Co-op News - February 2020

POLITICS
Co-op Party writes to Labour leadership contenders
The nominations process for the Labour
leadership race has closed, with Keir
Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Lisa Nandy,
and Emily Thornberry the final four in the
running for the top job.
Each candidate will now require either
5% of CLPs or at least three affiliates (at
least two of which shall be a trade union)
compromising 5% of affiliated membership
to be included on the ballot. The final date
for CLPs and affiliates to submit their
nomination is Friday 14 February, with the
election held on 4 April.
Joe Fortune, general secretary of
Labour’s sister organisation, the
Co-operative Party, has written to the
candidates to ask their position on the
co-operative movement.
He writes: “The thousands of
Co-operative Party members and tens
of thousands of supporters are often
Labour Party members too ... I am
sure they will want a clearer idea of
the next generation of Labour leaders’
co-operative vision – both in terms of their
co-operative ideas as well as how they
hope to strengthen the relationship with
the co-op movement’s political party.”
He added: “The Co-operative Party
has been part of Labour’s broad church
longer than most of us have been alive,
and we fervently believe that this church
is strongest when its constituent parts are
valued parts of the congregation – not
just on the value of what they contribute
when the plate is passed round but on the
experience, richness and ideas they bring
to the community.
“Like me, I suspect co-operators were
heartened by the ambition of policy
commitments made over recent years,
the focal point of which was a serious
commitment to work to double the size
of the co-operative sector. However,
we believe there is scope to be more
ambitious, and that there is much more
to learn from the ideas, people and cooperatives
we seek to faithfully represent.
“Their example points to the way
forward for a fairer economy where
wealth and power are shared, and where
communities and activists are empowered
p Joe Fortune, Co-op Party general secretary
to make change happen from the
bottom up.”
Mr Fortune said Labour faces a raft of
challenges, including “the need to earn
trust; to build genuine relationships in
every community; to develop an enabling
policy framework; and to demonstrate
a wider value and narrative around the
importance of common ownership”.
He added: “We hope that, through the
coming period and when the results of
this important contest are announced, cooperation
and co-operators have a bright
future to look forward to as we build
towards government once again.”
EDUCATION
Co-op College to provide training for
new CCIN members
The Co-operative College will deliver an induction programme
for new members of the Co-operative Councils Innovation
Network (CCIN), including introductory online training and a
more in-depth programme.
The College is also commissioning training programmes
tailored specifically to a co-op council.
The online training programme will also be available as a
refresher to individuals from existing CCIN members.
Participants will learn about the co-operative values and
principles adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance
and how these
might be applied
to the workings
of co-op councils.
The programme
will be developed
with input from
CCIN member
councils during
an eight-week
p Cllr Sharon Taylor, chair of CCIN, and Dr consultation and
Cilla Ross, principal of the College
design period.
COMMUNITY
Co-ops on the agenda at Sheffield
Festival of Debate
Sheffield’s Festival of Debate will feature two events by Principle
5, a co-operative resource centre for Yorkshire.
The festival explores politics, economics and society with
a series of panel discussions, debates, Q&As, artistic responses,
keynote speeches and other public events across the city.
On Friday, 8 May, worker co-op expert Cath Muller will
present an introduction to the co-operative model. She
will share her experience of living and working in a co-op as
well as the basics of how co-ops work.
On Saturday, 9 May, an event will explore ethics and change
within the co-operative movement. Academic and author Tony
Webster will examine why some Co-op Group stores have closed
while Cath Muller will talk about her recent low-carbon tour of
co-ops in Europe and the Americas. She will focus on some of
the alternative co-operative economies, radical worker co-ops
and strategies for social change discovered during her journey.
u Both events take place at One Space, at Union Street
co-working space
in Sheffield. For
more information
contact: steve@
sheffield.coop
8 | FEBRUARY 2020