Co-operative News - Ireland

Ireland marks Co-op Year with major national conference

AnthonyMurray — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:28:41 +0000

Ireland's President Michael D. Higgins will mark the International Year of Co-operatives in a national conference today.

Joining the country's President will be Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance, and over 200 Irish industry and public sector leaders along with Research & Innovation Minister Sean Sherlock.

This event at Croke Park, Dublin, has come about through an alliance of the three major co-operative groupings in Ireland — the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), NABCO (the National Association of Building Co-operatives) and the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU).

The national conference will be chaired by economist David McWilliams. It will address 'The Way Forward' for co-operative enterprise and will identify how co-operative developments can contribute to the renewal and recovery of the economy, the growth of indigenous enterprises, sustainable jobs creation on a regional and national basis and the overall future competitiveness of Ireland.

A statement from the organisations said: "In this United Nations International Year of Co-operatives, the establishment of new indigenous co-operative businesses has an important role to play in the growth of our economy for the future. There are opportunities for development and expansion by co-operatives that are market focused, well governed and strategic in their business development ambitions."

Seamus O’Donohoe, Chief Executive, ICOS, commented: “Ireland has a long and proud tradition of co-operative enterprise. As a sector we must share and widely promote the key attributes that have contributed to the success of co-operatives enterprises in Ireland. Moreover, we must grasp this occasion to further advance and strengthen the business of co-operation for the future.”

Declan Hudson, Chairman, NABCO, said: “Co-operative enterprise has a vital role to play in Ireland’s social and economic renewal. This event provides the opportunity to recognise and support the contribution that co-operatives make through local democratic control of social and commercial enterprise to strengthening the communities in which they are based.”

Kieron Brennan, CEO, Irish League of Credit Unions, added: “2012 provides the opportunity for all co-operatives to actively highlight to their members, customers and their communities at large, the essential role that co-ops have to play in stimulating economic growth and societal well-being across Ireland for the future. We look forward to playing our part in promoting this agenda,”

The CEOs of ICOS, NABCO and the League of Credit Unions will highlight the role of their organisations and show what co-ops have already achieved during the day. They will also explore the challenges and opportunities for the future of co-operation in Ireland.

Other international experts who will address the conference include Peter Couchman, (Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation in Oxford), David Rodgers (President of ICA Housing) and Prof Gert van Dijk (Co-operative expert from the Netherlands and former President of COGECA – the organisation representing European agricultural and fishing co-ops). Other speakers are Jimmy Johnstone, President, Irish League of Credit Unions and Brian Branch, President, World Council of Credit Unions.

All are invited to attend the book launch and autograph sessions

Lyne Gagnon — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:55:00 +0000

More than 20 books on cooperatives will be launched and autographed on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, in room 200A of the Quebec City Convention Centre, as part of a cocktail reception at the 2012 International Summit of Cooperatives. Jean-Pierre Girard, Expert Advisor in Social Enterprises and Marthe Hamelin, President, Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité, will host the launch.

Among these books, the launch of Building a Better World: 100 stories of co-operation (see photo) by author Kate Askew is worthy of mention. This limited edition, 160-page commemorative book, published as part of the ICA's efforts to promote the co-operative enterprise model in the UN International Year of Co-operatives, has been supported by co-operatives of scale from all corners of the globe, in Africa, in Asia, in Europe and in North America.

From the dzongkhags of Bhutan and lemongrass oil production to the sprawling operations of India's colossal co-operatives, to co-operatives support of Inuit art forms in Canada's Nunavut territory, to the giant agricultural co-operatives of Iran, Building a Better World: 100 stories of co-operation winds its way through the world's continents, imparting emotional and informative stories of our global co-operative movement.

In his foreword, José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations says that co-operatives represent a resourceful, diverse enterprise model that has greater resilience to financial, economic and environmental shocks.

“It's about human need and not human greed”, is how Dame Pauline Green, the International Co-operative Alliance's president sums up co-operatives contribution to society in her introduction.

