The welter of awful headlines that have greeted revelations about the Co-op Bank and its colourful former Chairman, Paul Flowers, in recent months seems to have left behind something of a ‘brand contamination’ problem for the Co-operative Party.
So much so that it’s General-Secretary, Karin Christiansen, has just written out to its members asking for donations to help fund a “scaling up” of the party’s media work because “too many journalists are getting their facts wrong”.
The aim is to raise £10,000 through small donations to help with efforts to target journalists and commentators and improve understanding of how the party “fit[s] into the wider movement.”
Christiansen adds: “Recent media coverage has misrepresented the Party, and confused our relationship with the Labour Party and the Co-operative Group. It’s incredibly frustrating, and leaves too much of our good work unnoticed.”
Tags: brand, Co-op party, crowd-funding, Karin Christiansen, Paul Flowers
I think the Co-Op is the author of its own downfall and the resultant headlines. Trying to differentiate one small part of the group is pointless. Also, its not just about the Crystal Methodist there have been other bad headline days in regards to bank chairman resigning saying it was ungovernable.
It needs major surgery and realignment, but one report and its recommendations has already been kicked in to touch. Its seems a triumph for socialist principles over stark reality.
Its a great shame that the Co-operative Party is being tarred with the same brush as the Co-operative Group and its Co-operative Bank. The Co-operative Party has done nothing wrong, it is a small Party whose aim is to promote the co-operative movement as a whole. It is a small Party that also gets a great deal of flack from being in the shadow of the Labour Party as well. Somehow it has to square the circle and maybe stand on its own feet and not be too reliant on Group Funding but look to being a membership supported organisation, relying on donations from largely members themselves. Its a tough time for the Party, but I’m hopeful it will pull through. We desparately need a voice that speaks for the people that are enterprising and believing working togeter is better than competing against each other.
The Coop Party has little to do with the Coop Group and the Coop Bank, apart from being funded by them; it is pretty much independent of them and its unfair to besmirch the name of the Coop Party by the incompetent actions of the Coop Group Board and the disgraceful behaviour of Flowers. The Coop Party represents the interests of the co-operative movement as a whole, and not the Group or Bank, and that is the message that we have ton get across to journalists and the media.
The simplest solution is a name change…
Otherwise: tough.
@ madasafish. We have. Its now called the ‘Co-operative Party’ not the ‘Coop Party’ which is associated with the old type Coop stores. And the puropose is in the name: co-operative, or co-operation, is better than competition.
I’m afraid journalist still don’t get it, thats why the campaign to persuade them we are different from the Coop and Labour.
@swatantra
Good luck with persuading people who really don’t care what name belongs to what organisation.
The world is now a competitive place, something which you need to get used to and incorporate into your outdated thinking.
Well said Swatantra , ex labour I don’t think people even care about the co-op (new or old labour tag) when a M.P stands on the banner, remember John Stonehouse was a Co-op labour member, but I t still didn’t stop my parents being in the co-op
The Co-operative Party is a complete fiction, it is simply a Front Organisation for Labour & a way of ripping off money from the poor old Co-op members. Its another Labour con trick.