been drawn from the ballot.
New Zealand’s economy has been the plaything and cash-cow of foreign interests for too long. We are committed to restoring the balance and making sure that our laws work for our own enrichment. Not simply to line the pockets of offshore executives and shareholders.
We look forward to your support as we protect and save YOUR New Zealand. Help us to make sure the government gets the message and gives our bill a fair hearing.
*It’s also worth having a think about the origin of the term “Banana Republic” to see just how bad these sorts of things can get. The best example for this is Guatemala. Way back in the mid-20th century, its economy was excessively reliant upon the production of bananas. This was the preserve of the American-based United Fruit Company, who was also the nation’s largest single land-owner (holding a massive 42% of Guatemala’s arable land). The way that UFC was able to effectively control the domestic politics of countries such as Guatemala in order to ensure its own economic interest was protected, gave rise to the term “Banana Republic”. In 1952, newly elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz enacted a program of social and economic reform intended to considerably improved the lot of Guatemala’s poor. One part of this program was the #Nationalization of unused land (with fair compensation) with a view to providing the “peon” class with independently held property and livelihood.
Arbenz proposed paying the UFC compensation equal to the value it had declared the land to be worth for tax purposes. The UFC got a bit incensed about this, because it had wildly undervalued the land so as to minimize how much tax it paid to Guatemala.
The end result was the 1954 corporate-backed overthrow of President Arbenz.
See what can happen when you let corporations erode your sovereignty?
” One of the most pernicious parts to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, is the way it will let private corporations sue our government if we pass laws they don’t like. ”
I say let them try that fucking on . I’d say ” Go Fuck Your Selves ! ”
Fuck you and your suing ! Sue this ! ( See raised middle finger ! )
Am I old fashioned or can those corporates get a big dildo right up their rectums ?
I’m from Gore ? Perhaps I am old fashioned ???
Well…perhaps if John XKeyscore somehow DOES sign that miserable peice of paper…perhaps at the very least there can be a sub clause that if a foriegn corporation tries to sue this govt ,…
The first $55,000,000 .00 can come from his bank and the balance paid by the sale of his house in Hawaii.
Until then ….
Day-o , Day -o
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Work all night on a drink of rum,
Daylight come and I wan’ go home,
Key does treason , needs kick up bum
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Come Mr corp’rate man , talley my banana
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Sued all our best land, from all de farmer’s
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Day,me say day-o
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
A beautiful bunch , a ripe banana
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
And all our pennies go , to friends of Obama
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Day, me say day me say day…
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Lift six foot , seven foot , eight foot bunch
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Six foot , seven foot , eight foot bunch
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Come Mr corp ‘ rate man , talley me banana
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
We beast of burden now, like de mule’s and de Lama’s
Daylight come and I wan’ go home
Day ! , me say day , me say day , me say day,
Me say day , me say day …..
Daylight come and I wan’ go home.
And by the way….I’m with Countryboy…..Fuck the bastards.
Let em try and invade.
They better not have any assets over here on OUR land worth NATIONALISING , had they….
The fact that the TPA agreement that our Govt is planning for us is to be agreed in secret and will be passed by the National Party Cabinet without recourse to or discussion by Parliament or even the people is absolutly the most pernicious and undemocratic action the Govt in NZ has ever done.
It is clear that if we are to maintain a democracy in Aotearoa we must change the Government to depose the people who are selling us overseas. Not only our land, but also our laws.
It is just so important for the New Zealand First Leader to win the bye-election in Northland so that he can help facilitate the alteration of the current balance of power with the supporting Maori Party , and United Future to highlight issues that are just so wrong for our little country.
Key is a corporate puppet he dosnt want to tell us anything about the Tpp ,it would affect his future prospects with big money boys.
Key was planted in NZ to hand us over and that’s what he intends to do.
A vote for Winston Peters and the loss of the Northland National Mps vote will make Keys plans more difficult to carry out.
Shame TDB couldn’t afford letterbox drops of the information about Key, the local newspaper is owned by The Herald, and not everyone is aware of Nationals intentions.
Fantastic article.
The TPP is probably the worst and most excessive attempt to actually sell off our country and remove democracy.
It is buried in secrecy, red tape, and complexity.
I wonder, how in a democratic country our politicians are not up in arms about this.
Of course John Key will probably be on the board of the multinational company suing NZ to mine, promote tobacco, pollute, or any other evil deed they currently feel they can’t do successfully enough.
What is worse is that Labour seems to support it.
Greens are fairly silent on it.
And NZ First are the only ones who seem to be actively trying to stop this.
Greens wake up!
Labour – grow a brain!
What the FUCK is going on in the opposition?
Do you really want to lose another election?
Personally I don’t care about the election, I’m concerned about my kids and their future in this country as serfs of some foreign power.
At the very least medicine will go up. Every sane person in the country should be up in arms!
In particualr Maori – forget the treaty, you will be toast under TPP!
Great stuff again Curwin,
Save NZ.
Great response there,
I chuckled though it’s a very serious issue right enough.
You’ve got the wrong flag. Consider who “owns” NZ’s corporate wealth! It’s across the ditch – Australia. Start with ANZ Bank and AIG Insurance and work your way down…… Ask Cantabrians what it is like to deal with these transnationals.
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