Tories Claim Cronyism

The Conservative Party are trying to make something out of the donations to Gordon Brown. We all know donations are a feature of politics, all parties and leaders receive financial help, and as long as it's in the public domain what's the problem? You can't run the show off your own credit card unless you're very, very rich.

You can read who gave to the mere 110k fund at ePoltix and the Tory spin here.
The Co-operative Party is down for £1,270 for vehicle and driver support.

Circus Comes to town

We should have a competition, not a serious comp, just to find the most left-field, off the usual co-operative. We'll accept co-operative in the widest unregistered sense, not that we've appointed the judges, the rules or a nomination committee.

How about the Bassline Circus , a co-operative of creative individuals and a not-for-profit organisation. After Glastonbury, Winchester Hat Fair, and Cheltenham they are coming to Platt Fields, Manchester, Thursday 6th September thru Sunday 9th September 2007. Low priced affordable tickets, times to be arranged. If we get any other nominations we'll sort out a prize.

Facebook

Flurry of Facebook activity. Normally I've resisted all this social networking milarky preferring the hermit life of surfing solo. But then i found lots of people i vaguely know are in there. Not that i have had the temerity to ask them to be my friend....
Even found a Co-operative Party group "to bring together members of the Co-op Party, as well as others who are interested in the Co-op party, their values and their policies." Plenty of Labour groups.
Not sure where all this is leading to, if anywhere? However it has opened up more focused streams of information which is a good thing.

More Black Gold

Article in The Observer "The hidden cost of your £2 latte?" which includes interview quotes from Nick and Marc Francis, the film makers of "Black Gold". Worth a read, and the coffee farmer receives barely 2p from that two pound drink. Story.

Film Night is On

The real meeting is in the pub, and other night the executive got the diaries out over Guinness and Magners to arrange some dates. It all falls apart after the phone calls the next day when there are clashes and double bookings...

However we've managed Tuesday 10th July for our film night. Showing trailers, clips, and short co-op films. The main feature will be footage from a 1993 bye-election...it features many familiar faces, many on the City Council looking a lot younger. Venue is Hardy Lane Co-op Rooms, Chorlton at 2000h and all co-operators are welcome. Also on the bill will be "Unicorn Moments" an all action 10 minute short of behind the scenes at a workers co-op - no talking heads. If we have time we'll show a 20 minute video about the Working Class Movement Library, narrated by Christopher Eccleston - it's got plenty of Labour and Co-op stuff in it. Fairtrade refreshments as usual.

Black Gold Screenings

Way back in January the Co-operative Party promoted "Black Gold" with a screening at Westminster.

It's being shown at the Cornerhouse, Manchester Friday 8th - Thursday 14th June - see list of screenings across the nation. Also at The Lowry, Salford at the World Co-op Day event on Sunday 8th July.
Trailer on YouTube.

Venezuela Co-op Boom

Venezuela rarely makes the mainstream news in the UK but there are a lot of positive newsworthy events happening there...

"to end poverty, put poor people in charge of their livelihood. A co-op boom turns the jobless into worker/owners." - story in Yes magazine (USA) summer issue. Co-operatives are now employing about 15 per cent of the population in a country where jobs are badly needed.

Also there is a film to be released Friday June 15th "The War on Democracy" by noted journalist John Pilger. Trailer here. The elected government of Venezuela is not on the White House xmas card list, they've tried to overthrow it and failed. It starts at the Cornerhouse, Manchester on that date, and elsewhere in the UK.

Essential reading is Venezuelanalyis and the Red Pepper Venezuela Blog
100,000 co-operatives in one country!

Cambridge Co-operator

There are not many Co-operative blogs about - count them on one hand - but Cambridge Co-operator celebrates it's first birthday. You can read the press releases and then you read the story from someone who is actually at the meeting...Bring on another year of insight, positive, the highs and the lows

First Co-op Party Candidate

Another in the series of 90th Anniversary Co-op Party pictures. This is part of a leaflet for A.J.May the first Co-operative Party Parliamentary candidate in a bye-election for Prestwich, Lancashire during WW1. It was in January 1918. Click picture for bigger size. A meal is being organised in Prestwich later in the tear to celebrate this event. Note the Vote Early...and the Consumers' and Democratic Candidate. Didn't win well beaten by the Tory candidate.

Bank on MySpace

The Co-op Bank, and I quote from the press release "joined the wonderful world of 'online social networking' with the launch of its 'green' MySpace profile to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of its Ethical Policy. See it at goodwithmoney

Personally I find MySpace page layouts very restrictive and in most cases pretty shocking, crass, naff and garish. However full marks to the Co-operative Bank in overcoming the limitations of presentation and promoting themselves at the UK's 5th most popular web destination. MySpace is owned by the News Corporation but don't let that put you off...feel like I'm missing out not being part of the "online community"