The rain-swelled Thames

Two birthdays, two celebrations, Friday and Saturday, both at pubs along the rain-swelled Thames – though fifty miles apart. Thank you and happy birthday Paddy and Adrian.

The first was the the beautiful Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich. It claims on a notice by the bar to feature in Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens – though I am on page 414 right at the moment and all his characters with the wonderful names of Boffin, Twemlow, Wilfur and the Veneerings have yet to find their way there.

The second was the Red Lion in Henley, snug alongside the riverbank, with the waters full but the stretch far more narrow then when the Thames closes towards Kent and the sea.

 

Among the poppies

11.11.11 is the name of the day of international solidarity in Belgium. 11.11 is also, of course, remembrance day and today I wandered through a meadow of poppies in Whitehall – one I read was dedicated to the messenger pigeons that died in world war one, others to the wounded and dead civilians and soldiers from today’s wars. My daughter was chosen from her school to be part of the service. I couldn’t see her as I was passing through to meet a succession of ministers to talk coop – Tessa Jowell, Sarah Mcarthy Fry (the minister for mutuals) and Ed Balls.

I did see a few white poppies, which I learn from the unsung Coop News was invented by the womens guild of the cooperative movement after the first world war, as a symbol of peace as well as a mark of respect.

Red or White poppy, I guess that, in a world that tells us that we are what matters, we are ‘worth it’, it is good to stop and say thank you for what others have done for us.

Big society, big conversation?

David Cameron’s Hugo Young speech is really well worth reading – rather than assume that the state gets in the way and needs to get out, he asks how the state can act in order to be able to get out of the way. It is not a speech about concrete action, which is a shame because actions are louder than words, but it is about ideas and core philosophy and very important for it – he cites for example the co-operative theorist and Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom. I would say that if the thinking here spreads across the Conservative Party, there is a genuinely interesting set of conversations to come.

 

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…”