These personal stories of struggle, growth and triumph demonstrate a way forward for all of us. And they will be shared with global leaders, government heads and members of the media as a permanent memento of the power of co-operation.

Source : ICA

Summit participants will receive a free copy of this book.

Other books that will be part of the launch

A Co-operative Dilemma: Coverting organizational form, Jorge Sousa et Roger Herman, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, Université de Saskatchewan

Based on the experience of both academics and practitioners, this book focusses on an issue of paramount importance to co-operatives, non-profits and other social economy organizations, development specialists, and policy makers. Twelve case studies from Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United States.

Alphonse Desjardins: A Vision for Today's World, Quotations on the Amazing Power of Cooperatives, Monique Leroux

The International Year of Cooperatives is a great opportunity to learn about Alphonse Desjardins's philosophy. In a book structured around select quotations, Monique F. Leroux takes us through the thoughts of the Desjardins Group founder and shows the extent to which the cooperative model can help address challenges in 2012.

Biographie longue d'Alphonse Desjardins, Guy Bélanger, Septentrion

Founder of the caisses populaires that gave rise to the cooperative group that bears his name, Alphonse Desjardins is a major figure in the history of Quebec. Guy Bélanger introduces us to a pragmatic man who marked his era by making significant contributions to the social and economic development of Quebec.

Capital and the Debt Trap – Learning from Cooperatives in the Global Crisis, Claudia Sanchez Bajo et Bruno Roelants, Palgrave MacMillan

The recent financial crisis has had a devastating impact around the globe. Thousands of businesses have closed, millions of jobs have been cut and many people have lost their homes. Capital and the Debt Trap explains how key economies have fallen into a ‘debt trap'.

Des lois sur les coopératives de cinq continents, mais une même réalité : l'humanisation de notre monde, Benoit-Marc Boyer, Quebec City 2012, International Summit of Cooperatives

Collective work signed by 10 people, including 2 Summit participants, Geneviève Dufour and Vrajlal Sapovadia. University professors from five continents, and representing a variety of disciplines, come together with a jurist, also the director of a cooperative, to give a presentation on the legal status of cooperatives in their part of the country. This study is written in French, English and Spanish.

Économie et société. Pistes de sortie de crise. Louis Favreau and Ernesto Molina, Presses de l'Université du Québec

This book was created through an independent partnership between 2 researchers and Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité (CQCM). It provides solutions to the economic crisis in Quebec to be implemented in the near future. It also reports on the most recent studies on the themes covered.

Empire and Co-operation: How the British Empire Used Co-operatives in Its Development Strategies, Rita Rhodes, Birlinn Ltd

This book describes how co-operative development policies were implemented in widely varied settings and the results achieved. It also discusses the positive involvement of international non-governmental organisations such as the International Co-operative Alliance and the Plunkett Foundation.

Financial Cooperatives and Local Development, Silvio Goglio et Yiorgos Alexeopoulos, Routledge

This book examines the opportunities opened up for financial cooperatives by the recent financial crisis, and explores the role of these institutions in promoting and sustaining local development.

Il était une fois... ma coopérative, faits saillants 35e anniversaire 1975-2012, Huguette Lamontagne and Lucie Saint-Gelais

In 2010, Coopérative des consommateurs de Sainte-Foy celebrated its 35th anniversary. This book is dedicated to all who contributed to its creation, growth and development. This work is a historical account of our cooperative, its highs and lows, small and big moments and the good and not so good endeavours. It outlines its entire history and evolution with a central theme featuring those who were at the helm over the last 3 and a half decades.

La transition écologique de l'économie, Louis Favreau and Mario Hébert, Presses de l'Université du Québec

This book was created through an independent partnership between 2 researchers and Forum international des dirigeants de l'économie sociale (FIDESS) and its member organizations in Quebec. It features analyses, avenues and suggestions to take swift action to make the economy greener. It also reports on the most recent studies on the themes covered.

