Once upon a time there was a "trade" agreement that would disempower the citizens, unions and public services of the involved countries and in fact even the ruling government, and give tremendous more power to the biggest corporations and investors.
Now, I'm all for the people's vote and distancing yourself from the likes of Juncker or that Tusk thing, but you have to be realistic about the consequences and be able to tackle the lying **** who try to comfort you for the kill, whilst also being able to tackle those who overplay disaster scenario's to scare you into voting their way.
Let's examine; a few weeks ago, Trump told Farage in a radio show; "ohhh no, we are not interested in your NHS....I don't know where that idea came from, I think it was Corbyn".
Oh gosh, how subtle. Now could this lie have anything to do with the fact that his admin. was quoted on multiple occasions saying they would "hinder" Corbyn from becoming PM? Meddle much?
https://medium.com/black-isle-journalism/mike-pompeo-threatens-to-intervene-in-british-democracy-to-stop-corbyn-becoming-prime-minister-609611b6e1ae
First off, the very first time I've heard of European health care being at risk of becoming as inhumane as they have in the United States, was when Washington tried to push through that rejected TTIP agreement. That's about 1 year before the Brexit vote even took place and thus looooong before Corbyn supposedly started it. So who said it back then? A direct quote from the leading Queen's Council.
"The controversial transatlantic trade deal set to be agreed this year would mean that privatisation of elements of the NHS could be made irreversible for future governments wanting to restore services to public hands"
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/22/ttip-deal-real-serious-risk-nhs-leading-qc
"they have issued assurances that there is nothing in TTIP that prevents governments of the EU member states managing their own health services (or public services in general) as they see fit.
But these assurances are misleading. TTIP, for example, can’t force a government to privatise a health service that is entirely publicly-provided. Nevertheless, once health services have been opened up to the market – as the NHS has been as a result of the Health and Social Care Act (2012) – TTIP will make it almost impossible for a future government to reverse this: services that have already been privatised become permanently open to US-based investors."
http://www.patients4nhs.org.uk/the-need-to-exempt-the-nhs/
Now, there were claims contradicting the Queen's Counsil's findings, but none of them could point to a particular phrase from the actual TTIP agreement as to why. Why couldn't they? Because these were the conditions as to how those who actually were allowed to read it, had to do so:
https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/02/05/ttip-reading-room-eu-trade-aggreement-is-locked-away-in-brussels-basement/
"In the basement of the US capitol, there is a room, a locked soundproof room, and the only people allowed in this room are US senators, and they can't bring their assistants, they can't bring their phones, they can't even take notes in there.
Inside this room is not the codes for our nuclear weapons, it's not CIA files, it's not the documents that tell us an alien landed in Roswell. No, in this room is the text of a trade deal."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ttip-controversy-secret-trade-deal-can-only-be-read-secure-in-reading-room-in-brussels-10456206.html
This did bring about 2 interesting issues.
1: Even though the TTIP was eventually rejected by Europe, the process in fact proved the EU had de facto become a dictatorship, as Klaus Ernst said it best "This operation is simply unacceptable. The EU Commission has completely become independent, while it is also negotiating on behalf of the Member States".
And 2. There were many English citizens, politicians and lobby groups that wanted out of the EU, and at the time pointed at the TTIP as being a good reason to do so. Others pointed at the failure of the EU to sign it, as a viable reason to leave. Now that the TTIP is no longer a possibility for the EU, but a miniature version is luring to get into England, I wonder where they stand now?
"If the EU can’t pull it off, we in Britain should offer to go first and do it ourselves." Johnson 2014
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11173369/This-trade-deal-with-America-would-have-Churchill-beaming.html
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/06/brexit-is-necessary-to-protect-nhs-from-ttip-says-david-owen
(image from tincture)