11th January 2012

In one of the Cumbrian villages where I plied my trade as a country parson, the Co-op, originally a Miners Co-op in an intensely industrial part of East Cumbria which over the years had shed its industrial past like a moth its chrysalis and was now designated an area of outstanding natural beauty,  ran into difficulty.

It faced closure or amalgamation with another co-op.

The Chairman decided that if closure was to be avoided we needed to find a suitable partner and so a beauty parade was called and a meeting arranged for the co-operators who were members of the local co-op.

There were two branches located in adjacent villages and the meeting convened in the village hall was well attended as people wanted to be able to continue to shop locally.

The evening started with the three invited societies each making a presentation setting out the benefits of joining their larger society.

The representative of Co-op A started the proceedings with a history lesson. From the Rochdale Pioneers to the present day the history of the Co-op was spelt out in some detail. Looking around the hall it was possible to see first the boredom set in and then people struggling to keep their eyes open.

Young mums who had been up all night with teething babies, their hard working husbands who worked overtime to keep the family, farmers who had been up all night with lambing, all struggled with tiredness as the history lesson continued.

Eventually the Chairman interrupted like the Chairman in a social club might bring a poor act to an untimely end and the speaker hurriedly thanked everyone and sat down to await the verdict.

The representative of Co-op B I barely remember, other than throughout the whole proceedings, as he talked he rattled the change in his pocket, perhaps he thought the tinkling of coins might serve to keep his audience awake?

Then it was the turn of Co-op C. The speaker stood up and held up a loaf of bread, if you join us, he announced a loaf of bread will cost, and he quoted a price lower than the current price on the shelf. He then raised a bottle of Milk, again quoting a competitive price.

Then he thanked the meeting and the Chairman and sat down.

The outcome was inevitable.

I learnt a lot about the art of preaching that day.

I just hope that Mr Milliband has a similar lesson to draw on as he challenges the con-dem Governments appalling record on the economy as they continue to stifle growth and drive up both debts and prices.