More of the digital

We're on that Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/withCoopParty or follow @WithCoopParty.

There is also a mobile version of this website. That's the QR code below. What next? As it is International Year of Co-operatives 2012, and it starts at the end of October 2011 we'll be making an effort to produce some video, audio and other things for the digital world.

Live Webcast Monday 28th June

As part of Co-operatives Fortnight, the Co-operative we will be webcasting a live programme here at 1815 BST on Monday 28 June from Toad Lane, Rochdale.

Presented by Paul Hendy and featuring CEO Peter Marks, CEO of Co-operative Financial Services Neville Richardson. Christine Tacon, Managing Director of Farms and Moira Lees, Society Secretary. You can join in with questions but have your membership number to hand to login. It might be all available later if you miss it.

Link

New Grounds Co-operatives Video

"People who don't share our values politically using what we believe in as a cheap way to cut back public services" warns Michael Stephenson, General Secretary of the Co-operative Party. He is sat on the platform along with Cllr. Steve Reid from Lambeth Council who mentions iniatives in that borough.

An interesting short video from The Co-operative Membership dept for Co-operatives Fortnight.

Members Meetings in May

After a quiet few months got two meetings to go to in one month...
The Co-operative Group round of regional annual general meetings is currently happening around Britain. The one in Manchester is at Co-op HQ - New Century House on Tuesday 26th May at 1930h. The next night is the final of the Champions League so am not sure how many will be going to the meeting in Eccles that night.

Nearly half of meetings are being broadcast live over the internet. You can see the full list of dates at Members Meetings.

Our own Co-op Party meeting is this Friday - see previous post - photos to follow after the event. There should be something worth snapping and posting.

New Co-op Advert

If you missed the new 2 minute 39 second Tv advert for The Co-operative - the one with the Bob Dylan "Blowin in the Wind" soundtrack then you can see it at :
http://www.co-operative.coop/aboutus/

Don't know for how long it will be available.

No canvassing

12 places up for the taking and 15 candidates on the ballot paper for the first Area Committee of this region. Co-operative Members have until Saturday 14th February to make their choices. Under the rules no canvassing for or by any candidate is allowed. Don't know what would happen if such a dastardly act took place. Obviously the online voting process is the quickest and easiest. The old school pencil, envelope and walk to the post box method is still available. You know you've been involved in this Co-op stuff a while when you've met most of the people standing for office. But I can't say who to vote for. Photo of election poster taken in my local store next to the adverts for unwanted electric guitars, buggies and other bric-a-brac...

Co-operative Food Alternatives

Article in The Guardian 10th December
"Supermarkets? No, thanks. Local food-buying cooperatives, which cut out the middlemen between producers and consumers, are taking the country by storm. But how do they work, and how do you set one up? Tom Moggach reports." Link.
The piece features a picture of members of Unicorn Co-operative Grocery, Manchester which is actually a workers co-operative and not a community consumer co-op. It's also the joint winner of this year's BBC Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards as Best Local Retailer which doesn't get mentioned in the article.

Co-op Online Magazine

The new online Co-operative magazine was been uploaded. Alright it's not a political document being full of recipes and xmas. There is a couple of pages on Fairtrade, and as ever the Co-operative introduces a new product - the UK's first Fairtrade sparkling wine from South Africa. There is some video clips - I particularly liked how to cook an aubergine? Don't laugh - I've had lots of meals at friends houses with badly cooked aubergine. Look on the bright side it saves on paper and postage, or should we be spending on such as spending is the only way out of recession? But an excellent effort all round.

Here is the link

Co-operative Rail

An interesting transport solution from a co-operative called Lightweight Community Transport. Ultra-light railcars to run on branch lines to serve communities that have few transport links.

They are currently seeking investor members, and will soon be staging demonstrations in Stourbridge.

You can read all about it :
lctltd.co.uk

International Webcast

The Co-operative are putting on a global webcast next Tuesday 30th September starting at 1900h BST. Some of it will be from Manchester but contributions will be coming from Jan-Eirik Imbsen of the International Co-operative Alliance, and Vishwas Satgar, executive director of The Co-operative and Policy Alternative Center in South Africa.
It's chaired by Len Wardle, Chair of The Co-operative Group.

It's viewable by anybody, not just members of The Co-operative. Usually these events are recorded and can be watched later if you miss it. So full marks again for use of internet technology.

