Prime Minister David Cameron has been slammed by a Manchester University politics lecturer for backing the proposed EU-US trade partnership.
Gabriel Siles-Brügge slated Cameron after he told the press there had been an agreement between G20 leaders to accelerate drawn out negotiations on Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) at the Brisbane summit’s close yesterday.
He described the planned partnership as ‘good for Britain, good for jobs, good for growth, and good for the British economy’.
Estimates predict that by 2027 the TTIP deal would generate an extra €119billion annual GDP for the EU, or €545 for each family of four.
Mr Siles-Brügge deemed these figures ‘optimistic and misleading’.
The academic said: “It’s crucial that we challenge the economic figures produced by such advocates of the TTIP as David Cameron.
“These are based on economic models that make a number of unrealistic assumptions about the degree to which TTIP will reduce barriers to trade.
“As such, they both vastly exaggerate the positive benefits of the agreement and disguise the potential downsides of the TTIP that are far less easy to measure.
“This could include, for example, the potential to dilute standards in areas such as the regulation of chemicals or food safety.”
Mr Siles-Brügge also addressed public concern over the NHS and perceived risks of privatisation as a result of TTIP.
He added: “The assurances given by the UK government do not tell the full story.
“Making commitments in the area of health services as part of the TTIP may make it difficult for future governments to undo the marketisation of the NHS undertaken through the Health and Social Care Act, which would become enshrined in an international agreement.”
David Cameron dismissed threats to the NHS as ‘nonsense’.
The TTIP, if made law, would reduce the regulatory barriers in trade for big business, making it easier to buy and sell goods between America and the Europe.
A protest against the deal took place on October 11 in Manchester for the Europe-wide day of action against TTIP.
Maurice Barnes, one of the organisers, said: “TTIP is simply not good for Britain. It may only bring a few low paid jobs, but in order to do that he (David Cameron) is really going to threaten our democracy, cause more privatisation and irregulate many things, so we will have a less safe environment to live in.
“It is a terrible thing, but the politicians are looking for short-term benefit and they are not looking at the long-term consequences of what they are doing.”
Mr Barnes said there will be more action days to follow in Manchester.
He added: “We were hoping to meet the MEPs last week, but unfortunately Afzal Khan didn’t show up on Friday, so we are looking to meet him again.
“We need to put pressure on our MEPs, our European members of Parliament, because, in the end, it is them who make the final decision.”
Image courtesy of Ukraine Today via YouTube, with thanks.
