Tag Index: Cooperatives

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Conflicts of Interest

Co-operators, trade unionists and the events of May 1926 in Bristol

By Chris Bowkett
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 […]
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The Centenary of the 1926 General Strike

May 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the nine day ‘General Strike’. This solidarity action was an attempt by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to prevent wage reductions and increasingly bad working conditions for 1.2 million coal miners who had already been locked-out by their employers. Around 1.7 million workers, mainly in transport and heavy industry, responded and the country was confronted with explicit class war. “I will not see the strikers’ own food left to rot!” Chris Bowkett from the […]
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West Street Stories

Did you know that West Street was once the busiest high street in Bedminster? Or that there was a coalmine on the actual street, and the first ever Co-op shop in Bristol was started at number 88 by the miners? We'll be bringing the Facebook page 'West Street Stories' to life with a photo exhibition and printed memories, and inviting local people to pop in to add their stories to our collection. Organised by Way Out West, the West Street BS3 neighbourhood group: weststreetbs3@gmail.com
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