KW: John Key is a smart man of that there is no question. However, he is also a strong advocate of the United States and its corporate culture having been a foreign exchange trader with Merrill Lynch even becoming appointed a member of the foreign exchange committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That is not a criticism, indeed it shows his ability, but it means he was immersed in that business culture. It also means he is highly likely to support anything that promotes corporate American business interests. It doesn’t matter which side of the argument you come from whether from the US angle itself (as many Congressmen are realising that this agreement will have a strongly negative effect on US employment as more US corporations manufacture offshore) or in the case of Europe and the similar TTIP agreement from the British angle whereupon a UK Cabinet Minister is striking out against the ISDS clauses warning as they will affect Britain.

Key is pushing this agreement hard as a free trade agreement, but that is the lie. It is an agreement that empowers global corporations controlled by the 1% as this site has warned several times by posting articles from other commentators saying this. He and his government dismiss folk opposing the agreement as ‘anti-trade’ or attempt belittlement calling them ‘rent-a-crowd’ and other names typical of attempted political disparagement.

I notice here in Hawke’s Bay a significant campaign to promote the area as being GM Free (and applaud the effort) but it is decisions like this that TPP may directly confront and erode…. in our country!

Herewith is the video of the presentation of the 72,000 signature petition to the parliamentary select committee. I can guarantee john Key won’t be listening.