Please leave the politics and do your job!

Hear hear.
Everything is politics

lafergar

Nan0

I see you condone Hamas

If that is directed to me, then we really are in the playground aren't we?

( Setting timer for ususal suspects to have a go at me)

Eating crisps?

(Sorry, it was inevitable!)

Claremont

Outcast52

Mt61

I can’t stick GL so I don’t buy walkers crisps, too expensive anyway.
When he was paid millions as a football pundit, he should have stuck to that.

This is such an inane, ridiculous point of view. Are you suggesting that all public figures, broadcasters, media personalities, sports pundits...in fact anyone who appears on any screens where you and I can see them - should be banned from expressing a personal opinion on social media / TV / radio, etc, etc for the whole tenure of their employment??? Try thinking about what you're saying.

So people around the world should have happily gone on buying German goods at the time of WW2 and the Holocaust?

Germany did continue trading with its Allies and neutral countries during WW2 and looted goods from its own citizens and countries it had invaded.

Obviously enemies would not trade with each other but I wasn't aware we were at war with any other country and I fervently hope we will not be at any time in the future.

If we're boycotting shops that trade with countries whose human rights, culture and politics we disagree with, perhaps we should also boycott goods from the worst polluting countries i.e. USA, China, India and Russia who, along with Japan and the EU, produce, between them over 60% of global emissions (Google search for worst polluting countries.)

I always look at country of origin when considering fresh stuff and often reject things if there's no British supplier. For example, I never buy avocados because of the rain forest clearances as well as the food miles. However, we'd hardly eat at all if we didn't at least buy from the EU e.g. Italy, tinned tomatoes.
Here in the UK we actually produce about 60% of our own food, 30% comes from the EU and 10% from other countries. (All Google searches.)

We need to look at labels and support our farmers when buying apples, brassicas, potatoes, other root crops, meat, milk, cheese and eggs. I also look at country of origin when buying other goods e.g. from Amazon. I'll do without if it's made in China. It's likely to be cheap tat anyway, often produced by forced labour.

Nan0

I see you condone Hamas

If that is directed to me, then we really are in the playground aren't we?

( Setting timer for ususal suspects to have a go at me)

Nan0

I see you condone Hamas

Nope, I don't like them either. Or the Iranian regime, or the Russian regime. My enemies enemy is not my friend. Simple thinking there Nan0.

We're boycotting US and Israeli goods. Our money and our choice.

I see you condone Hamas

letmein

I agree 100% sargo, people should stop trying to all be holier than thou and preachy.

Yes very preachy about genocide. Silly people.

Go and eat some crisps instead.

Outcast52

Mt61

I can’t stick GL so I don’t buy walkers crisps, too expensive anyway.
When he was paid millions as a football pundit, he should have stuck to that.

This is such an inane, ridiculous point of view. Are you suggesting that all public figures, broadcasters, media personalities, sports pundits...in fact anyone who appears on any screens where you and I can see them - should be banned from expressing a personal opinion on social media / TV / radio, etc, etc for the whole tenure of their employment??? Try thinking about what you're saying.

So people around the world should have happily gone on buying German goods at the time of WW2 and the Holocaust?

Totally agree with you! And when they make their vitriolic comments they are so pompous and smug! As if they know anything other than biased media reporting!

I agree 100% sargo, people should stop trying to all be holier than thou and preachy.

Personally think we could do with a lot more virtue in the world

Indeed!

the difference being we are not at war with Israel

Cossy

Completely disagree, those who have a voice, a choice, should use it for the good of others.

Btw, I absolutely loathe the expression “virtual signalling” a nonsense expression used far too much. IMO, it’s pretty obvious when large companies make it clear where their ethics and morals lie.

Is it virtual signalling when retailers state “products not tested on animals”?

Completely agree. If people want to tell the world that they are doing / have done something virtuous, why should it matter? The importat thing is the virtuous act itself. Personally think we could do with a lot more virtue in the world, signalled or not.

Mt61

I can’t stick GL so I don’t buy walkers crisps, too expensive anyway.
When he was paid millions as a football pundit, he should have stuck to that.

This is such an inane, ridiculous point of view. Are you suggesting that all public figures, broadcasters, media personalities, sports pundits...in fact anyone who appears on any screens where you and I can see them - should be banned from expressing a personal opinion on social media / TV / radio, etc, etc for the whole tenure of their employment??? Try thinking about what you're saying.

