Break up big business?

The Independent has published an opinion piece by me today.

I contrast the process of big business getting bigger with the grass-roots energy and new solutions emerging from co-operative enterprises.

We have Kraft bidding (or not) for Cadbury today. Meanwhile, six companies in the energy market, five in mortgages, four in mobile phones, four in retail, two in payment systems, one in online advertising search … in each case, a handful of companies control around seventy per cent or more of UK sales.

More on a dog helps dogs world

 

On the same theme. I have been to see the new puppies that my mum has…

A dog helps dog world

I have given my first external talk for Co-operatives UK, contrasting what we are always told about this being a ‘dog eats dog’ world. In reality, neither dogs nor we are quite like that. We had a great session on the prospects for the co-operative economy, pulled together by the Co-operative Group, with an input too from Andrew Bibby and Diane Coyle – plus Phillip Blond, Neal Lawson, Ann Pettifor, Vicky Price, Steve Wyler and Cliff Mills among others.

I have pulled together some of the reading (thanks for suggestions) and conversations(you know who you are) into what I think is a really exciting agenda for co-operation in today’s world.

It is called A Dog Help Dog World.

Organic, Pluralistic, Pragmatic, Voluntary

These are the words that Gary Dorrien uses to describe a programme of ‘economic democracy’ for the USA. It is a great and provocative read (thanks Pat!).

First day

 

My first day with Co-operatives UK in Manchester! And when I arrive, there, high above, is a rainbow… a sign of hope for me.

My contact details are: Secretary General, Co-operatives UK, Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester M60 0AS. Tel is 0161 246 2939.

Leave a comment and I will send you my email address if you want it!

Carbon party

I have been with the Board of Co-operatives UK in Crewe today for a strategy awayday before starting next week. We have had a great input from a survey of members and the key step change everyone wants is to build the public campaign and case for co-operation. The timing could not be better.

Tonight we go for our local ‘carbon party’. Over the last twelve years or so, a group of us have met, courtesy of Robin Stott (doctor, cyclist, host and author), to share our carbon footprint levels and … party. It is a way to say that doing the right thing can be doing the fun thing – although in truth our footprints are still way over the levels we have to have as a society.

Big state, little people

Chris tells me of his visit last week to the Home Office for an event on immigration policy.

He represents the vocal non-profit Refugee Action. So, even though they have some state funding, he was taken aback to be given a badge for the event which described the organisation to the world as ”Home Office Subcontractor’.

“A few years back” he says “they called us a stakeholder…”

Oz open government

I am on a reference group for open government in Australia – so pleased to see that a “MashupAustralia” competition starting to find the best new ways of using public data for citizen re-use – with a website of government data to support the mash-up contest. They have also launched a ‘Not for Profit Public Service Information Project Ideas’ contest this month.

There is nothing like a good competition to get co-operation started…

Stirling

I have travelled North by train to Stirling (castle here courtesy, under creative commons license, of heroesnotzombies.wordpress.com) to visit Johnston Birchall and colleagues. Johnston is a friend and one of the Britain’s leading researchers on co-operation and mutuality.

One of his current passions is for farmers’ co-operatives, but he warns against the tendencies encouraged overseas by development donors to see these as NGOs. They are businesses and have to deliver marketing benefits to their members to survive and thrive.

He distinguishes co-operatives and mutuals as democratic businesses that are about members rather than shareholders. The three defining characteristics he sees are member ownership, member control and member benefits. Johnston has recently completed a short report with Richard Simmons forthcoming for the Co-operative College on co-operatives in international development and has been working on what will be an outstanding project for Co-operative Development Scotland – looking at the comparative performance of the co-operative sector across different countries. In Finland, for example, the co-operative sector accounts for a remarkable 21% of overall GDP. In Switzerland, it is 16% and in Sweden, 13%.

The economical environmentalist

I spoke at the launch last night of Prashant’s excellent new book, The Economical Environmentalist.

He is always so good with numbers – and not shy at presenting them – and he took a particular shot at meat eating in a time of climate change. These were my favourites:

• it takes fifteen units of energy to feed a cow equivalent to produce the equivalent of one in terms of edible meat
• switching to beans does make you more flatulent, but cows produce so much methane that for the same weight of food, beef produces 100 farts from the cow for every one from you after a unit of beans (I am not making this up)
• a 400 gram book is a good way of sequestering 1kg of carbon…