Greens take the no to TTIP message out onto the streets.

Members of North Staffs Green Party will be holding a street demo against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in Newcastle town centre this weekend,

TTIP is a trade agreement between the EU and the United States that has been largely negotiated in secret and could have a devastating impact on the public services, employment rights and the environment.

Trades unions, professional bodies and parliamentarians across Europe have expressed concerns about the impact of TTIP. In a speech made in 2014 Green Party leader Natalie Bennett said it represented 'huge threat to our hard fought for standards for the quality and safety of our food, the sources of our energy, worker's rights and our privacy.'

Green Party members taking part in the demonstration have expressed their own misgivings about TTIP:

Jade Taylor, who owns a graphic design business based in Newcastle said she was 'concerned' about the impact TTIP would have on animal welfare standards 'particularly the use of bleaching in the poultry industry.'

Sean Adam, a party member and former parliamentary candidate said he was concerned about the possibility of large corporations being able to take the UK government to court if it passes legislation that may harm their profits.

He said 'A large US corporation recently took the Canadian government to court and won on the basis of a treaty similar to TTIP, the British public need to realise the impact allowing this agreement to go through could have on our public services and the independence of our parliament.'

Campaigns Coordinator for North Staffs Green Party Adam Colclough said that the demonstration would be 'just the start of a concerted campaign against TTIP,' which he described as being a 'truly dangerous threat to the environment, worker's rights and democratic government across the continent.'

He went on to say the party would be keeping the momentum going by gathering signatures for a petition and asking public questions on related issues at full council meetings.

The demonstration will take place outside the Guildhall in Newcastle town centre from 10.30 am on Saturday 24th October.

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