The TPPA is the largest single threat to our democracy. It is NOT a free trade deal, it is a forced trade deal. It is a geopolitical leash used by America to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific. It creates a de facto upper house to our Parliament that is run by American Corporations.
It will increase medicine costs.
It will be detrimental to Maori.
It weakens our environmental law and makes it incredibly difficult to pass legislation to counter climate change.
It won’t make any of the economic gains promised.
It threatens our very sovereignty.
So you must, must, must protest in Auckland on the 4th of February as they attempt to sign this atrocity.
There has been much debate about about how that protest should occur.
On this front I find myself agreeing with direct action protestors Real Choice and Chris Trotter.
I agree with Real Choice when they argue that something this huge requires people who are prepared to commit civil disobedience to fight this abomination. A sit in and arrest is not violence!
But I also agree with Trotter when he argues that Key will use protest to warp the issue into a law and order issue.
The cops training for riots, turning up armed at Key’s state of the nation and their knocking on activists doors shows that they are keen to manufacture violence and there are certainly lots of new faces in the protest movement who are suddenly advocating for a rumble.
We can not allow ourselves to get played, but we must also refuse to be intimidated by these thug tactics!
However you wish to protest on the 4th, directly from 9am or officially from midday, you simply must, but we also need to be cognitive of how this protest will be spun by the mainstream media and the Government.
We must watch the Police action and record it immediately.
We come to prevent this madness and civil disobedience must be part of that response. Violence can not be part of that response and allowing the Police and Government to turn this into a law and order issue would be playing int their hands.
TDB will be reporting on all protests. Hashtags to highlight police abuse on the day will be #TPPabuse.
Well said.
The liars and criminals that comprise the government will have their way, and in doing so will bring further ruination to NZ.
That said, the liars and criminal that comprise the government need to hear very clearly that we recognise them as liars and criminals bringing about further ruination of NZ.
What utter tripe. Preach to the converted minority all you like, Martyn, but don’t lie. The Americans were dragged kicking and screaming into the TPPA – it’s not some ‘geopolitical leash’ that they dreamed up, you con artist.
And who dragged them? Whose idea was it? Helen Clark and Phil Goff’s. That’s right – the New Zealand Left’s political party is solely responsible for the TPPA. Not that you guys will ever admit it.
I think you don’t understand James.
The initial free trade deal begun by Labour were similar to previous free trade deals. It changed dramatically when America realised the power they could wield and counter Chinese influence in the Pacific. Domestic politicians in America are against the TPPA, but corporate influence is winning. They have managed to make their profit margins part of the national security agenda. You seem angry and uninformed James
Where does that guy get his info?
Is it from primary school texts?
Or the play ground.?
Sam, James got it from the lying National party handbook.
Ok. So not through conventional wisdom then.
“That’s how we forged a Trans-Pacific Partnership to open markets, and protect workers and the environment, and advance American leadership in Asia. It cuts 18,000 taxes on products made in America, which will then support more good jobs here in America. With TPP, China does not set the rules in that region; we do. You want to show our strength in this new century? Approve this agreement. Give us the tools to enforce it. It’s the right thing to do. (Applause.)”
President Barack Obama: State of the union address
January 13 2016.
Martin is correct, and you are completely wrong James.
The left seems to have some sort of pathological loathing of the US but what would you rather have rules set by the Communist party of China!?
@ awanderer –
Um .. aren’t we already? Or just about.
How is quoting the very words of President Obama showing pathological loathing of the US?
Communist China is already one of John key’s bed mates.
“Dragged kicking and screaming”? Don’t be daft. They just refused to play ball until the rulebook was changed to suit them. If they didn’t want to be a part of it, they wouldn’t be. To imply that they were a reluctant victim of Labour’s agenda is farcical.
The only non-violent way to bring down the Swine is to strike. 62 people having 50% of the global wealth should be a clue as to the effectiveness of that particular strategy( No disrespect to actual swine by the way. )
If we don’t act violently, they will win. If we do act violently, they will win. If a well planned, national stop work day/week/month/year is implemented and it’s successful? They’re fucked.
The only way to defeat our abusers is to take away their power i.e. money.
What would yankee doodle psycho jonky-stien be without our $55 million? Fuck all, is perhaps the answer.
FYI. Knee pads, cycle helmuts ( For thrown objects ) and leather gloves. Just say’n
Oops gave your post a thumbs down instead of up. Totally agree with you re striking. Have been saying this for aaaages. I think alot of people are afraid to strike though. I would absolutely love to see ongoing strikes. Even though it would be tough, I would risk losing my job over this.
“Dr. King’s policy was that nonviolence would achieve the gains for black people in the United States. His major assumption was that if you are nonviolent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That’s very good. He only made one fallacious assumption: In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience.”
― Stokely Carmichael
the leadership of IOF is trying to have a buck each way: to get a big turnout on Thurs and appease the more activist protest group
that approach inadvertently perhaps, looks like hanging out some of the younger and more militant TPPA opponents to dry
the tactics on Thursday should be decided on the spot by the numbers, anything over 5000 and it should be straight to Sky City for a rev up before marching down Queen St and a blockade will take care of itself
anything over 10,000 and the streets are ours for the afternoon and most anything goes, please organisers revisit the crazy split demo scenario or else the cops are just going to pummel a smaller group while a larger group blithely pass on down Queen St
So let me get this right….you are all advocating for peacful non violent protest (well done as it’s our democratic right), but IF there is any trouble it was started by ‘plants’, National/Key have paid or organised trouble makers to march and any trouble will be their fault for starting it or if the people turn up in court for violence and are known left activists they were provoked into it through sheer anger at their future being signed away (and of course ‘the police were heavy handed’ will be trotted out). Have I got that right? Just making sure you guys have all the excuses ready, tired and predictable ones, but excuses none the less. TPPA will be signed on Thursday and then ratified over next year or two, National have the numbers.
dream on, if you have or had a partner they may have briefly imagined they had met “Mr Right” but oh the shock when they found out your first name is “Always”
the fact is TPPA is no done deal, Canada is relooking at it, Japan’s head negotiator resigned due to being sprung as bent, and the US Congress for varying reasons may can it, there is resistance all around the Pacific rim too, and now that analysts know for sure what the final text is efforts have started to deconstruct this “Corporates Pirates Charter” and show people what it will mean to their lives
Thursday is just ceremonial puffery for the Nats benefit
Nats don’t need numbers in parliament because the executive will rubber stamp TPPA, but the way the Nats are winding up the Māori party recently they may not have a majority on other matters
Actually I think captain extremo makes a pretty compelling case. Signing away people’s future. Watching towns shrink. Then watching Auckland become unaffordable.
You would have to drink some really strong kool aid to believe the TPP is the penicillin to NZs economic woes
Batshit crazy tinfoilhat stuff Martyn.
No need to get all angry
I believe the words “tinfoil hat” are one of the standard posts for the “dirty politics” brigade to try and discredit sensible comments.
https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/
People, you be the news broadcasters !! Anyone that can, please bring a camera, recording devices etc and record the TPPA protests to be uploaded online later, with your own commentary if you wish, because mainstream media are not going to show much of anything, except highly edited bits, accompanied with a lying and misleading narrative, especially if there are any skirmishes. Keeping it clean and legal takes away their powers, and puts it in our hands.
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