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Dear members,

Yesterday a rare thing happened. Politicians stood up in parliament and said they were worried about TTIP. [1] Peter Lilley, an influential Conservative MP (who was Trade Minister under Margaret Thatcher) said:

“I am especially hostile to all those people who press the button on 38 Degrees campaigns that relate to anything against trade and business. I was rather surprised, therefore, to find myself sympathising with people who appeared in my surgery and announced, to a groan from me, that they were members of 38 Degrees and had concerns about TTIP. They actually raised some very important points that resonated with me from my experience of past negotiations.” [2]

Pressure from 38 Degrees members has sent alarm bells ringing in every political party. Together, we’ve made sure Westminster finally has MPs – even Conservative MPs – speaking out against TTIP. [3]

If we’re going to stop this dodgy for good, quotes like this can’t be rare next year. Together, we need to support each other in visiting our MPs to discuss TTIP. We need to convince politicians – from councillors through to MEPs – to do all they can to put their foot down. And that isn’t free.

38 Degrees members can only campaign against TTIP because thousands of us make a small donation every month. Donations go towards the technology to contact politicians online, the materials to meet them in person, and research into the leaked bits of the deal. It means that together, we can plan for the long game, but also be ready to react to last-minute events like this debate. [4]

This time last year, David Cameron wanted to have TTIP signed before the end of 2015. [5] You and thousands of other 38 Degrees members haven’t given him the chance to. Well done.

2014: 38 Degrees members exposed TTIP
2015: 38 Degrees members frightened politicians about TTIP
2016: The year we get TTIP scrapped for good?

Thanks for being involved,

Amy, Nat, Rachel, Emily, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team

NOTES:
[1] Ahead of the TTIP debate, 38,000 38 Degrees members emailed our MPs, calling on them to attend the debate and speak out against TTIP.
38 Degrees members call on MPs to speak out against TTIP in Parliament:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/mp-speakout-ttip
[2] Parliament.uk Hansard record: 10th December 2015:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmhansrd/cm151210/debtext/151210-0002.htm
[3] In addition to Conservative MP Peter Lilley raising concerns, MPs across the spectrum raised concerns about parts of TTIP and the important role of 38 Degrees members.
Peter Grant, an SNP MP, said:
“Ordinary citizens who are aggrieved about the actions of the Government in their own country can try to rectify that through the democratic process, and I commend 38 Degrees for making that a bit easier for those who cannot afford their own lobby consultants.”
Kelvin Hopkins, a Labour MP, said:
“TTIP must be opposed with all possible force as a dangerous attempt to negate meaningful democracy. It is designed simply to hand economic power to global corporations and to prevent democratically elected Governments from acting in the interests of their peoples. It has been negotiated largely in secret between private corporate representatives and bureaucrats, with no real democratic political involvement and certainly no representation from workers and their trade unions.”
[4] 38 Degrees donation policy:
https://home.38degrees.org.uk/about/donation-policy/
[5]The Independent: G7 summit: Controversial TTIP trade deal between Europe and the US to be agreed within ‘the next six months’:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/g7-summit-controversial-ttip-trade-deal-between-europe-and-america-to-be-agreed-within-the-next-six-10306342.html