Letter from Parliament – Jim Dobbin MP

Jim Dobbin MP

Despite the behaviour of individuals linked with the recent Co-operative Bank, the Co-operative mutual model must be protected and defended by all staunch Co-operative members, especially here in Rochdale, the birthplace of the Co-operative movement.

The Co-operative movement is an international movement which supports individuals and local communities in many different ways.

Co-operatives are ethical, and I stress the word ethical, business enterprises trading on a more than profit basis for the benefit of their members.

Co-operative members run their businesses to meet not only current economic needs but also their social and cultural needs and aspirations. They are controlled democratically by their members who actively take part in policy making and decision taking.

Co-operatives provide education and training for members to enable sustainable developments to take place. Their values are of self help, self responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity.

Good Co-operative members follow the ethical values of honesty, social responsibility and caring for others.

The political wing of the Co-operative is the Co-operative Party, a sister party of the Labour Party whose relationship goes back to around 1917 and is based on their shared beginnings in support of working class people in local communities.

There are at the moment 32 Labour/Co-operative MP’s in Parliament of which I am one. There are Labour and Co-operative Lords and Members of the European Parliament.

The Co-operative Party contributes £1,500 each year to my local constituency party, which is properly declared and is used solely for constituency party business.

Trades Unions have similar links with some MPs, and of course Conservative MPs are generally supported by big business, usually through off shore tax haven accounts, generally not declared. That is the way that politics is supported financially in the constituencies.

It will be essential to investigate what has taken place recently by reviewing the entire process but in the end the only real outcome should be a stronger Co-operative model.

On Saturday 7 December it is Small Business Saturday.

Small businesses make an enormous contribution to our community and are one of the things that make our town unique.

This is a grass roots campaign to encourage people to shop locally and support small independent business. They hire thousands of local people and bolster our local economy. This is an important event to highlight their huge contribution and to encourage local support of the Heywood and Middleton small businesses.

I have just returned from Madrid where I spoke at a conference on Medi-crime which aims to combat the spread and sale of counterfeit medicines and products. This is a global scandal that must be stopped. These corrupt medicines can kill people. The most recent case was a teenager who went on-line and bought what was described as a slimming product, it was, in fact, a pesticide. Tragically, this young man died after taking this.

Last Saturday it was the beginning of Christmas fair time - Bamford Chapel, Castleton Parish Church and Middleton Cricket Club. Each fair was different but full of activity. They are great social occasions and I enjoyed each one. Well done to everyone involved.