Creating a new society within the confines of the old.
From Robert Owen onwards, groups of radicals have attempted to build progressive alternatives to capitalism from within its heart. One of the biggest most successful of these has been the co-operative movement. However, it has encountered contradictions in its attempt to square its principles with those of the dominant culture and economy.
A stark instance of this was during the General Strike when co-op workers—members of a union closed shop—were called upon to support the strike, thus finding themselves unable to provide food and other essentials to co-op members, nor to the striking workers. In Conflicts of Interest Chris Bowkett discusses how these contradictions played out in the Bristol area.
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