Please leave the politics and do your job!

Caleo

I too hate the insulting 'virtue signalling'.

I love the idea of endorsing ethical industries. Supporting them helps me to be virtuous when others are cooperating in the same virtues.

👏👏👏👏👏

This post has encouraged me to source more of my goods from the Co-Op. I'm all for ethics in business. Not enough of it around.
I've had to change banks for the same reason. Shame on you, Barclays.

Sago

So now the CO-OP has decided to boycott Israeli goods in their stores.
Why can’t retailers, musicians, actors etc just leave the politics to the politicians?
Benedict Cumberbatch was at one time giving anti government speeches after his curtain call,
Gary Linekar should have stuck to being a football pundit and the CO-OP should just sell food.
AIBU.

The Co-Op (The Cooperative Group) exemplifies a practical application of co-operative principles, in retail. It grew out of the broader co-operative movement which advocates, for these principles, across society. The Group's roots can be traced back to the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, established in 1844. The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers was based on the Rochdale Principles – which notably introduced the idea of distributing a share of profits according to purchases through a scheme which became known as the dividend or "Divi".

The co-operative movement is a broader social and economic movement that promotes cooperative principles worldwide. It encompasses a wide range of "co-ops" - vretail, agricultural, housing, banking, and more—that are owned and operated by their members. The movement emphasises values like self-help, democracy, equality, and community development.

The Co-operative Party was formed in 1917. Since an electoral pact was established in 1927, the party has stood joint candidates with the Labour Party. The Co-operative Party acts as the political representative of the movement, working to influence policy and legislation to support co-operatives and their communities in the UK.

I can see no reason why we would not expect a political movement driven company to express political opinions.

My partner does all the food shopping. It will make life easier for him as he's been boycotting Israeli goods for quite a while.

Maremia

Boycotting is one of the few powers that ordinary people have. Do you dislike boycotting on principle, or is it because of the country in focus?

It's not up to the Co-Op to decide for me.

I can decide whether to buy or not, it is their job to supply food.

Claremont

Good on them I remember boycotting SA goods during Apartheid. Why not.

Do you think supermarket should have continued to buy ad sell German goods during WW2.

Good on Gary. A good Leicester lad, bravo. I used to buy fruit and veg from him on the market. Always so polite and friendly. (irrelevant, I know).

We are not at war with Israel as far as I am aware.

Food from Germany during WW2? There was little food from anywhere during WW2.
DH's Aunt used to send him food parcels from Australia, as many people in Australia did, although many ended up at the bottom of the ocean.

Oreo

What Israeli goods apart from occasional oranges are there on the shelves, out of interest ? If anyone knows, otherwise google is my friend.
I never have time to check country of origin but I may do now in major supermarkets in order to buy Israeli goods.

We import many goods from Israel, not just some food, eg fruit and nuts, which is low on the list of imports.

So - those of you who are dependent on drugs manufactured by Israeli pharmaceutical companies - are you going to stop taking them as a protest?

Claremont
I thought you kept reminding us that many Israeli people do not support Netanyahu?
This will barely register on his radar but might well affect ordinary Israeli people who are also suffering.

I suppose if anyone on here or any member of their family has multiple sclerosis , Huntingdon's Disease, severe migraines or many other life-changing conditions, you will stand by your principles and refuse these drugs?

fancythat

Google says "73% of members backed a motion to boycott.."

How come so many of us here did not hear anything at all?

No-one asked me.
Perhaps I forgot to tell them I'd moved years ago.

Casdon

The countries on the list:
Afghanistan
Belarus
Central African Republic
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Haiti
Iran
Israel
Libya
Mali
Myanmar
Russia
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Yemen

The regime might be unpleasant but boycotting goods, grown or manufactured, just adds to the misery and starvation of the people living in these countries.

There must be a better way.

How can choosing not to support genocide be " virtue signalling"

That’s not how consumer choice works though Allira, is it? Every time we shop ourselves we make choices, some choose cheap, some ethical, some British, some what their mother had, etc. etc. However, we have no control over which country manufactures drugs, your doctor wouldn’t know either because the same drug is usually manufactured in several countries, so there is actually no choice, if you need a drug it’s Hobson’s Choice.

Ah, so principles fly out of the window then?

🤔

Allira

Casdon

The countries on the list:
Afghanistan
Belarus
Central African Republic
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Haiti
Iran
Israel
Libya
Mali
Myanmar
Russia
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Yemen

The regime might be unpleasant but boycotting goods, grown or manufactured, just adds to the misery and starvation of the people living in these countries.

There must be a better way.

What other influence do we have, as an individual, a country or a democratic body? Affecting the economy of the countries whose regimes we cannot support because they are harming their own people is a blunt tool, but other than invading them there are few other choices.

Allira

Ah, so principles fly out of the window then?

🤔

I expect if your life expectancy would be affected otherwise, your principles would assume less importance relatively speaking. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have principles, in my book anyway.