La revue annuelle de la coopération québécoise, volume 11 – 2012

This issue of the Coopoint 2012 magazine highlights the International Year of Cooperatives by featuring local and foreign people whose journeys and actions are guided by cooperative values and principles.

Le capitalisme en crise, quelle réponse des coopératives?, Revue vie économique

Leaders in the cooperative sector strongly state that “cooperatives are an alternative to unfettered capitalism.” It examines the depth of the international crisis (financial capitalism, ecological disasters). It explains how cooperative enterprises perform better through their approach. Portrait of the cooperative movement in Quebec and abroad.

Le mouvement coopératif québécois et la solidarité internationale, l'expérience de SOCODEVI, Louis Favreau and Ernesto Molina, co-edited by the research programs of UQAR, ARUC-DTC (UQAR) and ARUC-ISDC at UQO with SOCODEVI

This book features a portrait of a Northern international cooperation organization rooted in the Quebec cooperative movement. For the last 25 years, it has been operating on a larger scale and has helped over 650 organizations in 40 Southern countries.

L'étonnant pouvoir des coopératives. Selected texts from the international call for proposals, Ernesto Molina and Marie-Joëlle Brassard, Quebec 2012, International Summit of Cooperatives

This publication is for leaders and managers of big, medium and small cooperatives and mutuals, partner organizations of the movement, representatives from various levels of government and organizations that want to promote the “amazing power of cooperatives.”

L'évolution du coopératisme dans le monde et au Québec, Claude Béland, Fides

“This book urges people of good will to regain control of their development and assume their role as conscientious citizens in our political and economic landscape before it's too late.” Lise Payette

Social Economy: Communities, Economies and Solidarity in Atlantic Canada, Sonja Novkovic et Leslie Brown, Cape Breton University Press

This book contributes to the growing literature on the social economy from the particular perspectives of Atlantic Canadians who have been part of the Social Economy and Sustainability Research Network. It illustrates the importance of the sector to the region's social, economic and public life while exploring its potential for positive change.

The Cooperative Solution, E.G. Nadeau

This book illustrates the potential for cooperatives -- organizations that are owned and democratically controlled by the people they serve -- to infuse the US economy with the basic value of democracy and to provide citizens with a means to effectively address the shortcomings of the market-driven economy.

Workplace Democratization, Its Internal Dynamics, Paul Bernstein, Educational Services Publishing

What leads to successful workplace democracy? To answer this question, the author examined over 50 cases, in 15 different countries, covering a century of experience. This book identifies and describes six essential components in depth, shows the variety of forms they can take when successful, and explains how they must function in order to enable the long-term success of democratic management.

All Summit participants may attend this launch.

President praise Irish co-operatives as 'creative communities'

Emily Barker — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:05:38 +0000

Irish President, Michael D Higgins, welcomed the role that co-operatives have played in Ireland and praised them as “vibrant example of creative communities” at a conference last month.

The President spoke at the national conference in Dublin, which was called 'Co-operatives the Way Forward'. Mr Higgins explained he had given a commitment in his inagural speech saying there is a need for a "common shared future built on the spirit of co-operation, the collective will and real participation" and that there needs to be "positive change at local level".

He continued: “Today as we struggle in very difficult economic circumstances the values of the co-operative movement are critically relevant and your leadership in transforming our society is needed more than ever.”

The speech praised the work of the Ireland Credit Unions and co-operatives’ “substantial economic contribution to the Irish economy".

“Clearly, we cannot go back to doing things in the same way as we did before. We need new models of working together that will transcend the shortcomings of our recent experience,” he added.

Co-operatives have played a significant role in Ireland, well known figures Sir Horace Plunkett, George William Russell (AE) and Father T.A Finlay played an important role, particularly in the agricultural sector, establishing the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (IAOS).

Agricultural co-operatives account for around €12 billion turnover annually with some 150,000 individual members, employing 12,000 people in Ireland and a further 24,000 people overseas.

“The United Nation's International Year for Co-operative provides us with the opportunity to increase public awareness and promote the co-operative sector here in Ireland. It is also an opportunity for us to look at co-operative societies across the globe, learn from their experiences and mirror some of their achievements here in Ireland;” explained Mr Higgens.

