Waleed Aly Just Picked Apart The Scariest Trade Deal You’ve Never Heard Of On ‘The Project’
The TPP's as evil as it is boring, but now you can get your head around it.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is simultaneously one of the most terrifying and most boring geopolitical issues of our time — it’s a gargantuan trade deal, being negotiated in secret and spearheaded by the United States, that could see Australian laws legally made subordinate to the interests of major corporations and governments sued by companies if they enact policies that impinge on profits.
The TPP negotiations are nearing the stage where countries will sign on the dotted line, and growing concern over the deal has been hampered by the fact that, besides the secrecy of this one, trade deals are excruciatingly boring and knotty.
Enter The Project, who are getting very good at breaking this kind of stuff down into easily-consumable chunks. In tonight’s instalment of ‘Something We Should Talk About’, Waleed Aly breaks down exactly what the TPP is, how it’s going to affect our democracy, and gives people an outlet to try and change the situation.
Incidentally, if you’d like to let Trade Minister Andrew Robb know that you think letting cigarette companies sue governments for hampering their efforts to get people hooked on smoking is a bad idea, shoot him a cheeky email at [email protected], or give his office a tingle on 03 9557 4644. No doubt he’ll be just delighted to hear from you.