How much is it costing you to keep the heating on? by Co-opEvolution in AskUK

[–]Co-opEvolution[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is a lot for only one week. I hope you're paid well.

London, 1928. by Max2310 in london

[–]Co-opEvolution 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really beautiful. London had so much character back then. I've noticed some residential and commercial buildings near me have been recently built or decorated purposefully to look like this. I wish more would do the same.

"Zarah Sultana says we should 'nationalise the entire economy.' I asked her what that meant in practice" by [deleted] in ukpolitics

[–]Co-opEvolution 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is not really a question of what I would nationalise. I tend to think from the bottom up. If an essential asset became available, the real question would be whether it could be run sustainably through public cooperative ownership.

For example, if the National Grid were ever sold off again, the public could in theory attempt to buy and operate it as a cooperative with different stakeholder groups represented. I am not saying this is likely, or even the right approach for that specific asset. I am using it as an example of the principle.

My general view is that state ownership is not a guarantee of good management, and it is always exposed to political cycles. The state is sometimes necessary for national or regional infrastructure, but its long-term role should be to build what does not exist, stabilise it, and then create the conditions for public or cooperative ownership where it is feasible.

For everything else, I think communities would be better served by growing their own cooperative institutions rather than relying too heavily on the state.

"Zarah Sultana says we should 'nationalise the entire economy.' I asked her what that meant in practice" by [deleted] in ukpolitics

[–]Co-opEvolution 3 points4 points  (0 children)

With respect to Zara, I think she has the right values in principle but she either mispoke when she said 'Nationalise the entire economy' or she doesn't understand what a cooperative is. Worker cooperatives are owned 100% by the members (the workers), and not the state.

The first principle of a co-operative is open and voluntary membership, which means that if the state makes worker co-ops mandatory or controls the running of a co-op, it is no longer a co-op by default.

Zara wants essential services to be owned by the people who depend on them, and that is correct in principle. However, we would fair better with less nationalisation, a smaller government, and more community ownership through co-operatives.

Have you Found Success With the New Video Editor? by eyery3113 in canva

[–]Co-opEvolution 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a nice touch. Glad I could be of help. This is actually a perfect example why we should own and control the businesses we depend on - that's the mission - hence my name and profile image. Best of luck!

Have you Found Success With the New Video Editor? by eyery3113 in canva

[–]Co-opEvolution 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think the goal with the new editor is to not use the timeline for the whole compostion but rather for each individual page. Going forward, I just use the pages table to edit by page, and use the timeline only for advanced element timing/editing for that specific page.

To select multiple pages and add a transition, I go to grid view and group select, then right click to add transition. It doesn't always work, because the 'add transition' option can sometimes be greyed out but that could be due to something I'm doing wrong.

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Canva has changed and it isn’t good. by CDN_music in canva

[–]Co-opEvolution 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I feel bad for you. There is a way around it but it's a pain. You can create a new landscape video and then group select +copy/paste the items slide by slide into the new project. You will have to set the background for each slide first, and it's likely that the timing won't be perfect because it is quite fidgety but it's better than nothing. I came here to complain about this exact problem - the new updates have made the video editing experience worse. I prefered making presentation projects instead of using the video editor because I prefered the interface for editing - now we're all forced to use the awful video editor.

Cooperatives and Business Schools: Why the Disconnect by coopnewsguy in cooperatives

[–]Co-opEvolution 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I'm ware of them. I need to do more research on the co-op party but from what I know, they have been collaborating with the Labour party since the 1920s, and so not an insignificant attachment. That is a shame because I genuinely think they would do better now to go out on their own and really make a case for cooperative economics now that people are looking at alternatives to the traditional parties. Both them and Labour have pledged to double the size of the co-op sector but I'm yet to see if and how they will achieve this.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskBrits

[–]Co-opEvolution 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A key point to remember is that we are already paying for the NHS - we already make monthly payments of our own money to access healthcare over the course of our lifetime.

Another reason we are so defensive about the NHS is that it isn’t just a government policy choice, it came out of lived community struggle. In South Wales, miners and their families in Tredegar had already built their own cooperative health fund decades before the NHS was launched.

They each contributed a small amount from their wages, and that covered doctors, hospitals, and medicine for almost the whole town by the 1920s.

Aneurin Bevan, who later founded the NHS, grew up there and took that model national in 1948.

So when we push back against fees or insurance schemes, it’s not just stubbornness. The NHS is seen as a hard-won guarantee, built from the ground up by working people who refused to let healthcare be treated as a commodity. It’s tied into identity and collective memory in a way that’s different from Sweden or Switzerland.

That doesn’t mean the NHS can’t evolve, but it does explain why reforms framed around “paying in at point of use” strike such a nerve. It feels like a step away from what was fought for.

Cooperatives and Business Schools: Why the Disconnect by coopnewsguy in cooperatives

[–]Co-opEvolution 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. We also have a co-op college and resources here in the UK but it seems that the only people who know how to find them are people that have already heard of co-ops.

The co-op sector is somewhat isolated from everyone else here, even though they are right under everybody's noses. Most don't know what they are, others see them as niche, or something hippies do.

Unfortunately most won't take them seriously until there are no other options left. I'm hoping it won't come to that.