Other attendees at the conference spoke about the important role co-operatives can play in Ireland’s future.

Peter Couchman, Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation, said: “Ireland has a proud history of co-operative development and needs to rediscover it to face the challenges of today.

“At the turn of the 20th century, when the English Co-operative Movement was at the height of its expansion, Ireland was forming co-ops six times faster given its size.”

Ireland's President finished his speech by praising several co-operative enterprises such as the National Association of Building Co-operatives and the Bord Bia's Bloom Festival.

He ended by stating: “I wish to salute the co-operative sector on its achievements to date. The Irish co-operative business model has proven to be a successful, enduring and sustainable business model and I am sure this will only continue and develop further in the years ahead, enhancing its capacity to contribute to economic and social well-being into the future.”

The national conference was held on 15 May to mark the 2012 IYC.

CECOP welcomes a new associate member: Co-operative Support Services Limited (CSS)

admin — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:30:13 +0000

CECOP-CICOPA Europe has a new associate member: Co-operative Support Services Limited (CSS), from Ireland. CSS was established in 2006 and offers cooperative support services for Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurs. It is a minority ethnic-led organisation working to design projects and activities aimed at contributing towards the development of ethnic minority groups in Ireland. The key function of CSS is the promotion, the development and the support of the cooperative and social enterprise sector as part of the local sustainable economic development.

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The Week in Review: Fairtrade, Ireland and #LittleClayMen

AnthonyMurray — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:12:04 +0000

Co-ops around the world joined together to support World Fairtrade Day on Saturday 12 May, Ireland has had a busy week for co-ops as they held a national conference and in the UK a digital arts festival celebrating co-operation and collaboration started on Wednesday.

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The Week in Review

Storified by · Fri, May 18 2012 03:23:30

People from around the world celebrated World Fair Trade Day on Saturday 12 May. Co-operatives and Fair trade have always had a strong bond and co-ops continue to offer huge support to the Fair Trade Movement.

It's World Fair Trade Day tommorrow, learn about #Fairtrade with this great short film http://www.thenews.coop/article/video-how-fairtrade-helps-lives-villagers #takeastep
— Kate Fishpool · Fri, May 11 2012 00:56:32

Tomorrow is World Fair Trade Day! Read about the Alaffia Coop in Africa. http://ow.ly/aKRJw
— Weaver Street Market · Fri, May 11 2012 07:15:52

Come Celebrate World Fair Trade Day with the Founder of a Fair Trade Artisan Cooperative http://ow.ly/aNZOq #WFTD #fairtrade
— Global Exchange · Thu, May 10 2012 10:50:23

Three cheers for Sarah Boyack MSP motion to recognise World Fairtrade Day #WFTD2012 on Saturday in Scotland! :) http://s.coop/lkk8
— Equal Exchange · Thu, May 10 2012 02:00:03

Today is world fair trade day! Watch for the giant dancing fair trade bananas with the co-op's Pride parade... http://fb.me/1pWjuMvg7
— River Valley Market · Sat, May 12 2012 02:26:13

Another pic from our World Fair Trade Day celebrations in Cardiff. "Smile!" #ftcymru #fairtrade http://pic.twitter.com/wemowXDs · Fair Trade Wales

World fair trade day celebrated at vetch veg, with oxfam castle street and Swansea bay rotary club. http://pic.twitter.com/VcBWsgmC · Vetch Veg

Ireland has had a busy week for co-operatives. It held a national conference to celebrate the UN's International Year of Co-operatives on May 15 and Imelda May was named the face of the credit unions.

