Thousands marched in 17 New Zealand cities yesterday, with nearly 200 taking over the streets in New Plymouth (pop 55,000). The Transpacific Partnership Agreement is another “free” trade agreement like NAFTA and GATT (the treaty that formed the World Trade Organization).
Only this trade deal is being negotiated in total secret. Obama has forced the leaders of 11 other countries to keep the TPPA negotiations secret until it’s signed. Neither Congress nor any members of parliament have seen the text.
What we do know about the TPPA is that it gives immense power to global corporations. If the text is released before the treaty is signed, it will face the same massive public opposition that scuppered the Free Trade of the America Agreement (FTAA). It’s only because Wikileaks has leaked portions of the TPPA that we know anything about it.
Here in New Zealand, we are mainly concerned about provisions in the TPPA allowing private corporations to sue governments if their environmental, labor or health and safety laws interfere with their ability to make a profit. Kiwi activists have worked hard to win regulations guaranteeing minimal environmental, labor and health safety standards. If our prime minister signs the TPPA, some secret corporate tribunal in Geneva could dismantle all these laws.
The 12 countries negotiating the TPPA are the US, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Chile, Peru, Canada, Mexico, Vietnam, Singapore and Brunei.
You can read about our New Plymouth protest (and watch a video clip) at the Taranaki Daily News site.
Activists in North America will be demonstrating against the TPPA (or TPP as they call it) the entire week.
Protests will be happening in California, Florida, Oregon, Washington DC, Colorado, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. To join in – and learn what else you can do (especially if you live in other states) – go to Stop Fast Track Week of Action
The Most Revolutionary Act 
It’s good to see that people are organizing in New Zealand. I hope the movement continues to find momentum.
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I think it will – at least here in New Plymouth. We had 20 people show up to a film showing about the TPPA last night and half of them signed up to keep the momentum going.
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Talking about New Zealand, as one of the “5 eyes”:
New Zealand, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and United States contractual obligations as a security and mass surveillance unit.
As Part of the 5 eyes government, money laundering, war mongering psychopaths…
Prime Minister in New Zealand
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How can this be anything but undemocratic? Negotiations is secret, deals being made in our name and to our detriment. The most offensive is the Chapter 11 situation. Any government that agrees to Chapter 11 should be thrown into jail!
Leslie
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I assume you’re talking about Chapter 11 in NAFTA right? My understanding the TPPA has a similar investment chapter that’s actually much worse.
I’m particularly concerned about the paragraph Big Pharma inserted related to “transparency” around pricing of prescription medication. Anti-TPPA activists here and in the US see this as imposing significant restrictions on the availability of low cost generics: https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/read-the-journal/all-issues/2010-2019/2014/vol-127-no.-1389/5986
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Yes, the Chapter 11 allowing corporations to over ride local democracies. The Big Pharma deal I wasn’t aware of.
Leslie
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Reblogged this on Awakestate.
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Thanks for the lovely video on John Keys’ bankster history. I just posted it to the Facebook page dedicated to our prime minister’s errant ways: https://www.facebook.com/groups/john.key.has.let.down.nz/
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