The TPP -why don't Australians get it??

For the last four years there have been developing conversations about the demerits of the Trans Pacific partnership Globally and of course nationally in Australia. After four years of some of Australia's most astute minds carefully constructing a case, the mainstream media are largely ignoring "the bleatings from the left" excepting when articulated by members of parliament or luminaries who put their cases so eloquently. More importantly substantial swathes of the broad community remain blissfully unaware , far less engaged in the conversation.

 We are all at least sometimes guilty of putting responsibility for our lack of effectiveness at the altar of public apathy. That is an utter cop out. We who profess to oppose the TPP in Australia should admit that we are losing the opportunity to capture the public's imagination , understanding and support and in doing so are at real risk of not only losing the battle but the war on this #CorporateCartel serving proposed agreement. Compare the New Zealand #StopTPP campaign Nov 8th with 15 cities and towns engaged, with towns of 30000 people having more people down to attend than Sydney Adelaide Perth and Australia combined.  We should all reflect that "repeating the same actions yet expecting a different result" is Einsteins definition of insanity.

  It is high time for new tactics to be employed in the #StopTPP campaign in Australia.

• The point of discussion needs to be what each part of the TPP known to us will cost people and their communities as a first point of engagement.
• The language needs to change. We are still articulating in a form government need take no notice of. We need to show that we are pissed off at being pissed on by the LNP /Labor #GovtCartel .
• We need to be mindful of and informing the public that laws such as VLAD, Mandatory Data Retention and Anti Terror laws all are based on the Corporate wishlist Governments are being asked to sign up to. We do need to act as stringently against their implementation as we do against the Trans Pacific Partnership itself.
• Political Parties and Independents in Parliament who do not support the TPP need to take their opposition up a notch. They need to state that any future government they are part of will revoke the TPP if implemented without compensation and seize assets of companies which have benefitted from the TPP in any way. They need to flag retrospective charges against those who sign away Australian peoples rights without prior informed consultation.
• Protests need to be re-strategised. People are no longer necessarily prepared to turn up to be props for a pre-selected caste of speakers - it is insulting to many to expect that they would be otherwise. We are not sheep. If the aim is to capture mainstream media then lets give them something to engage with. People talking politely before a crowd of 50 does not get you headlines if that is your aim. Go out on a limb-be creative-but most importantly be effective....

Lanz Priestley

Occupy Sydney participant