Ireland marks Co-op Year with major national conference. #coops2012 Read all about it: http://ow.ly/aXlhJ
— Intl. Year of Coops · Thu, May 17 2012 06:01:25

Ireland: Dame Pauline helps Ireland mark Co-op Year with major national conference http://bit.ly/JdCium
— SummitCoop2012 · Wed, May 16 2012 07:48:51

Great conference yesterday at Croke Park, Dublin to launch Co-operative Alliance Ireland #coops2012 http://s.coop/meai
— Coops & Mutual Wales · Wed, May 16 2012 01:23:02

RT @coopnews: Music star Imelda May is face of #creditunions http://s.coop/me7c #coops (@imeldaofficial)
— Co-operatives UK · Tue, May 15 2012 04:57:13

International music star Imelda May (@ImeldaOfficial) goes back to her roots as the face of credit unions in Ireland! http://s.coop/me7c
— Linzi Nedoszytko · Tue, May 15 2012 07:28:25

New Credit Union tv ads featuring Imelda May can be viewed here: http://www.thenews.coop/article/music-star-imelda-may-face-credit-unions
— RussellBrennanKeane · Wed, May 16 2012 03:32:00

In Manchester, UK a digital arts festival exploring co-operation and collaboration kicked off on Wednesday. The festival is held over seven days and there is a internationally renowned conference that takes place over two days.

@FuturEverything celebrates co-operative collaboration http://s.coop/me43 #futr
— ImaginationLancaster · Mon, May 14 2012 14:14:46

Live from @FuturEverything: Citizens collaborate to give their Olympics story http://s.coop/megr #Media2012 #futr #coops
— Co-operative News · Thu, May 17 2012 03:47:40

More good press for @citizenrelay and @jennifermjones emerging from #futr http://www.thenews.coop/article/citizens-collaborate-give-their-olympics-story #citizenrelay
— David McGillivray · Thu, May 17 2012 07:06:54

An arts piece sponsored by the Co-operative Group saw artist Lawrence Epps place little clay men around the city for people to pick up and create their own stories with.

The invasion has begun, the #littleclaymen have infiltrated the front page of @thecooperative http://www.co-operative.coop/2012 #futr
— FutureEverything · Thu, May 10 2012 08:25:51

Any coops in and around Manchester seen our #littleclaymen in support of #coops2012? If so pick one up, take a pic with your logo and post!
— Mark Robinson-Field · Wed, May 16 2012 04:27:02

RT @tamarmillen: Was leaving Manchester all disappointed at not finding #littleclaymen and then in Piccadilly I sat down and Lo #futr http://pic.twitter.com/gbAREeiP · Kathryn Grace

Imagine if each of the #littleclaymen represented a #coops from across the world!Where would yours be from? #coops2012 http://pic.twitter.com/Pb2hRPOA · Co-operatives UK

RT @FuturEverything: The #littleclaymen have been exploring @TheCooperative site in #Mcr saying their thanks for the coops support #futr https://p.twimg.com/AtA0_a7CIAIFCog.jpg:large · Recycle - IT

Ha - like it! RT @stephen_hoyle: #TheRatRace #littleclaymen #futr @voiceofmosi http://pic.twitter.com/CKNX5hme @FuturEverything · MOSIManchester

@FuturEverything A fair few appear to be Cooperators. They've made their way to the Coop QTR & Holyoak House. #coops #iyc2012 #littleclaymen
— Gareth Wright · Wed, May 16 2012 08:30:41

Dame Pauline helps Ireland mark Co-op Year with major national conference

AnthonyMurray — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:49:57 +0000

Dame Pauline helps Ireland mark Co-op Year with major national conference:

Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins will mark the International Year of Co-operatives in a national conference today.

Joining the country’s President will be Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance, and over 200 Irish industry and public sector leaders along with Research & Innovation Minister Sean Sherlock.

Read more about the event in the June edition of the ICA’s eDigest. To subscribe visit http://civimail.ica.coop/civicrm/mailing/subscribe?reset=1

Music star Imelda May is face of credit unions

AnthonyMurray — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:23:29 +0000

International music star Imelda May goes back to her roots as the face of credit unions in Ireland.

The singer, who has released three albums and appeared at the Grammy Awards and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, has recorded two television commercials for the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU).

