Pro-HM Government Health Warming

Warning: the letters "TTIP" can seriously inhibit brain function in anti-Globalisation lefties and some "Leave" supporters:



A trade deal with the United States would be worth billions to Britain each and every year. That applies whether it is a deal between the EU and the USA if Britain votes "Remain" on 23rd June, or if Britain votes "Leave" and was able to negotiate an individual trade deal with the USA or obtain one through EEA membership.

The current position of the Obama administration's senior trade representative is that the USA is interested in regional deals and not bilateral ones with individual states, but under either the "Norway option" or FLEXCIT, a Britain which had left the EU but not the single market might be able to remain part of a trade deal with the US. Obviously that would have to include both the costs and the benefits - we could not pick and choose.

The most recent of several posts in which I have explained why it is complete and utter nonsense to suggest that TTIP might "destroy our NHS" can be read here. That is not just my opinion but that of hundreds of NHS professionals, including some who originally had concerns.

Details of what the EU is actually trying to negotiate including safeguards to protect public services can be found here.

Will the TTIP be perfect? Of course not. No deal ever is. There may even be legitimate concerns, such as those raised by Peter Lilley MP, which should be taken into account by negotiators of both sides and on which we should seek improvements.

But collecting every paranoid piece of hysteria you can think of and suggesting that a treaty the terms of which are still being negotiated will cause them all is hardly a constructive way to make progress.

Comments

Jim said…
Such deal is absolutely on the table, OK it will be via the EEA/EFTA route, but such a deal most certainly is on on the table.
Chris Whiteside said…
Fair comment and I have expanded the post to reflect that possibility.
Jim said…
Thanks Chris,

Really pleased, yet again, to see you respect your own rule of "However comments which represent a constructive contribution to debate will usually be permitted even if I disagree with them" and even expand it to include "blog posts may be edited to allow for them"

Do you fancy a job teaching vote leave all about how to not go "la, la, la I'm not listing" :-)
Chris Whiteside said…
Now that sounds like a challenge ...

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