Catch-Up

Hi all, and sorry for not updating my blog for a while. I am unbelieveably busy with preperations for my wedding (next weekend - lets hope for good weather as I'm getting our guests to punt around Cambridge!), and I am afraid that I have let my blogging duties go by the wayside somewhat.

However, I could let the exchange of contracts for the Co-op purchase of Somerfield go without being marked. This is a major event for the co-operative movement, which will see our market share go above 8% - we might not have broken into the "top four", but if there were a Top Five then we'd be in it! Of course, the increase in trade has to be paid for - all £1.6bn of it, and our borrowings will increase considerably as a result of this deal. This means that when the inevitiable enforced sales of certain stores occur courtesy of the competition commission come about we might be pleased of the cash!

The deal means that we will take the idea of retail consumer co-operation to a much larger proportion of the country than we have had a chance to do before. It will also stretch area committees when Somerield stores start rebranding as The Co-operative - think of all those openings to attend! But what a nice position to be in.

Another thing that I have meant to mention for quite a while is the People's Rail Campaign. This campaign of the Co-operative Party is to call for a mutualisation of Network Rail - the public body that grew out of the ashes of the disastourously run private company that was Railtrack. Although it is now supposed to be run in the public interest, it has serious governance issues, and is not reflecting the needs and views of rail passengers. This is where Co-operation comes in! The campaign aims to create what is, in effect, a consumer co-op open to all citizens which would run Network rail. This is a fantastic idea from the Co-op Party, and helps me remind why I joined! If succesful, the People's Rail Campaign would mean that the railways would be better run, and that the idea of Co-operation was introduced to many more people.

I'm going to be being married or on honeymoon for most of the next three weeks, and not even I am obsessed enough about the Co-operative Movement to blog during that time. However, I will be spending a week in the Cumbrian village of Hesket Newmarket - named by this blog as the epicentre of the forthcoming Co-operative Commonwealth! Wish Kate luck.........

P.S. I can't think about the Somerfield takeover without a slight feeling of pleasure due to this little episode.