this post originally appeared in Stir Magazine illustration by Daksheeta Pattni In 2002 I described United Diversity as “a member owned and stakeholder governed network of mutual advantage.” In truth, it was aspirational. At the time, the flexible off-the-shelf legal structures and open source tools needed to make such a network a reality simply didn’t exist. Now they do. Co-ops that combine best practices from the international co-operative movement with best practices from the open source … [Read more...]
United Diversity at the London Permaculture Festival
I'm off to Cloud Cuckoo Land Festival now, but thought I'd better whack this presentation I did at the London Permaculture Festival up first. I gives a brief history of United Diversity plus details of our exciting plans going forward. The sound isn't too good so when I get the time I'll do a full transcript with links any everything, but for now, enjoy! … [Read more...]
TOGETHER. How cooperatives show resilience to the crisis
This great new documentary, featuring Mondragon and other co-operative inspirations shows how it is not just financial co-operatives who are more resilient to crisis, but all co-ops. The examples are from around Europe, but the same is true in the UK. The UK co-operative economy is performing significantly better than the UK economy as a whole with things like Community-owned Village Shops proving to have much higher survival rates than others. … [Read more...]
The Mondragon Co-operative Corporation
The Mondragón Corporation is an inspiration. The largest cooperative in the world, they are a federated network of over 250 co-operative businesses who together are the seventh biggest group in Spain. They employ over 80,000 people, have their own banks, universities, research laboratories and social security systems. They have proven to be incredibly resilient to the on going economic crisis. Unemployment in the Basque region where they are based is less than half than the rest of Spain … [Read more...]
Time to replicate WIR Bank?
The WIR Bank in Switzerland has been successfully running for over 60 years. It was started in the 1930s in response to the great economic crises of the time. Studies have shown that it's turnover is extremely counter-cyclical, adding to the resilience and stability of the Swiss Economy. They are a great long-term example of how financial co-operatives prove to be more resilient in times of crisis. Almost 20% of all Swiss Businesses are members and they have an annual turnover of nearly £3 … [Read more...]
Financial co-operatives: A safe bet in a crisis
The Co-opreative News has reported news about a study by the International Labour Organization called Resilience in a downturn: The power of financial cooperatives. You can download find the report on the Co-operatives shelf of of online library or read it now below. Resilience in a Downturn - The Power of Financial Cooperatives … [Read more...]
How Cooperatives and Community Enterprise Will Get Us Out of this Gigantic Mess
I've posted this excellent talk by Janelle Orsi from the brilliant Sustainable Economies Law Center a few times over on our facebook page. The whole presentation is well worth watching, but I particularly like it when she says: What is the entity structure that is most going to ensure that our communities are protected? and what is going to most ensure that the wealth in society becomes distributed more equitably? I keep coming back to the answer of: Co-operatives. Co-operatives, Co-operatives, … [Read more...]
The Take: Occupy. Resist. Produce.
As I've said before, The Take is one of the best films I've seen. We're screening it at 7.30pm on Saturday December 15th @ Sessions of Spontaneity Watch the trailer now: And watch the whole thing! (NOTE: although much if not most of the film above is in English there are no subtitles on the spanish bits) … [Read more...]
Dialstation: Cheap International Calls from Your Mobile
Ever wondered what the best way to make international calls from your mobile is? Well, the answer is Dialstation. There are lots of ways to an initiate a call (including a facebook app) but the one I've personally found most convenient is to simply text a contact from my address book to Dialstation. Say, for example, I want to call my Dad in Spain. Both he and I only have mobile phones and he has never even used a computer so voip is out of the question for now. Normally, (unless I buy … [Read more...]
Venezuela Bolivariana: People and the struggle of the 4th world war
This is a great documentary about Venezuela. See also The Revolution Will Not Be Televised … [Read more...]