Please leave the politics and do your job!

I agree with the stance the Co op has made. Try to buy uk
Produce, very few items from abroad.

most Israeli people are very peaceful

Wondering how you know this please?

MayBee70

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.

It’s a shame, as most Israeli people are very peaceful, they probably don’t want war.

Yes I agree I was speaking broadly about large organisations and 'causes'. I do avoid the co op to be fair, but their customers obviously are entitled to do what they like!

Galaxy

I agree with Monica it is always the 'fashionable' politics which large organisations embrace, for example it is extraordinarily easy for example to have pride flags everywhere now, it is not a unpopular cause, that kind of support would have been useful many years ago, it takes no bravery now. So no I don't see any of those actions as meaningful at all.

I think that’s an unfair criticism in this case Galaxy. There are 17 countries included, many of them not ‘fashionable’ at all and the motion was put forward by and voted for by members, it’s not new territory for the Co Op. it doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with it, it was voted for democratically - and if anybody doesn’t like it, they can just shop elsewhere?

I agree with Monica it is always the 'fashionable' politics which large organisations embrace, for example it is extraordinarily easy for example to have pride flags everywhere now, it is not a unpopular cause, that kind of support would have been useful many years ago, it takes no bravery now. So no I don't see any of those actions as meaningful at all.

I do seem to remember that we received paper voting ballots years in the post but I cannot remember when that changed.

Like most organisations now, the main method for accessing member details is digital. You can access via their app or online. We were informed of the changes by post, from memory I think about four or five years ago.

Online through emails but I could have gone in person to vote at the Co-op indoor arena in Manchester.
In 2024, I could have watched the vote online from home but not sure if they did that this year.

MG55

I too am a member of the Co-op. I was fully kept up to date with this and I voted accordingly at the AGM (online) in May.

You received post?

Democracy in action.

Good for them.

I too am a member of the Co-op. I was fully kept up to date with this and I voted accordingly at the AGM (online) in May.

Having had a look at the link Silverbrooks posted, I am wondering if perhaps the co-op is no longer posting out their bumpf?

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.

Why shouldn't the members decide. You can go elsewhere if you don't agree.

This is such a pettyfogging argument.

MaizieD

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...

No.
Havent had post for ages from them.

I will need to look up the link that was posted by someone earlier, to see how I missed the vote.
Not that I necessarily would have voted.
Being informed would have been nice though. Necessary/important I would have thought.

Claremont Hugo Boss supplied the Nazis with uniforms, Mercedes and BMW supplied vehicles and tanks, doesn’t seem to have damaged their public profile or bank accounts.

Silverbrooks

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.

Hear, hear 👏👏👏

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.

‘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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.