Details here.

Co-op Group to stay in city centre

After all the talk and press about the Co-op Group was planning to move out of Manchester city centre it has been announced it's staying but probably on a new site.
Co-op to stay in city centre - Manchester Evening News 20/05/2008

Hands Off Our Co-ops

The European Commission is currently examining so-called claims of unfair state aid to co-operatives. If they come to the wrong conclusion its decision could hurt some
250,000 co-operatives across Europe - including those in the UK. And it could be the thin end of the wedge with future legislative attacks from the private
sector on co-operatives to be expected.

for more information and to sign the online petition
http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/hands-off-our-coops.html

Gareth Comes to NW England

The Chair of the Co-operative Party is Gareth Thomas MP and he's going to Blackburn - Cathedral Crypt on Friday 23rd May for a regional dinner and a speech. This will form a significant part of the Cathedral’s “Ann Frank Week”, which is sponsored by The Co-operative Group.

Re:act magazine

The co-operative industry is awash with publications. I get to see only a fraction of them which may be a fortunate blessing. The Co-operative have dropped their "Network" magazine for members and replaced it with a much improved "Re:Act". It has articles by established journalists and has even strayed off the well worn paths of ethical food and climate change. The best article for me was an interview with Aubrey Meyer about the concept of contract & convergence. Actually that is about climate change.

If you are a member it might be landing on your doormat soon. The only thing I wasn't sure of was the advert for 'Fairtrade holidays in South Africa'.

Manchester Film Co-operative

A new co-operative venture organising regular screenings and discussions of films that challenge current economics, politics and society. The inaugral showing is "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", the documentary about Venezuela and Chavez.

The venue is The Kings Arms, Bloom Street, Salford which is across the river from Deansgate. It must be upstairs, and if you've never been it is one of the best late Victorian rooms you'll ever see...

The date is Tuesday 22nd April, 1945h, £2.
Details on the website.

Old store in Bury

Up in Bury today for the last Saturday home match of FC United of Manchester for this season. Thought I'd better take this picture of the Co-op store near the Gigg Lane ground. FC United might be groundsharing elsewhere next year so thought better take a snap because you might not be around this parts for a while.

The wording at the top says 'Bury District Co-operative Provision Society Limited No.14 Branch'. The shop is the regular convenience layout.

Power from Energy Co-ops

There is an eight page spread in the current issue of New Sector - the magazine of democratic enterprise and community control - devoted to renewable energy co-operatives. You can read it here

Didn't realise there were so many. But as the editor David Parker points out elsewhere in the magazine. "If community co-operatives generating power from renewable resources is such a good idea why aren't the Brits doing it? ...but there impact is tiny compared with Denmark where about 80% of wind generating capacity is community owned."

There are plans for water powered turbines in New Mills, Derbyshire which isn't far from here...I can see a trip coming up.

Environment Conference

The Co-operative are organising a conference on the Environment in Manchester. At the swishy Bridgewater Hall no less, on Saturday 31st May. There are options to visit Waste Works - The Co-operative Recycling Centre, not sure where that is, but it can't be far away.

Co-opinnervations

I picked up on Co-opinnvervations from the Politics For People weblog a couple of weeks ago - see shape the future of the co-op. Well, the email invite finally arrived and after a bit of a rigmarole to actually register the project looks intrigueningly interesting.

It's a brand new venture for The Co-operative (never thought I'd see the term Beta in the title) that's looking for innervative ideas, brainstorms and other thoughts out of your head.

Seven weeks to the Locals

It's that time of year when the local elections are coming up. This year Withington Co-operative Party will be supporting five of our own members who are candidates :

Cllr. Andrew Fender (Lab/Co-op - Old Moat ward)
John Hacking (Lab/ Co-op - Chorlton Park ward)
Jennie Lennox (Labour - Didsbury West ward)
Tom Murphy (Lab/Co-op - Burnage ward)
Cllr. Sheila Newman (Labour - Chorlton ward)


We don't have elections for a mayor but one of the key contests for the country is in London. Unfortunately we don't have a vote but if we did it would be for Ken Livingston. Here you have a major international city, and the prospect of Boris Johnson winning for the Evening Standard and Tory Party makes you think he would be making headlines for all the wrong reasons.