[Hand]

I happened across a podcast today that delved into what is publicly available in regards to the TPP. [Common Sense 290 – The Illusion of Control. Can be found here]

Some of the main points

• 30,000 pages in current draft form
• Document is classified for 4 years AFTER it passes
• Fast track provision prevents Congress from debating it or even seeing it.
• Allows corporations to sue countries in a special tribunal for damages (As noted previously)
• Allows for patenting of plants and other naturally occurring matter.
• Most of what we know about it comes from ---> Wikileaks !?!

As to the secrecy (Old Story):

Wyden said that his office was locked out of information about a trade pact in the works known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The deal, which involves eight other Pacific nations, includes broad details on government contracting terms that would ban "Buy American" preferences for U.S. manufacturers, and intellectual property standards that would increase prescription drug prices abroad. Those positions have drawn criticism from American labor unions, domestic manufacturers and international public health advocates.

But while the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative shares draft negotiation documents on the Trans-Pacific deal with the governments of other nations and American corporate executives who serve on advisory boards, it withholds them from the American public and most nonprofit groups -- forcing many public health advocates, for instance, to learn about the deals through illegal leaks or informal channels.

"The majority of Congress is being kept in the dark as to the substance of the TPP negotiations, while representatives of U.S. corporations -- like Halliburton, Chevron, PhRMA, Comcast and the Motion Picture Association of America -- are being consulted and made privy to details of the agreement," said Wyden.

Source

"It is incomprehensible to me that the leaders of major corporate interests who stand to gain enormous financial benefits from this agreement are actively involved in the writing of the TPP while, at the same time, the elected officials of this country, representing the American people, have little or no knowledge as to what is in it," Sanders said in a letter (pdf) sent Monday to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. "Members of Congress must have the opportunity to read what is in the TPP and closely analyze the potential impact this free trade agreement would have on the American people long before the Senate votes to give the President fast track trade promotion authority."

Source

Secrecy complaint is "overblown":

EMMA ALBERICI: So why is there so much secrecy surrounding this deal, Alan Oxley?

ALAN OXLEY: The secrecy issue's been way overblown. All trade agreements are negotiated in this way. Governments can't negotiate agreements without the confidence that they can do trades with the other governments. Every trade agreement's negotiated this way. So, this has been way overblown. The secrecy angle started really only in the US with the negotiation of NAFTA and it's now carried as a sort of article of argument by anti-free trade groups around the world.

Source

I just love it when its OK to do something because somebody else already did it.


Corporations Suing States:

Companies can file a lawsuit if they believe to be losing profit or even have a lower expectation of profit due to changes in the “environmental, health or other regulatory objectives,” according to the leaked document.

Moreover, if a foreign firm feels that a new law passed by a state impacts its rights under the TPP agreement, it could challenge the country’s decision in the private arbitration system, the investor-state dispute settlement

Source

Benefits:

EMMA ALBERICI: Alan Oxley, who benefits from the deal?

ALAN OXLEY: The people whose markets are going to be opened. What's not been talked enough about this TPP with the leadup and all the various issues discussed is how very significant it is. This is a major agreement. First of all, it had US engagement. It brought the US back into activity in the Asian Pacific region. It has Japanese engagement. It's the first time Japan's been involved in a major agreement and this agreement embodies trade between and investment between Japan and the US. This agreement also is very significant because it's really the first modern agreement in which the main issues being negotiated are not trade in goods; they're going to be reduction to barriers of investment and services and these are the things in the future in the Asian Pacific region which are going to unlock growth. What we need to understand is that GDP in most developed countries like Australia, about 70 per cent's contributed by services. In developing countries, it's only 40 per cent and we're not going to get the growth in the Asian region unless those countries open up their markets. And lastly, this is a very significant agreement for Australia. China has shown great interest and already what we're seeing now is that China is toying with the idea, which is advanced in APEC, of building on TPP and creating a free trade agreement among all the APEC economies. That's the 24 economies. This will be the biggest agreement in the world. This is very big. This is the big picture which has been put aside and set aside by all these other various points and arguments. But the big picture is the key here.

Source

I revived this thread due to this monster being fairly close to being completed for signing.