I am giving a talk for Cooperatives Wales on Saturday morning as part of their celebration of Robert Owen Day. My talk on a new economic narrative for the left will follow a keynote from Mark Drakeford, the first minister of Wales. The whole agenda is here:
I gather there are a few on-line tickets still available. I will be able to share the video next week.
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Great that you are getting top billing after the First Minister
we certainly need a new narrative.
The Bank of England has just raised interest rates to 4.5%.
Really helpful -not!
Agreed
Look forward to the video. Let’s hope Mark Drakeford takes note. Welsh Labour could do with standing even more independently from Westminster on many things, .
Plaid Cymru has just shot itself in the foot (at least it’s not in the head) with the report into bullying in the party. Despite shortcomings, PC has a good social welfare programme and campaigns hard on it, challenging Welsh Labour on the NHS too.
And there’ll be a large independence demonstration in Swansea later this month.
So … fantastic you are being invited to help lead the chorus!!
Thanks
FYI, Clara Mattei mentions co-operatives and guilds in her book ‘The Capital Order’ (2022) pp. 92-98 – a really interesting part of the book.
Co-operatives and guilds though were undermined by austerity and easily so if Matteis account is to be considered. Something to chew over even now in terms of how money as a resource is badly allocated in our society today.
BTW – the British interwar guilds she talks about were ‘socialist’ ones and operated on a cost price service basis with work output at its heart and not profit making (just a fair steady wage). The story of the Italian interwar co-operatives is one where there were effective but denounced as ‘Bolsheviks’ by right wing economists and the like and were disbanded under force by Mussolini’s fascists because of their threat to capitalist the status quo.
Co-operatives are an excellent idea economically and socially but will always struggle in a capitalistic culture, simply because if they succeed they then become a direct threat to capitalism.
There are always lots of moans when pubs close down but consider the social implications of drunkeness. It is not in the interests of pubs to clamp down on consumption – it hurts profits. Over consumption leads directly to violence in and outside the pub, domestic violence and carnage on the roads.
If real community/co-operative associations are set up then many positives will ensue. The Euskadi (Basque) have mens cooking clubs, very competitive which encourages very high standards. How about co-op breweries and pubs where beer and food will quite naturally be of a high standard, drunkeness will not be tolerated. Social contact will occur naturally not driven by a profit motive. Community child care, day care for the elderly.
Instead of money draining away from communities to profit driven private companies it remains inside the community.
I remember very well the Infinity organic food co-op that was set up in Brighton in the 1970s’. I shopped there from it’s beginning until I/we left the UK in 2001. Over the decades has become a major wholesale UK supplier of organic and vegan foodstuffs. It’s proof positive that co-ops can and do work on a long term basis.
Up there with Mark Drakeford – sounds good. Hope it goes well.
But ‘Ribert Own Day’ would have really got me foxed if you hadn’t also posted the agenda. Maybe you could correct that?
Done – thanks
Good try Richard, but only half done! It still says ‘Own’ for Owen ….
It was a busy day
Sorry
Looks like an interesting second session too. It’s looking at Community Wealth Building, which is tested and proven (Preston, Manchester, in Scotland and internationally). Each of the five main principals should resonate with regular visitors to Funding the Future and the model should be attracting the attention of all progressive parties.
* Plural ownership of the economy
* Making financial power work for local places
* Fair employment and just labour markets
* Progressive procurement of goods and services
* Socially productive use of land and property
Indeed
I will be sharing all the videos here in due course
Wonderful stuff. Some of the other speakers should be aware of the South Cornelly Community Energy project which I and one other started. Hope you have a great time. This is the way forward & it’s nice to see Wales leading.
Well done. Top billing. At the heart of the discussion. Tax the rich . Landowners.
With a land tax.
Co-ops are the way forward.
Trouble is that there’s opposition from both sides. The Tories obviously but also the left. See previous comments about the Bolsheviks etc . Shame. I hope Wales can avoid that.