Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth joined the gathering at New Road in Brighton on the 12th of July, to demonstrate, with the World Development Movement, and many of their partners, our concerns regarding the threat posed by the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the E.U. and the U.S.
Imagine international firms, consortiums, huge financial groups wanting to grab some land and do serious business there, come what may, never mind what local people think! Using their money and resources they can pressurise any democratic power into doing what they want. In the name of good trade and promised benefits, they can determine what they want, because the partnerships would be potentially more powerful than individual countries.
As a result we could lose many of our natural resources, and democratic accountability would be replaced with preserving profit and maximising benefits for shareholders. Many indigenous people around the globe are already losing the rights to their lands because of corporate land grabs, and Governments could find themselves sued for trying to protect their own people and resources because their actions may conflict with corporate interests. That’s why Friends of the Earth is concerned.
In Brighton, a broad coalition of concerned groups and individuals watched the pretend boxing match between big business and democracy – and elsewhere across the UK Friends of the Earth local groups joined with other partners to highlight this issue.
For a great guide about TTIP and why it should worry us please do have a look at this WDM video – vimeo.com/97013293
Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth 
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