Agenda item

Councillor D. Roney

Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP)

“This Council resolved to follow other Councils and other European Countries in rejecting the E. U. Commission’s Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership scheme, and calls upon the Prime Minister to use his veto to reject the proposed Treaty in order to protect the residents and businesses of Flintshire from this threat to any future change of ethical and fair trade.

This Council instructs its Chief Executive to write to Flintshire MPs and AMs to ask for their active support in opposing this scheme”.

That the Notice of Motion be supported.

The following Notice of Motion had been submitted by Councillor David Roney:-

                        “This Council resolves to follow other Councils and other European Countries in rejecting the European Union (EU) Commission’s Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) scheme, and calls upon the Prime Minister to use his veto to reject the proposed Treaty in order to protect the residents and businesses of Flintshire from this threat to any future chance of ethical and fair trade.

This Council instructs its Chief Executive to write to Flintshire MPs and AMs to ask for their active support in opposing this scheme”.

                        The Notice of Motion was formally proposed by Councillor Roney and seconded by Councillor Peter Curtis. 

                        Councillor Roney detailed the background to the Notice of Motion and explained that the TTIP was a Treaty being negotiated in secret between the EU and the United States (US), and it had been specifically engineered to give multinational companies what they wanted: the dismantling of all social, consumer and environmental protection and compensation for the companies for any infringement of their assumed rights.

                        In his view one of the greatest dangers of TTIP was that it would open up Europe’s Public Health, Education and Water Services to US companies and it could mean the privatisation of the NHS.  He also referred to how TTIP would open the door for widespread GM foods.

                        He believed the biggest threat that TTIP brought was Investor-State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) which allowed unelected companies to sue governments if those governments’ policies caused the company to lose profit.  Phillip Morris were suing the Australian government for making plain packaging mandatory – there were suing Uruguay for increasing the size of the graphic health warnings on cigarette packets.

                        The litigation was pursued in tribunals knows as ISDS’s.  Such an ISDS agreement was also core to the EU’s planned TTIP agreement and would see US multinationals sue European governments in such areas as regulating tobacco, health and safety and quality controls. 

                        He concluded by asking that Members support the Notice of Motion to protect the people who they represented, and fight to keep TTIP out of the UK.

                        Councillor Carolyn Thomas thanked Councillor Roney for the Notice of Motion and also Councillor Arnold Woolley who had previously circulated information to all Members.

                        Councillor Curtis supported the Notice of Motion unconditionally, concurring that TTIP was a huge threat to the NHS.

                        The Leader of the Council, Councillor Aaron Shotton, also supported the Notice of Motion which was a national issue and one which would affect the residents of Flintshire.  He added that he felt certain companies should be publically owned, such as the energy companies and said if the Prime Minister signed the proposed Treaty then public ownership of such bodies would become essentially impossible. 

                        Councillor Derek Butler also spoke in support of the Notice of Motion citing that the Treaty would greatly affect the rights of workers and the potential damage to the NHS.

                        Councillor Bernie Attridge requested a recorded vote and was supported by the requisite nine other Members.  On being put to the vote, the Notice of Motion was carried.

            For the proposal:

            Councillors: Alex Aldridge, Bernie Attridge, Glyn Banks, Haydn Bateman, Marion Bateman, Chris Bithell, Amanda Bragg, Helen Brown, Derek Butler, David Cox, Paul Cunningham, Peter Curtis, Ron Davies, Glenys Diskin, Rosetta Dolphin, Ian Dunbar, Andy Dunbobbin, Carol Ellis, David Evans, Veronica Gay, Robin Guest, Ron Hampson, George Hardcastle, Ray Hughes, Dennis Hutchinson, Joe Johnson, Rita Johnson, Christine Jones, Kevin Jones, Colin Legg, Phil Lightfoot, Brian Lloyd, Richard Lloyd, Mike Lowe, Dave Mackie, Nancy Matthews, Hilary McGuill, Tim Newhouse, Mike Peers, Vicky Perfect, Neville Phillips, Mike Reece, Gareth Roberts, David Roney, Tony Sharps, Aaron Shotton, Paul Shotton, Carolyn Thomas, Owen Thomas and David Wisinger

            Against the proposal:

            Councillors: Nigel Steele-Mortimer and Matt Wright

            Abstentions:

            Councillors: Clive Carver, Jim Falshaw and Alison Halford

            RESOLVED:

            That the Notice of Motion be supported.