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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;font-weight:bold'>To all
on the sheffield.coop e.mail list</span></font></b><font size=2 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The Yorkshire Co-operative Party Council
have drafted this appeal to co-operators.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I hope that you find it worth your
consideration.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>With all good wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Steve Thompson<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Sheffield Branch Co-operative Party
membership secretary<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><st1:place w:st="on"><b><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>YORKSHIRE</span></font></b></st1:place><b><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-weight:bold'> CO-OPERATIVE PARTY COUNCIL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:
bold'>APPEAL TO CO-OPERATORS<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Whether you work in worker co-operative producing energy,
food or any other good for sale, or work in co-operative retail distribution,
or are a member of such organisations as an investor or consumer, you are a
co-operator. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>You may not think of yourself as a co-operator because
your organization has no affiliation to Co-operatives UK or Co-operatives
Yorkshire and <st1:place w:st="on">Humber</st1:place>. Moreover, your
organization, because of its structure of governance, may be best described as
a social enterprise, rather than a co-operative. Even so, if it is constituted
under Industrial and Provident Society legislation, which was originally
devised to provide a legal framework for forms of co-operative activity, you
qualify for membership of Co-operatives UK and Co-operatives Yorkshire and <st1:place
w:st="on">Humber</st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>This brings us to our first appeal. If your
organization is eligible and not already affiliated to Co-operatives UK and
Co-operatives Yorkshire and <st1:place w:st="on">Humber</st1:place>, please
consider doing so. We urge affiliation because we think it important to
demonstrate the amount and scale of economic activity based on an <i><span
style='font-style:italic'>alternative </span></i>model to that of private
equity capitalism.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>But we wish to go further and issue a second appeal.
We share the feelings of all co-operators who are disillusioned by politics,
political parties and politicians. We too are disgusted by much of what we see
at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Westminster</st1:City></st1:place>
and in the City and would not exclude from criticism those with whom we are
affiliated. We see great virtue in trying to change society through grass-roots
action and we view co-operation as social movement which, through its greater
ethical commitment, can produce a major transformation of society.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>But if that is your view, we appeal to you to join the
general movement by affiliating to bodies beyond your own organization so that
our voice can be magnified and the message trumpeted to the many who are only
too inclined to wallow in self-interest!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Being an active co-operator is one part of being an
active citizen, but it is a <i><span style='font-style:italic'>part </span></i>rather
than the whole. Unfortunately, despite our feeling of disconnection with much
in current politics and society, we find politics inescapable. We may often
wish to say, as once did Anthony Newley, “stop the world I want to get
off”, but …..<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>The Co-operative Party was founded in 1917 and
affiliated to the Labour Party in 1927. Why? Economic conditions for the
domestic population were very difficult at the height of the Great War in 1917
and co-operators saw the need to politically represent the interests of
consumers and co-operators against those of war profiteers. The
affiliation to the Labour Party followed the defeat of the miners and the
wider trade union movement in the General Strike of 1926 and to combine against
the subsequent attack on working-class interests by a triumphant Conservative
government. Political action was required to defend co-operatives from adverse
legislation in Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>What we need now is less defensive than offensive
action! The crises now facing humanity call for more pressing of co-operative
ethical values and principles on Labour's policy-making and, through political
mechanisms, on domestic and international society. JOIN US NOW.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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