OCTOBER 2018

news
Is the future of the world
a co-operative one?
CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND
CHALLENGING THE GLOBAL CO-OP
MOVEMENT SINCE 1871
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EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Rebecca Harvey
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INTERNATIONAL EDITOR
Anca Voinea | anca@thenews.coop
DIGITAL EDITOR
Miles Hadfield | miles@thenews.coop
EDITORIAL
Jen Banks | jen@thenews.coop
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Keir Mucklestone-Barnett
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Elaine Dean (chair), David Paterson
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Ewing, Tim Hartley, Beverley
Perkins and Barbara Rainford.
Secretary: Richard Bickle
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cooperativenews
With far right parties making electoral gains in Europe, the Trump
administration widening divisions in the USA and the Brexit process
in stalemate (p46-47), there seems no end in sight to the political
fallout from the global financial crisis of 2008.
It’s a worrying and uncertain situation – but arguably, it is one which
opens up space for new, more progressive ideas to flourish and replace
the prevailing neoliberal economics. If so, that makes it the perfect
time to make the case for the democratic ownership models offered
by the co-op movement.
In the UK, these ideas are gaining traction with grassroots movements
and thinktank reports looking at applying co-op and mutual ideas
to energy, housing, transport and employment (p44-45). The
Co-operative Party, formed to represent the movement 100 years ago,
will be presenting its own ideas for the UK economy at its annual
conference in Bristol, from 12-14 October (p42-43).
The co-op movement is being revitalised elsewhere in the world,
too – whether it is being harnessed to the Civil Rights movement in the
USA (p40-41), working with government to improve living standards in
Malawi (p36-37) or shaking off associations with discredited regimes
in eastern Europe to build new enterprises (p34-35).
But does this mean co-op models can build a convincing argument
to counter the reactionary politics offered by right wing populists?
We speak to Ariel Guarco, president of the International Co-operative
Alliance, and US grassroots organiser John Duda – who makes the
case for a more progressive populist tradition which has existed in the
USA, and calls for a pluralist system of ownership models to create a
more inclusive economy (p38-39).
Hopefully these ideas can grow and offer more democratic solutions
to the economic and environmental problems facing the world.
MILES HADFIELD - DIGITAL EDITOR
Co-operative News is printed using vegetable oil-based
inks on 80% recycled paper (with 60% from post-consumer
waste) with the remaining 20% produced from FSC or PEFC
certified sources. It is made in a totally chlorine free process.
OCTOBER 2018 | 3