A PEACEFUL AND CO-OPERATIVE YEAR
The Directors of the Robert Owen Society and those of our partner Society, Robert Owen Domiciliary Services join together to wish all our members, fellow co-operators, friends and community partners a peaceful and co-operative year. A year when our people will show the way forward and work with others to help ease suffering, strife and conflict in this uncertain world.
Co-operators world wide have spoken for a long time about the Third Way. A path that seeks to break the current binary world where issues seem to have only two courses or solutions: war or peace; capitalism or socialism; nationalisation or private enterprise; regionalisation or centralisation; faith or non faith; social housing or houses for sale; individualism or collectivilism; statutory or third sector; and so the list goes on.
The Third Way was brought to prominence by the Director of the London School of Economics, Professor Anthony Giddens. In essence this stated that the old class based divisions of left and right are now redundant. Giddens argued that reformist governments could no longer rely on traditional statist programmes in the face of powerful global financial forces. Instead political, parties could generate significant consensual support by campaigning from the centre, while remaining committed to radical measures. Sadly after initial interest from Tony Blair; Bill Clinton; the then German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder; the Dutch Prime Minister, Wim Kok; and the Italian Prime Minister, Massimo D’Alema, the impetus was lost.
We in the Robert Owen Group of co-operatives believe that 2025 is the year we must pick up the Third Way ball and head for the try line. In the year of co-operatives what better way than to use co-operation to develop our understanding of the Third Way. Our spiritual leader Robert Owen would line up with us on this we have no doubt. Let us just leave a few Owenite thoughts for you all to reflect upon:
Based on the fundamental principle that character formation can be governed, non-sectarian, non-partisan attempts must be made to improve society.
The lessons of history show man his duty to society – the promotion of common happiness, which self-evidently lies within his power, must be the inevitable goal.
Increased happiness can be effected by guiding human characteristics away from the path of evil: once every member of society has accepted the truth of the principles, then their adoption will be welcomed.
We cannot end 2024 without paying tribute to the sterling international work of our two Robert Owen Society vice chairs, Will Jackson in the Ukraine and Amelia Washbourne on behalf of Palestine.
Chris Morgan – Secretary to both our co-operative societies.
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