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.