FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP AND SOVEREIGNTY

AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION ON FACEBOOK - 

THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP AND SOVEREIGNTY

Brigid O'Carroll Walsh shared Bernie Sanders's photo.

4 hrs · 

Which one of our Australian politicians - all parties and independents included - has ever made a statement similar to this? I can't think of any.

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• Di Perkins, Michael Croft and Megan Anne like this.
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  Michael Croft http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../piketty-myth-of...

  

  Piketty: 'The Myth Of National Sovereignty Helps Big Corporations Screw Us Over'

  French economist Thomas Piketty has put inequality...

  HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

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  Brigid O'Carroll Walsh Michael Croft Is "National Sovereignty" the same as or equal to Tribalism? Are there good points to such tribalism or sovereignty? I ask this because I sometimes wonder about social cohesion - which is easier to see in less populous nations. Is there a middle ground between claustrophobic tribalism and the rampant anonymity of an internationalism that is footloose, feckless and fancy free and with only slight ties and loyalty to any community.

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  Michael Croft No, they are not the same thing, although some will equate nationalism to tribalism as they share some similar characteristics. The "ism" is the issue in both cases. Sovereignty is the ability of people (or state) to determine their own systems, codes, laws etc. and not have that overridden by others systems, laws, codes etc. Obviously personal sovereignty and state sovereignty clash often, but what is new is corporations being granted rights that challenge those of nation states when they are domiciled elsewhere. The ISDS provisions in the TPP is granting this power. The ISDS provisions are the same as permitting an Australian citizen going into the USA and s/he being permited to suing the USA for the losses incurred because they were not granted a Green Card, whilst simultaneous not paying income tax in the USA because you are not a citizen of the USA. That's how insidious the new trans national corporate vision is for the world. This is already being done to Australia with our plain packaging laws for cigarettes, Australia is being sued by a foreign corporation - hence the myth of national sovereignty, we are no longer in charge of our own law making even if it is to benefit our own citizens.

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  Brigid O'Carroll Walsh Thank you for this extensive yet simple reply Michael Croft - I have saved this post in my Evernote!

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  Footnote:  Readers will find a definition of ISDS here. And more information is here.