Carlyn Harvey writes:
But the approval was conditional: Cameron’s government had to
accept an amendment to its plans that explicitly protects the
NHS from the toxic Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
currently being negotiated with the US.
This marks the first time in
centuries that a UK government has accepted a concession of this nature to its
Queen’s Speech.
In fact, until fairly recently parliamentary wording on
amendments to the Queen’s Speech were as follows:
If the Queen’s Speech is amended,
the Prime Minister must resign.
But apparently that statement
has just been removed. A footnote on the parliament’s web page acknowledges:
This page was amended in May 2016
to remove the sentence ‘If the Queen’s Speech is amended, the Prime Minister
must resign.’ Although it could be seen as a test of a new government’s
strength, amendments to motion on the Loyal Address do not necessitate a
resignation.
Cameron’s government rewrote the
rules on parliamentary procedure in the 2011 Fixed-term Parliaments Act.
This
act essentially changed the terms of what is considered ‘no confidence‘ and weakened the actions that
could be taken as a result of amendments like this.
However, the removal of the article at the very moment this NHS
amendment is being tabled shows the Prime Minister is very aware of how
precarious his position is.
The amendment was backed by
Labour, the SNP, the Green party, and around 40 Tory MPs. The Conservative
government currently only has a parliamentary majority of 17.
If it had
resisted the proposal it would have been faced with a crushing defeat over its
plan for the next session of parliament.
The development is great news
for the NHS. Cameron has previously refused to consider any clause in TTIP that
exempts the health service from its conditions.
This would leave our national
treasure in serious danger of being completely swallowed up
by the private sector. Labour MP Paula Sherriff, a signatory to the amendment, explained:
It is clear that a majority in the
Commons, as well as in the country, do not accept the government’s position on
TTIP, and believe that the trade deal that is currently on the table is a clear
threat to the NHS and other public services.
Climate change protections, food standards regulations,
workers’ rights and our digital privacy are all at risk of being diminished
under TTIP.
And although this particular trade deal has received publicity, and opposition,
it is not the only one on the table.
A similar deal called the Comprehensive
Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is currently under negotiation with
Canada.
Recently documents have been leaked from these talks which show that
the UK is demanding the
“fastest possible implementation” of this particular trade agreement.
Both deals are being discussed
under the EU umbrella. But the UK is one of the countries most fiercely pushing
for the green light. As Global Justice Now director Nick Dearden has noted:
Toxic trade deals like CETA are
inherently undemocratic. But Cameron seems perfectly happy to go beyond what
the EU requires — he seems to be interested in handing over sovereignty for the
sake of it. Again, Britain plays the role of making the EU less, rather than
more, democratic.
Under pressure from a
potential Tory revolt, Cameron has capitulated to demands that will protect our
NHS from total corporate capture.
But be under no illusions. He is hell bent on
ensuring that the desires and rights of big business have precedence over ours.
So, whether in or out of the
EU this fight is far from over. But shielding our NHS from this rotten deal is
an extremely good start.
Let’s carry on the momentum and protect the rest of
our public services and democratic sovereignty from US giants.
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