Imelda will be the face of credit unions in the country throughout the International Year of Co-operatives in a national advertising campaign that has launched this week. As well as the two television commercials, which see the singer using her local financial co-operative, a number of radio adverts and press and poster adverts have been developed by Dublin agency Focus Advertising.

Imelda’s family has long been involved with credit unions as members and as volunteers in Meath Street Credit Union, Dublin, and Imelda’s Dad, Tony, a former credit union volunteer, also features in one of the 30 second television adverts.

A statement from the ILCU said: "Imelda has earned success the hard way — she’s living, dancing, singing proof for us all that hard work has its rewards. From teenagers to grannies she’s popular bar none to those who hear her music or meet her. This is what makes her different, what makes her stand out from the crowd and this difference is what the credit union holds close to its heart.

"The concept of the new campaign focuses on the credit union’s core values – its people! At each credit union around Ireland it is the member that comes first and the credit union celebrates and acknowledges that fact. Notably, as Ireland’s credit unions undergo a period of significant change, the campaign marks and paves the way to the beginning of that process."

Talking about her involvement in the campaign, Imelda said: “I’ve been a life-long member of the credit union, so I was delighted to be asked to front their campaign.”

Speaking at the launch of the new advertising campaign, Mandy Johnston, ILCU Head of Communications, said: “This innovative and integrated campaign has been designed to highlight the benefits of credit union membership by focusing primarily on the uniqueness of the credit union brand.

"The core values and differences of the credit union movement – members, commitment to co-operation and commitment to community are strongly represented in the campaign.

"We are delighted to have Imelda on board. Imelda and her family have been long involved with the movement and for us represent the very essence of the credit union.”

ICA welcomes 268th member

AnthonyMurray — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:02:05 +0000

Based in Ireland, Co-operative Support Services Limited (CSS Limited) have become the 268th member of the International Co-operative Alliance. CSS Limited promotes, develops and supports the co-operative and social enterprise sector as part of local sustainable economic development. They encourage and support potential community entrepreneurs to put their ideas into practice. CSS encourages and helps immigrants to unlock their full potential by pooling their skills and resources to develop co-operative businesses in their chosen business sector. They provide business advice, training, and publications for their members. They also create awareness of the contribution of ethnic co-operatives to Ireland, and advocate for ethnic co-operatives with the government. For more information visit www.css.coop

The ICA now has 268 members in 96 countries active in all sectors of the economy.

With a tough year ahead, it’s time to develop new ideas

AnthonyMurray — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:00:16 +0000

2012 will be a tough year — it takes no intelligence to predict that. Consumer confidence is likely to fall further, while unemployment rises yet higher. Europe is suffering, but the knock-on effects are spreading out — with the extraordinary growth reported in recent years in China and India now falling back.

This is, in the main, bad news for the co-operative and mutual sector, both at home and abroad. One example of this is the recent downgrading of Credit Agricole, the quasi-mutual, quasi-stock exchange listed giant French bank. Other lenders across Europe are also at risk of further credit rating downgrades and the need to turn to governments to bail them out.

In the UK, there are nervous eyes looking at the weak and downgraded ratings status of some building societies. There are market fears that a few smaller building societies could either go to the wall, or else need to be rescued by a larger financial institution. With the Financial Services Compensation Scheme in place, there is no reason for savers to worry too much — providing they have the nous to hold no more than £85,000 in any one financial institution.

Investing in building societies’ Permanent Interest Bearing Shares is a different matter — taking out PIBS in one of small societies in the current environment should be regarded as high risk. The risk attached to this was, in effect, highlighted in recent months by the problems that PIBS-holders in the former Bristol & West Building Society are going through in seeking to recover their investments from the Bank of Ireland, which acquired Bristol & West in better economic times.

There is also concern for some smaller credit unions. While credit unions in the Irish Republic look certain to need large bail-outs from the Irish government as an indirect result of the property crash, we can also expect to see more consolidation among smaller credit unions in Ireland and the UK. The credit union crisis in Ireland demonstrates once more the need for mutuals to have robust corporate governance arrangements in place and to adopt cautious risk management practices.

