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[Fsuk-manchester] CETA: Joint letter to Manchester Evening News, URGENT


From: John Rooke
Subject: [Fsuk-manchester] CETA: Joint letter to Manchester Evening News, URGENT
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2016 20:15:46 +0000
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It has been proposed that we sign this letter to MEN regarding CETA.  Please read and comment.  IT IS INTENDED TO SEND THE LETTER TONIGHT.

We write as Mancunians concerned with economic justice and fairness, defending human and employment rights, promote peace, preserving our planet and deepening democracy in our city, region, and the UK.  Our organisations are not party-political and we welcome all those who espouse our goals.

We are pro-trade and want a just entrepreneurial economy- businesses that are just and sustainable, bringing jobs, security and enhancing our environment. 

We are concerned about the denial of public and political engagement in formulating the trade rules that will shape our lives and that of our children for the next generation and beyond.  The contentious EU/Canadian Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) which dominated international economic news last week when the Belgium regional government of Wallonia refused to sell out their farmers, and food and environment standards has been pushed forward  by the theatrical signing of massive documents by the Canadian PM and EU leaders on Sunday.  

This high theatre was propaganda and “inertia selling”.  We still have to ratify it. 

This is not simply a “Brexit issue”- we appreciate there are no simple answers and demonisation of others is unhelpful and wrong.  We are grateful that belatedly International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has conceded Parliament should consider it in depth.

We are very concerned that the public media give little attention to questioning voices, despite the fact that across the political spectrum and across the Atlantic people are protesting.Over half a million in the UK are among 3,500,000 Europeans who have rejected CETA and it’s EU/US equivalent TTIP.  

Well over a thousand people in Manchester have petitioned the Council to join more than 2000 “TTIP and CETA Free Zones” across Europe.  

Trade is Manchester’s life-blood and CETA is no less an issue than Brexit for our future.  Businesses, workers, environmentalists, politicians and us all need to be heard and to listen to each other.  The secret lobbying, suspicion of privilage, unsubstantiated assertion and rumours need to be exposed.  

What's more is that signing up to CETA risks undermining Greater Manchester’s ability to make decisions about our future. CETA covers important decisions about setting rules around local government procurement and would make it more difficult to undo previous privatisations, such as parts of the NHS. Given the negative impacts that this change in legislation will have in a time when the Greater Manchester is pushing for greater powers through the devolution deal, particularly around the NHS and the potential of joint commissioning of projects, it is shocking that this issue has not been given adequate attention.

We appeal to the MEN to report widely and facilitate extensive examination and responsible public dialogue in this area.  As Mancunians in the Victorian era appreciated: we owe it to our children as well as ourselves.


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