The following is my social media post from may last year which I run as we re-examine the Chris Luxton National Party candidacy and the apparent purge of Collins team in National now.
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Obama Visit down under Heralds Restoration of Suspend TPPA Provisions – as Trump & Obama Duke it out & a Trade Wars with Aluminium heat up (Tiwai rubs it hand in glee). Trump reconsider TPPA as Barack Obama heads to New Zealand & Australia to speak at an event hosted by the New Zealand United States Council. The organisation was set up in 2011 to lobby for the creation of the Obama driven TPPA which US President Donald Trump rejected while lobbying for office back in 2017.

In January 2018 Professor Jane Kelcey spoke of hints (made by Trump the same month) that Trump might reconsider the TPPA if the USA that “Trump’s tantalising musings pose a quandary for the government. They will be desperate to re-engage the US.

But Labour, and now Winston Peters, are spinning the TPPA-11 as a fundamentally different and nicer deal.

Trump’s statement had exposed the reality that the TPPA-11 is a Trojan Horse for something even worse that the original agreement.” Professor Kelsey predicts a whole new raft of demands, including for Big Pharma, Big Tech and Wall Street, given that Trump has abandoned his campaign criticisms of corporate America.

Twitter posts made from Trump on March 3rd, which have direct implication on the style of the TPPA and the likelihood of the US being keen to join the bloc if it can renegotiate term showed Trump was responding to warnings from European leaders that his promised tariffs on aluminum and steel would trigger retaliation from numerous major US trading partners.

This rivalry would have interesting ramification on Tiwai refinery in Invercargil where the refinery is associated with Southland’s economy which in tun generates over 20% of NZ GDP (Gross Domestic Product). But ultimately the out come will only be decided if the USA did end up joining 11 Pacific nations, including New Zealand and Australia, which make up the bloc, after the treaty gets ratified this March two weeks before Obama’s visit to Australia and New Zealand.

The website https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/414527 reported six hours ago that The resulting Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will be signed in Santiago, Chile, on March 8 and that the 22 suspended provisions are likely to be restored if the US rejoins the TPPA, as suggested by Trump at Davos in January.

After all, the agreement was largely drafted by US corporations during Obama’s presidency…However, in line with Trump’s approach of putting ‘America first’, the US is likely to insist on removal of ISDS provisions from the TPPA. Given PM Najib Razak’s humiliating White House visit as supplicant half a year ago, Malaysia and other TPP countries are likely to give in quickly to new Trump demands to ‘make America great’ again. Trump can then use this as ‘proof’ that he is a much better negotiator than Obama, whom he is clearly obsessed with putting down”.

One idea that motivate his frequent Obama trashing may be a fear of a contender arising from that camp. That he may still have to face an Obama during the next election. So any thing he can do steal mana from Obam including credit for the Obama initiative TPPA. Of course if this analyst is correct then it can only be expected that Obamas will in turn be out shaking hands and net working among the member states to make sure they don’t get ..er Trumped.

The speaking event, a $1000 aimed at corporate New Zealand elite is being sponsored by Westpac Bank sponsored by Air New Zealand whose directors in Sir John Key ,also CEO of ANZ Bank. Key is expected play a game of golf at Mill-brook after the event with Obama. Key worked closely with Obama on the TPPA and New Zealand commitment to the Five -Eye Security agreement seen as the spear tip of the US expansion into the Pacific and the military ally of the TPPA.

Sixteen hours ago it was announced President Barack Obama is likely to visit Japan after his New Zealand Australian trip. This is further evidence of active Obama publicity machine getting under way was the February 28th news that publishing giant Penguin Random announced it will publish “forthcoming books” by the former president and first lady. According to a report in the Financial Times, bidding for the two books topped $60 million. There was speculation that Michelle’s speaking tour in Oakland this February was a way of testing the waters for a possible run for president in 2020. Michelle Barak todate however has said she not interested.

However Former Vice President Joe Biden recently attended another event lifting the Obama/Biden public profile, the unveiling of the official portraits for former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, say is a potential runner in 2020 elections.

Obama stated she would instead through her work with the Obama Foundation use “her interactions with American youth have left her with a positive attitude toward the country’s political future.” One of the few subject which Obama is known to be speaking on his Auckland NZ tour he New Zealand United States Council. (The organisation set up to lobby for the goals of the Obama driven TPPA) is youth.

Wether Biden or Michelle do run it seems that wooing the youth vote and more importantly their voting dollar will be pivotal in shaping the kind of world we live. In relation to the kind of trade deals which Big Pharma, Big Tech and Wall Street market to us in an attempt to lobby their products regardless of which brand they choose as their mascot in Washington.