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

Manifesto Website

Co-operative Manifesto is a new Co-operative Party website that is concerned with developing you guessed - the next Co-op Party manifesto.
"over the coming weeks they will be hosting a series of online blogs covering the twelve themes of the manifesto"

An innovative idea for a poltical party to obtain feedback and input.
http://www.co-operativemanifesto.org/

Meeting on Academies

We've managed to arrange a meeting on "Co-operative Academies". For some Academies are controversial but the Co-op and the City Council are working to develop an academy along co-op principles.

Mags Bradbury from the Co-op Group and Cllr Sheila Newman Manchester City Council Exec Member for Childrens Services.

Lloyd's Hotel, Chorlton 19th November starts 2000h.

Still Here

Sometimes news goes through a thin patch. Especially when there have been no meetings. Hopefully one can be arranged before the xmas season kicks in, and hopefully it will be above the newly expanding Hardy Lane store. The official opening date is Friday 21st November.

One co-operative that is getting good support is the Manchester Film Co-operative with its monthly screenings. Next one is "Blood Car" on Tuesday November 25th...
"In the near future gas prices have reached $40 a gallon. Archie Andrews, an environmentalist school teacher, is trying to discover an alternate fuel source. While experimenting with wheat grass, Archie accidentally stumbles upon a solution. Human Blood".

The picture above which relates to nothing written here is a Manchester & Salford Co-op Commenrative Plate from 1909. The building in the picture used to stand in Ardwick and held the Labour Party Conference of 1901. A whole conference in a room above a store before all the corporate milarky and heavy security got in the way. Thanks to Michael for the irregular supply of interesting pictures.

Demutalism Failed

"The nationalisation and break up of Bradford & Bingley will represent a momentous event in the history of British banking, because it will mean that every building society that floated on the stock market in the wave of demutualisations of the past two decades will either have collapsed or been sold to a conventional bank." Robert Peston Blog at BBC
Mutalism we were told didn't have a future - it has now.

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.

Ownership of football clubs

Andy Burnham's (Minister of Culture and Sport) speech at the Co-operative Party Conference about the ownership of football clubs received plenty of press coverage. The response from Lord Triesman, chairman of the FA was encouraging. It has a wider implication beyond the multi-million pound owners of English Premier league clubs. Emilio Butragueno until recently vice president of Real Madrid warned that it could affect the Champions League with it being dominated by English clubs. He won't remember his own club dominating European football in the 1950's. Then it was backed by the fascist Franco regime.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of Bayern Munich said "Germany needed to have an open discussion about relaxing the country's strict ownership rules and making it easier for individuals to make big investments in Bundesliga clubs." ESPN Soccernet

Back in Blighty, Andy Burnham has responded to a request from FC United of Manchester, our own co-operative football club, to meet and discuss the issue of ownership. Currently clubs in the Football League and Premiership cannot have a mutual ownership model as in Germany and Spain.

Ship Travel Video Report

Click To Play

Bit after the event but this is a short video of the Co-operative Party trip down the Manchester Ship Canal. Salford Quays to Pier Head in 6 and a bit hours.

Conference : Club are alienating fans

"Andy Burnham, who on Thursday outlined his views in a speech at the Co-operative party conference in Westminster, said that the Football Association were duty-bound to revise their 'fit and proper persons' test for club takeovers and also insisted that the organisation should attempt to promote competitiveness."
Press Association

This story was trailed in the press before the speech.

Conference : More school co-operatives

The Co-operative Party conference made the mainstream media on the first day. Just noting if the event gets reported. Answer is yes, thanks to a keynote speech from Ed Balls MP.

"Schools Secretary Ed Balls wants to see 100 schools taken over by co-operative trusts, primarily formed of parents, teachers and other staff." BBC Story

"Balls pledges to set up 100 co-operative schools in parent power battle"
This is London

'It gives pupils a voice and brings the community together' This is London background story

This is London is another title for the right wing Evening Standard.

'Balls to set out vision of 100 schools becoming co-operative trusts' The Guardian published before the speech was made.