can i have some sources on the "benefiting big corporations" and "breaking down social security" parts tia
- the 'strict budgetary discipline' rule has forced us to cut back on funding, as well as privatize healthcare, welfare, culture and education in a way that's more dramatic than what Thatcher did to England, all because a handful of not democratically elected suits in Brussels decided that we must (Even though 64% of us said NO! in the referendum)
- Some of our national prides, like a mail service that always delivered within a day, a railway service that was both punctual as well as affordable, have been obligatory moved from national control to the free European market, resulting in what is now an untrustworthy mail service (mail regularily gets lost alltogether), a rail system that is plagued by many delays, scandalized by lawsuits against european contractors that cannot deliver what they promised, and has become unaffordable for the poor (for example, I know a lot of people nowadays who want to use their democratic right to protest, but can't, because they cannot even afford the train ticket to the Hague / Amsterdam).
- we don't own any commercial aircraft anymore as a country, since KLM was sold to Air France
- the discrepancy between the poorest 10% of population and the richest 10% is skyrocketing, our country is starting to look like a banana republic. In fact in just 20 years, the numbers of homeless in the larger cities have literally increased more than hunderdfold. In my city (of 200000 inhabitants) there were 3 homeless people 20 years ago. At the moment, we have 550, not counting the Bulgarian and Romanian street beggars who appeared at all our supermarket entrances ever since EU opened the borders. Before the EU, we did not have, or need 'Food Banks'. As of now, it is estimated 10% of our population depends on Food Banks to provide them with enough food to sustain themselves.
- youth unemployment has risen. Not in the least because of open borders, combined with no legislation to force employers to give the same benefits to eastern European workers as they have to give to locals. National Labour Union agreements do not apply to EU migrant labourers, so even though their base wage is the same, they are much cheaper for employers.
-I could go on.
For a recent example, on the benefitiing of large corporations, there's the ISDS, which EU politicians want to ratify into the TTIP (Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). In short, the Investor to State Dispute Settlement states that if a company feels that any national policy damages their profits, a tribunal will be formed (from their own ranks) that assesses these damages, and if ISDS is included in the treaty, force the state to pay these damages. This whole procedure will see no democratic component, or transparency, it's all behind closed doors. It quite literary sets corporations above the law. An ISDS tribunal can even determine whether a country does not violate the 'right to a stable investing climate' for a corporation. Public interest is not considered a factor.
The ISDS is already included in some other global trade agreements. It forced Ecuador pay 1.77 billion dollars to Occidental Petroleum, after the company decided to leave the country, instead of complying with new laws to prevent the Amazon river being further polluted by oil spills.
Imagine. "We want to continue spilling oil. Since you won't let us, we'll leave, and make you pay all costs for it"
It also might soon force Germany to pay 3.7 billion euros to the Swedish energy megacorporation Vattenfall too, because Germany abolished using nuclear energy.
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Topic: Sheb's European Megathread: Remove Feta! (Read 1756697 times)