Towards co-operative councils: empowering the ghosts of New Labour to outsource public services

Another dangerous, vacuous and neo-Tory diatribe has been issued by the cooperative council network. Of course the real title is ‘Towards co-operative councils: empowering people to change their lives’ but the message is identical to the Tory’s Big Society and the economic liberals in the Coalition – instead of fighting cuts let’s pretend we can put a sticking plaster over the gaping economic wound if only ‘local people’ in ‘local communities’ get involved in delivering services:
http://www.councils.coop/2013/01/16/co-operative-councils-set-out-policy-agenda/

There is a very simple message for UNISON activists in the councils which are members of the co-operative councils network – if you drop leaflets for these plonkers at the next local election you might as well stick vote Tory leaflets in at the same time. The outcome for UNISON members in terms of services that are outsourced will be identical. Wave goodbye to pay bargaining, wave goodbye to terms and conditions and wave goodbye to pensions. Cheap services equals cheap labour. That is what you will get with these happy clappy alternatives to properly funded directly provided public services. It is time to stop dining with the devil.

Anna Rose