Those marketeers for multi-national companies whose products are deemed unsafe, unhealthy or over-priced can celebrate the result of the recent EU vote on the secret Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement (TTIP) between the USA and Europe.

The European Parliament voted last week in favour of the agreement by a majority of 436 to 241 This agreement includes the right for corporations to sue governments for trading losses, if these are a result of government legislation, even if the legislation has been put in place to protect the public’s safety, health or their pockets.

The amount of money potentially involved has caused some cynics to wonder if a large number of MEP’s have taken large cash bribes to support what is seen as the most indefensibly anti-consumer agreement ever conceived, particularly as it will be the country’s taxpayers that will pick up the cost of any compensation awarded, plus legal fees.

The agreement binds the USA and European member states, and could well give those who oppose the UK’s membership the most persuasive reason for pulling the UK out of the EU.