Break

There will now be a two week break. Back for the World Co-op Day event at The Lowry in Salford on Sunday 8th July.

Labour History Group

The six deputy leadership candidates have today launched the Labour History Group's oral history project - an attempt to harness U-tube technology to bring Labour's history to life. More

There is a Co-operative History Project being launched in September in Manchester, it'll be good if it uses this simple technology which makes history available to the world - not locked up in archives.

Local Shopping

Received a few old pictures, in modern digital format. Completely out of the blue from one of our few readers, a chap called Michael. I'll upload the others soon. This is local bread, milled and baked in Manchester. Very likely it's from Canadian wheat (still the best for bread making), maybe it travelled up the Manchester Ship Canal. The photo is dated 1940, and I know this brand was around in the 1930's with a picture of a steam engine named "The Mancunian" on the wrapper. The 'National Loaf', was introduced in 1942 due to shortage of shipping space for white flour so who knows when production stopped...As ever click the photo for a better view and check the 7 points of superiority.

Midsummer Consultation

Besides the summer solstice yesterday there was the launch of the "Treasury Review of Co-operative and Credit Union legislation". The Co-operative Party has been pressing for a new act for years. Launched by Ed Balls MP, that's him in the photo. There is a gallery of pictures - Peter Hunt Co-op Party Secretary does the introductions etc, and Andy Love MP gets in a lot of the shots. Link.

The consultation will result in the creation of a cost effective legislation enabling the mutual sector to compete in the modern economy.

The document is here in PDF. Good weblog entry at Politics For People who were at the event.

Film Night Still

This is a screen grab from the forthcoming video, simply called "Bye-Election". A bit of cine verite / home movie from 1992. Followers of Manchester politics might recognise these then Councillors in a kitchen campaign HQ in Chorlton. Isn't that chap on the left MP for Manchester Blackley these days? All will be revealed at the Film Night Tuesday 10th July, Hardy Lane Co-op Rooms 2000h.

Unity Trust Bank

Thought I'd give a plug for the Unity Trust Bank who have served Withington Co-op Party well and with no bank charges over the years. It's not a capitalist bank as the shareholders are trade unions (73.4 pct) and the Co-operative Bank (26.6 pct). Set up 23 years ago, it handles accounts for charities, trade union branches, credit unions and membership organisations. HQ is in Birmingham but you can pay your cheques into at a high street bank of your choice and do everything else online. They also send out regular informative newsletters, not leaflets to take out loans. Link

First Co-op Candidate in Manchester

T.W. Mercer, of the Co-operative Union, was nominated to fight the Moss Side constituency for the 1922 General Election. This was the first time Moss Side had the choice besides Liberals or Conservative. Manchester then had 8 seats in Parliament, and it was the first in the city to nominate a Co-operative Party candidate. Didn't win. It was not until 1945 that Labour captured the seat with Will Griffiths.

T.W. Mercer (1885-1947) was a notable writer on co-operative matters. Cambridge Co-operator did a review of one of his books, still available, last month. Link

Click the pic to get the full text.

Western Sahara Talk

Went to the South Manchester Members Co-op Group meeting tonight. What a cheerful friendly lot. Got a brief talk, a short video. A cup of tea, dried fruits and jaffa cakes - the sort of meeting that's low on paper and big on informal chatting. In short a group of ten young Sahrawis are coming to Manchester for the summer. Money has been raised, Virgin have paid for the flights and trains, and hopefully the story will get into the local media. There has been an irregular commitment to the Western Sahara by the local Woodcraft Folk groups for the past 15 years with visits there and here.
Western Sahara - Wikipedia

Old Labour Old Co-op

It's 1964 and if you want to read the full text click the picture. 43 years ago and the paragraph on Social Ownership is old Labour, oh how times have changed. Are there any companies in state or municipal ownership left in the UK, besides the Bank of England ?

'The Co-operative Party, the manifesto states, has always believed that the "commanding heights" of the economy must be publicly owned and accountable to consumers, workers and Parliament. When necessary new state enterprises should be created to take advantage of scientific research.

Key industries that fail the nation should be taken into public ownership; and where appropriate consumers' co-operatives, producers co-operatives and municipal enterprises should be encouraged'

These are the days when Harold Wilson promised to forge that white heat of technology and the coal mines were still open.

99 goes Fairtrade

It might take a while to appear on the shelves at my local co-op but the Fairtrade version of "99 Tea" has been launched. It's got a brown top not red'un.

Co-operative first in Fair Trade :
1992 first supermarket to embrace Fairtrade by stocking Cafédirect.
2000 UK's first Fairtrade bananas.
2000 Co-op Milk Chocolate 45g was the UK's 1st own-brand product withFAIRTRADE Mark.
2002 the Co-op converted its own-brand block chocolate range to Fairtrade.
2003 the Co-op converted its own-brand coffee range to Fairtrade.
2003 introduced the world's first Fairtrade mangoes and pineapples.
2004 Chilean Carmenère was the UK's first fairly-traded supermarket own-brand wine.
2006 5w own-label wines from the Du Toitskloof co-operative in South Africa. The wines are all produced from grapes grown by the 22 farms belonging to the co-operative. This is one of the largest Fairtrade projects in the world.
2006 launched the UK's first Fairtrade wines from Argentina.
2007 first supermarket Fairtrade cotton Bag for Life.