East Sussex Co-operative Party: February 2017

Tuesday 28 February 2017

Good turnout for "Our Girl" Claire!

The East Sussex Branch proudly welcomed General Secretary Claire McCarthy back to her home town at our meeting on 11th February.

Claire spoke to a well-attended meeting about Co-op campaigns, and how we can support these going forward. There were questions and discussions on a range of issues- including co-operative solutions as part of bringing rail back into public ownership; what the future is for co-opera

tion in schools, and how our relationship should develop with the Co-operative Bank and other mutual businesses.

Claire spoke of the need not just to maintain our strength in Parliament and the devolved governments, but also to build the numbers of Co-operative local councillors in authorities up and down the country.

The Branch is proud to be supporting the prospective candidacies of several co-operators in the forthcoming East Sussex elections. The branch also endorsed Andrew Pakes for the Co-operative Party NEC and Dave Brinson for the National Disciplinary Committee.

Most members were able to stay for an excellent lunch from Ellie at the RAFA.

Thursday 2 February 2017

Next Meeting: 11th February with Claire McCarthy

We are very pleased to welcome our General Secretary, Claire McCarthy, as guest speaker at the East Sussex branch meeting on 11th February in Eastbourne.

As well as being General Secretary of our Party, Claire is an Eastbourne girl, who once had a far more prestigious role as Secretary of Eastbourne Young Labour.... Claire will talk about the campaigns of our party, and how we can make sure our values are central to Labour's policy making.

Other business will be kept to a minimum, although we will have an opportunity to nominate to the NEC and National Disciplinary Committee elections.

THE MEETING WILL BE at the RAF Association, Wish Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4NX (map) on Saturday 11th February starting at 11.00am (note slightly later start time than usual) The bar will be open after the meeting, and the club also serves excellent lunches! Please note there is a staircase to the meeting room.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Officers of the East Sussex branch of the Co-operative Party

About the Co-operative Party

The Co-operative Party is the political arm of the co-operative movement. We have more than 9,000 members.

Our party was established in 1917 and has been a sister party of the Labour Party since 1927.

We believe that people achieve more by working together than they can by working alone. We support the efforts of those who seek success through that co-operative endeavour.

We believe that the only way to create a just and fair society is through power being spread evenly throughout society, and not arbitrarily based on wealth, class, gender or race.

We work to promote co-operatives and all forms of mutual organisation.

We work in partnership with the Labour Party as its sister party to achieve these ends. That means we stand candidates jointly with the Labour Party at all levels of government. There are currently 29 Labour and Co-operative MPs in the House of Commons, 15 Members of the House of Lords, 5 Members of the Scottish Parliament, 9 Members of the Welsh Assembly and hundreds of councillors around the country.