Ed at the Hustings

Here we have Ed Balls MP (Morley & Outwood), well known for his co-operative credentials being interviewed at an event in Lambeth. It's hustings time for the Labour Party, and there will be one of those events in Manchester. Co-operative Party & Labour Party memebers can apply for tickets. Saturday 31st July, at the HQ of The Co-operative, New Century House started at 1100.

Anyway back to Ed Balls MP - you might need to read Ed Balls, Lambeth Co-op & Cutting Corners on The OnionBagBlog (fear & lothing in SW8) from where this audio snippet is taken. 

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.

Unicorn Workers Co-op Video

A two minute video made for the first Co-operatives Fortnight by Unicorn workers' co-operative in Chorlton. It's in that British tradition of cheezy, over-acted style but having fun. Nice copyright free track by Moby who makes this music available for non-commercial use. Great effort...and enjoyable.

Co-ops Fortnight Ahead

Two weeks promoting Co-ops is nearly upon us.  There are some activities from Co-ops in Manchester as you would expect - On the 8th Day, Manchester Film Co-operative, Unicorn Grocery..etc & etc
12 page guide (it's got pictures) - here
Events in the NW England region - here

People's Supermarket to open in Londonshire

Chef Arthur Potts-Dawson is on a mission to create The People's Supermarket: a not for profit, co-operative grocery store that will feature in a series of TV shows on Channel 4 in the U.K. in 2010. It's due to open somewhere in central London. You join, you volunteer for 4 hours a week and you get discount groceries. It's a tried and tested operation in New York. There is a downside in that supermarket skills look easy but lots of people can't cut it. Bit like badly run charity shops were socialising is preferred to business. Working tills, facing up, picking and stock rotation needs to be achieved. Motivated volunteers and training are the issues. But good luck to the venture.
Link.

Coalition Conservative Movement

The Conservative Co-operative movement website has seen some recent activity. The rhetoric might sound like supporting co-operatives and mutuality but the Coalition programme for government has only the public sector in its sights for employee ownership. The Post Office has "opportunities for employee ownership" too - though how this squares with a part-privatisation I'm unsure.Wonder if the Lib-Dems will get involved, put Lloyd George behind them and start a 'Liberal Co-operative Movement'

There is a link to the link to the Localis publication
Policy Platform: “In Your Hands: Benefits and Challenges of mutual and community cooperatives in public services”. Which has contributions from different perspectives, Mary Rayner from Co-Ops UK, Karen Wilkie from the Co-Operative Party, and Simon Randall from the Conservative Co-Operative Movement.

Links :
Conservative Coops
Coalition programme.pdf
Policy Platform pdf

Open Access Bus Lanes

Cllr. Sean Parker-Perry is hoping you might sign the online petition for open access bus lanes. That's about allowing motorcyclists to use bus lanes in Greater Manchester. Sean is a keen motorcyclist and is well aware of the safety issues involved.

"Motorcyclists are vulnerable road users and as such we need added protection. If the Government would like to continue to receive the benefits of motorcycling (reduced CO2 emissions and congestion) then we should be allowed to use the bus lanes to protect us from car users.

In passing this legislation the local Council's will be saving lives and thousands of pounds wasted in dealing with the aftermath of a road traffic collision."

Online petition is here.
http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/open-access-bus-lanes-in-greater-manchester/signatures.html

More support for co-ops in the Big Society

The Cabinet Office have issued a three page document and in it there a coalition pledge to "support co-ops, mutuals, charities and social enterprises"..

We will support the creation and expansion of mutuals, co-operatives, charities and social enterprises, and support these groups to have much greater involvement in the running of public services.

We will give public sector workers a new right to form employee-owned co-operatives and bid to take over the services they deliver. This will empower millions of public sector workers to become their own boss and help them to deliver better services.

We will use funds from dormant bank accounts to establish a Big Society Bank, which will provide new finance for neighbourhood groups, charities, social enterprises and other nongovernmental bodies.

Building The Big Society.pdf

De-municipalisation by the back door or a genuine attempt to deliver services for less public funding? When the honeymoon period of the new Con-Dems is over after the summer we'll probably know more. Selling off the Post Office (profits up 26% with falling revenues of 2%)  is a clue to the underlying agenda.

Some Local Election Success

In the local elections our supported Labour-Co-operative candidates did as well as we'd hoped, with increased majorities because of the high turnout for the General Election. So congratulations all round then...
Sue Murphy (Brooklands - maj. 1099)
Suzanne Richards (Longsight - maj. 538 )
Jim Battle (Ancoats and Clayton - maj. 1590)
Eddie Newman (Woodhouse Park - maj. 1802)
Chris Paul didn't win in the Lib-Dem stronghold of Withington ward.

The Labour Party made two gains from the Liberal-Democrats, and the Liberal-Democrats made two gains from Labour. So no change at Manchester Town Hall.