The wider context of declining consumer confidence creates a problem, in particular, for retailers. The Mary Portas review of high street retailing environments underlines the reality that the traditional co-operative society department stores are a thing of the past for the most part. High streets can only meet the challenge of out-of-town shopping centres if they can offer something substantial in terms of ‘value added’.

Retailers in town and city centres must work together with their local authorities — for example, through Business Improvement Districts — to create a visitor experience that is above and beyond just the retailing itself. This can be achieved by renewing the infrastructure; producing a better ‘feel’; exploiting the history of the place; offering childcare facilities for shoppers; and improving public transport facilities. Simply providing the same offering of the past is no good.

This is particularly true for some niche high street retailing. Quality booksellers have mostly disappeared from the high streets of all but the largest cities. Travel agents are similarly endangered. The internet has undermined the business models of both sectors in terms of high street retailing.

Clearly the Co-op Group’s ‘joint venture’ with Thomas Cook could face further difficulties in the time to come. It is difficult to see how holiday operators in the high street can compete with online providers, unless they come up with something that gives them a clear market edge. What that could be, I have no idea.

But if town centre retailing as we have known it is dying, this does at least provide better returns for many of the new style co-operative convenience stores — smaller shops, locally situated, working on higher margins, should have a future. The challenge, though, is the increased challenge in these locations from smaller new shop units run by the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury and Marks & Spencer.

One retailer facing a tougher economic climate is the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership. It has done very well in recent years through high-quality retailing, but the period we have entered could be a problem when more consumers are tightening their spending patterns. This is equally true for the Waitrose division of John Lewis. However, both operations have fared reasonably well in these tough times — the test will be whether top earners feel the squeeze in the same way as lower earners.

But it must be emphasised that weak economies offer as many opportunities as challenges. The pinch points in the modern economy are finding ways to afford homes, food and energy, while prices rise. These are the opportunities for mutuals in the modern economy — including through housing co-ops, food co-ops and energy co-ops.

And it is clear that there are exciting initiatives underway through mutual interventions in the energy sector — in particular via Co-operative Energy and the Energy Saving Co-operative. These projects make enormous sense. Energy is a market that does not work properly in the capitalist system — it is prone to exploitation, market manipulation and monopoly/oligopoly provision. Consumers are unable to benefit from open competition because of restricted choice.

Moreover, for consumers to exercise their best options, they need to invest for the long term — both by entering into longer-term contracts and also by investing in energy saving and local energy generating (solar, wind and geothermal, for example) equipment. This is only practical if there are market interventions that make these investments realistic and affordable — and this requires mutual type solutions. Unrestricted market operations are usually geared to encouraging higher demand, rather than energy-saving approaches — hence the benefits of mutual based support.

It may also be that we will see more government initiatives badged as ‘mutual’ or ‘co-operative’. But we must be wary about buying into the terms put forward by central government. The ‘free school’ movement promoted by education secretary Michael Gove was, in opposition, called the ‘co-operative school movement’ — but it was always unclear in what way these schools would be co-operative. Similarly, giving employees a minority stake in the privatisation of their workplaces, while the majority stake is held by private equity firms, is only ‘mutualisation’ in a very broad sense of the word.

It has always been true that the co-operative movement contains ideas that appeal to a wide range of political thought. But this does not mean that everything put forward by politicians from different political traditions and called ‘mutuals’ or ‘co-operatives’ is in the movement’s interests to support. As Shakespeare said, ‘not all that glisters is gold’.

Similarly, not all that is called a ‘mutual’ or a ‘co-operative’ is actually part of the Movement, or is in accordance with its working practices.

Co-operative Enterprises: Key Actors in the EU ‘Agenda for Change’

MirkoNodari — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:01:50 +0000

On 13th October, EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, unveiled the 'Agenda for Change' of EU Development policy. This communication is the basis of the future EU Development strategy, with which the EU will re-prioritize its delivery of aid to developing countries to ensure maximum impact on poverty reduction.