Casdon

Surely the alternative is to support corrupt regimes by default though Allira?
It would be very interesting to have an in depth look at other supermarkets. At least the Co Op has always been upfront about its operating principles, whereas I suspect a similar deep dive into the way other supermarkets operate would not make pretty reading.

Yes, that's why it's a conundrum.

Surely the alternative is to support corrupt regimes by default though Allira?
It would be very interesting to have an in depth look at other supermarkets. At least the Co Op has always been upfront about its operating principles, whereas I suspect a similar deep dive into the way other supermarkets operate would not make pretty reading.

Oreo

The way I see it, the Co-op and any other business, food related or not can boycott goods from any country they choose and us, the shoppers can equally boycott those stores if we choose.
Since there isn’t much on supermarket shelves from Israel it doesn’t matter to me.

Yes, they can, of course, my concern is that some of the countries on the Co-op's blacklist have populations which are extremely poor, farming is high on the list of occupations and the people will suffer even more.

It's all very well having high ethical standards if you can tolerate the thought of others suffering because of that.

Oreo

The way I see it, the Co-op and any other business, food related or not can boycott goods from any country they choose and us, the shoppers can equally boycott those stores if we choose.
Since there isn’t much on supermarket shelves from Israel it doesn’t matter to me.

I haven't seen any fruit or nuts from Israel for a long time anywhere.

Not that I've been in a Co-op for years either, there is one about half an hour away with a Lidl next door to it.

Mt61

I never shop at the co-op, way too expensive now. Ours went years ago, but do see them in other towns.

They are more expensive than most supermarkets it’s true, but handy if round the corner for a few items you run out of.

The way I see it, the Co-op and any other business, food related or not can boycott goods from any country they choose and us, the shoppers can equally boycott those stores if we choose.
Since there isn’t much on supermarket shelves from Israel it doesn’t matter to me.

I never shop at the co-op, way too expensive now. Ours went years ago, but do see them in other towns.

PoliticsNerd

From the Co-op website:

Become a member
We’re owned by our members.

Join us for £1 and you’ll get:

personalised offers, including your £1 back off your first food shop instore
exclusive Member Prices
early access to ticket sales at Co-op Live
^a chance to have a say in how we're run and support your community^

I can't remember my Co-op number and my membership must have lapsed but I can remember my mother's number which I had to recite often when I ran errands.

Claremont

Allira

Claremont

So when my grandfather refused to continue to make German uniforms in the late 30s, despite them being one of his biggest client and boycott would severely affect his business at the worst possible time (after the big commercial Crisis of the 30s) because of what was happening to Jews- he was 'virtue signalling'.

Ah well.

No, he wasn't, he was acting in accordance with his principles.

Refusing to export uniforms to the Government of a hideous regime is understandable and he deserves our admiration.

A supermarket refusing to import food from farmers in a country where they object to the regime is the converse of that.

Exporting military uniforms to a Government intent upon invading other countries and eradicating a whole race of people is different from importing food from farmers who may in fact disagree with their own Government's actions.
You said yourself that Israeli friends disagree with Netanyahu's actions.

But that's just my opinion and I don't know what the answer is.

Thank you for your opinion Allira, and yes, I can see the difference.

As said above, I can only base my comments on the boycotts of South AFrican products during Apartheid. Some of the farm owners did not support Appartheid, but they were very few. And of course their workers, no longer slaves, but honesty not far better, did lose out. But most would agree now that it was worthwhile and did help lead to change.

As said before, no-one suffered from from the banishment of slavery, than the slaves. Owners were heavily compensated- slaves got 'freedom' - freedom to have no work, no housing, no nothing at all, for a long time, and then lose everything they had worked for since, at the time of Apartheid. NONE would wish to be back to slavery all the same.

I do remember that and we did ourselves boycott S African produce. That was started by a politician who was leader of the anti-apartheid movement, I think.

I'm not sure about the Co-op's stance or if it will make any difference. As usual, it will be ordinary people who will suffer, farmers and farm workers in this case if the movement took off.
Food is being used as a weapon by Israel anyway.
We can, as individuals, make up our own minds what to do.

It's a very difficult conundrum.