TPPA (and some pretty pictures)

I do love the sunsets we get in Christchurch. And I do love the timelapse website I put together… happpy days.

Anyways, the TPPA, the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement… they call it a “Trade” agreement, but there’s certainly a huge amount of overreach in it. NZ has a right leaning government in power, and they would certainly like to sign it if they can (it seems). The main thing I do not like about it is the ISDS clauses which basically allow foreign corporations to sue *governments* in offshore tribunals for lost earnings. E.G Australia passed a law making cigarettes be sold in plain packaging, they are currently being sued for this. We can expect more of that if the TPPA is passed. But it’s the insidious nature of the thing I don’t like, what laws would a country not even try to put in place because of the fear of being sued. It’s a horrible provision and there are many other things which I think are a bad idea (longer copyright terms, software patents (which we don’t really have in NZ))… so no, shouldn’t sign. Went protesting:

In the rain. Our prime minister who I have very little time for, dismissed the tens of thousands who protested, as “misinformed”… well, of course we’re misinformed.. the text of the TPPA is secret so we don’t actually have any idea what is being negotiated. Also, the government has, in my opinion, been deliberately misleading as it does NOT openly say that the TPPA is signed by cabinet and not run past parliament. So yes, lots of reasons to protest.