TTIP - A little party never killed nobody

As economic theories go, Ricardian comparative advantage, which says countries should specialise in what they're good at and trade freely to make both countries richer, is about as robust as it gets. And when two economies are comparable in terms of wages and technology, pretty much every argument against free trade vanishes.

Nonetheless, TTIP has become an acronym to conjure demons in the mind of left wingers on both sides of the Atlantic. Europeans fear chlorinated chicken and privateering raids on the NHS while Americans fear being undercut by low-wage Europe.

International laws can be abused by companies and vigilance is useful, but with negotiations still under-way and nothing finalised, the hysteria (part Luddism, part Anti-Americanism, part New World Order paranoia) surrounding TTIP is bizarre to observe.

What TTIP will do is make many things cheaper and easier to buy and sell and that will create more jobs than it destroys. It doesn't mean you'll get a spinal column in every bap you buy, your plums won't have beaks. Nonetheless, if you think TTIP is to be feared, then this is the event for you:

"TTIP: What, why and what's in it for us?" Question the experts [sic]
Tuesday 24th February: 7.15 - 9pm Lewisham Civic Suite, Catford, SE6 4RU

The meeting is sponsored by: People Before Profit, 38 Degrees, Green Party, Unite the Union, Peoples Assembly, Keep our NHS Public, War on Want and United Nations Association-UK