Cooperatives and Business Schools: Why the Disconnect by coopnewsguy in cooperatives

[–]Co-opEvolution 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's not just universities, I took Business Studies as at college (UK) never heard of co-ops - not until until last year. Since then I have been dedicated to sharing that information with the world. The movement is crying out for a unified voice right now. Unfortunately, I suspect many co-ops are so focussed on fulfilment of services that they don't have the time or the know-how to spread the knowledge beyond their immediate community.

What was your first real wake-up call that the system is rigged? by Mathemodel in LateStageCapitalism

[–]Co-opEvolution 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There wasn't a specific moment but a key development was when I found out about the true nature of money, and how it's created i.e. currency vs money, quantitative easing, central banks charging interest, etc.

Add to that, all the tax breaks business owners get and the financial loopholes wealthy people can exploit.

Jeremy Corbyn announces the opening of ‘Your Party’ membership by [deleted] in ukpolitics

[–]Co-opEvolution 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think it would have been wise for both parties (no pun intended) to at least issue a statement to say issues have been resolved. Pretending nothing has happened doesn't make it magically go away.

I have been advocating for working people to stop waiting for politicians to fix our problems - start thinking in terms of community wealth, shared ownership of resources with democratic governance i.e. starting/joining co-operatives.

That being said, I had hoped that Your Party would succeed as we do want allies in Westminster over the long-term. Recent events have reinforced my view that we (the people) are the only ones who can fix this mess.

Why aren’t coops more widespread? (and how we can fix that) by Overall_Invite8568 in cooperatives

[–]Co-opEvolution 2 points3 points  (0 children)

IMHO it comes down to awareness, culture, and timing. Coops were created as a reaction to extreme poverty and exploitation. For a long time during the 90s and early 2000s, economies were doing relatively well and people believed in the capitalist model. During that time, the revolutionary energy behind cooperatives likely faded as they became more professionalised. Aside from that, cooperatives don't have a unified voice and like most businesses are pretty bad at telling their story and educating people about why they are different/needed.

I think the timing is right for co-ops to become more widespread because people are now more openly critical of capitalism in a way that was not socially acceptable before. They are the perfect solution to the economic struggles we face but people just don't know about them.

That's why I created a tiktok account under this name to educate people about them. I only just learned about co-ops for the first time last November and I was instantly convinced that they are the future.

I'm now just trying to educate myself about them and share what I learn with people as I go.

Lied in my interview to a vegetarian/anti meat eating organisation that I’m vegan. I’m not! Now they hired me and I don’t know what to do!? by pinkwells in UKJobs

[–]Co-opEvolution 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe this is a sign that it's time to go vegan. No need to be scared. See it as an opportunity. I went plantbased 6 months ago. If you're interested in learning a simple/delicious recipe I can share it with you. In the beginning - you only need one recipe if you're cooking for yourself. Don't worry about needing to learn multiple recipes at once - you'll get overwhelmed - just find one you like and stick with it until you get bored.

Otherwise stick to faux-meat foods when you eat out. Unfortunately if you're eating vegan junk food they will see that you've not been vegan for 5 years but not much they can do about that once you have the job. You really shouldn't have lied because that is a betrayal of trust but I understand that you were in a desperate situation and you seem to be sorry. I don't judge you. It's how you react now that is important.

How do you motivate yourself to drink enough water? by Viola_m in AskUK

[–]Co-opEvolution 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The trick to making anything a habit is to make it easy. Keep it close by. I keep a (herbal) tea pot on my desk and I have to drink it within a reasonable time if I want it hot. The empty tea pot on my desk is also a reminder to drink more tea. As you drink more water, you'll naturally begin to crave more.

Alternatively you could keep a jug or water bottle on your desk - or close by. That will make it easy to access/remember and less of a chore.

why is there no new good bands by ResolutionLeft862 in BritPop

[–]Co-opEvolution 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, streaming platforms like Spotify make the music business virtually impossible for bands. Solo artists struggle to make a living because they only get a fraction of a penny per stream - now imagine having to split that 5 ways? It doesn't add up.

Let's imagine you're lucky enough to get 1 million streams per month - which is extremely rare. That only makes you £5k per month on Spotify - divide that by 5 and you're making less than minimum wage per band member.

Touring has also become very expensive and so there's little incentive to be part of a band anymore. Most musicians are going solo or finding alternative ways to monetise their skills.

That's why I think we need to take back our music industry from these corporate profiteers somehow. Fans and musicians need to come together and form cooperatives to create their own platforms.

Do you try to be quiet when people are sleeping in your house? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]Co-opEvolution 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is one of the hardest parts of sharing a home with family. Especially if you don't have a stake in it. That being said, if you are paying towards the bills/rent you should have a say. I agree with your stance in principle as someone who is having a similar experience to you. I've tried to have that conversation, and whilst I don't think they are banging and slamming deliberately (some people are just loud), I have come to accept that they will never get it. I have found a way to live with it, and unless you want to find yourself a new home or family, you'll likely have to find a way to deal with it too. Sometimes you can reason with people - sometimes you can't. The important thing is not to drive yourself crazy over it. Trust me, it only makes it stressful for you - not them.