International

The sixty-two richest people on earth own as much as do the poorer half of the world’s population, a total of 3.5 billion people. This is the scandal of our times. So much wealth among so few people and a growing group with virtually nothing at all. This disrupts society.

Whether we’re going to end up with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Pact – the TTIP – no-one can any longer say. Resistance is growing but the interests involved are major. The supporters no longer assume they’ve won. Under pressure from public opinion one thing and another is being changed, but the dangers still haven’t gone away.

Almost eighteen months ago, under the leadership of the United States, a military intervention against ISIS began in Iraq and Syria. Since then it has to be said that the aims of this action have not been achieved. 

Multinationals are avoiding paying $250 billion per year in taxes by making use of legalised profit-smuggling routes. The losses come at the expense of workers, small businesses and developing countries. Time to raise public awareness and to take action, as could be seen at last Saturday's debate at the SP's De Moed headquarters, when a public discussion was held under the title 'The Netherlands: an amusement park for big capital'.

Everyone wants to speak with the European Parliament delegation. Yesterday at 9 a.m., even before the delegation had its own official kick-off, a representative group from corporate business was knocking on our door, led by the Chairman of Cefic, the European chemicals lobby. His tale is clear enough: the most important factor in carrying corporate business along with us in the fight against climate change is quite simply how much it will cost.

SP Member of Parliament Eric Smaling is attending the climate summit in Paris. The aim of the conference is to reach a new agreement on the climate. This has to be in place in 2020, when the current treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, expires. Smaling will be sending a daily report of his experiences to the SP site.

It’s good news that the Netherlands is set to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, says SP Member of Parliament Henk van Gerven. The convention provides that people with a disability must enjoy equal rights, as well as the same opportunities as any other individual.

The big shots have left the climate summit, so the real work can now begin. Last week the world’s leaders gave fiery speeches, speeches which made the front pages. Behind the scenes officials worked day and night on a new proposal for a negotiating text. This text reads like a sort of menu: the ingredients are to hand, now choices have to be made.