Allira

Oreo

What Israeli goods apart from occasional oranges are there on the shelves, out of interest ? If anyone knows, otherwise google is my friend.
I never have time to check country of origin but I may do now in major supermarkets in order to buy Israeli goods.

We import many goods from Israel, not just some food, eg fruit and nuts, which is low on the list of imports.

So - those of you who are dependent on drugs manufactured by Israeli pharmaceutical companies - are you going to stop taking them as a protest?

Claremont
I thought you kept reminding us that many Israeli people do not support Netanyahu?
This will barely register on his radar but might well affect ordinary Israeli people who are also suffering.

When slavery was banned, slaves did suffer very much.

Ad when we boycotted SA products during Apartheid- I do not know of a single black or coloured (how they were called by this dreadful regime) who was not grateful for the support, even if they were affected by the boycott. The effects of the boycott were very small compared to the effects of this sick regime.

fancythat

fancythat

Google says "73% of members backed a motion to boycott.."

How come so many of us here did not hear anything at all?

Relatively speaking that is.

Something doesnt sound right to me.

I expect you tossed the notice of the AGM, together with the details of motions to be voted on, into the bin without looking at it when it came through the post.

Lots of people do...

lafergar

How can choosing not to support genocide be " virtue signalling"

When whoever is supporting it does not know what it is but is supporting it just to be like everyone .

Do not tell me that everyone knows what genocide is and what is happening in Gaza. Were you to do a vox pop, you might be horrified to discover just how ignorant some people are.

Indeed. I am registered for digital notifications and received this:

cloud.publisher-tools.com/16829/28069/28314/130873/index.html?98175

Motion 13 is on page 15.

The UK as a whole imports very little from Israel, less than £2 billion dollars worth of goods and services based the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

tradingeconomics.com/israel/exports/united-kingdom

To put that into context, less than it cost to pay universal winter fuel payment.

The far largest import from Israel is pearls, precious stones, metals, coins but even that’s less than $300 million. Export of (for example) edible fruits, nuts, peel of citrus fruit and melons is only $50 million, a market much reduced since 2020:

tradingeconomics.com/israel/exports/united-kingdom/edible-fruits-nuts-peel-citrus-fruit-melons

Other foodstuffs are imported but this is the largest sector.

Pharmaceutical imports amount to only $28 million. The UK exports 20 times that amount in phamaceutical products to Israel around £600 million a year

The Co-op is only the sixth largest food retailer in the UK with a turnover of only £11 billion so its share in that import market would be small compared to say Tesco which has a turnover of £70 billion and Sainsbury’s £37 billion.

The decision will have little effect on Israel’s exports or the Co-op’s trading numbers.

What it does is show that the Co-op listens to its members and has acted accordingly. I applaud them for it.

Allira

Maremia

Boycotting is one of the few powers that ordinary people have. Do you dislike boycotting on principle, or is it because of the country in focus?

It's not up to the Co-Op to decide for me.

I can decide whether to buy or not, it is their job to supply food.

Me too

Little time for moral grandstanding.

M0nica

lafergar

How can choosing not to support genocide be " virtue signalling"

When whoever is supporting it does not know what it is but is supporting it just to be like everyone .

Do not tell me that everyone knows what genocide is and what is happening in Gaza. Were you to do a vox pop, you might be horrified to discover just how ignorant some people are.

I can't be bothered.

Casdon

Allira

Ah, so principles fly out of the window then?

🤔

I expect if your life expectancy would be affected otherwise, your principles would assume less importance relatively speaking. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have principles, in my book anyway.

This thread is about the Coop, not pharmacies. Groceries are generally not life-savers, and there is a choice. And as shown above, Members were asked about his.

Can someone tell me if my grand-father should have continued to see Army Uniforms to the German Army in the late 30s and early 40s- or was he right to stop, despite losing a large part of his business, and having to lay some of his workers off? On principle- because he felt that what was happening to Jews was a genocide which he could not support. Or was that 'virtue signalling' on his part?

Sago

So now the CO-OP has decided to boycott Israeli goods in their stores.
Why can’t retailers, musicians, actors etc just leave the politics to the politicians?
Benedict Cumberbatch was at one time giving anti government speeches after his curtain call,
Gary Linekar should have stuck to being a football pundit and the CO-OP should just sell food.
AIBU.

You could always boycott the Co-op ?

I prefer to buy from businesses which have some ethical stance I support, whether it's human rights, green policies, better farming standards.

I don't buy from businesses whose factories employ child labour in terrible conditions.

‘Virtue signalling’; ‘moral grandstanding’ = lazy criticism of others’ actions because I can’t come up with a cogent argument for why I disagree with those actions.

I'm with you argymargy and NotSpaghetti. I try to avoid Nestlé and have since it was discovered that they were targeting poor African countries with baby milk.

It gradually seemed to work as they no longer do that, at least not for newborn babies.

As for the Co-op, good on them at least they are doing something.