Author Archive

The truth behind the Thomas Cook and Co-op ‘merger’

A very large spanner has been put into the works of the proposed merger of the travel businesses of the Co-operative Group, Midlands Co-operative and Thomas Cook. The Office of Fair Trading wants to consider the merger proposal and has asked the European Commission permission to do so. It might then refer the proposal to [...]

End of year message, 2010

Farewell to 2010. It has been an odd sort of year, with a mix of good and bad news for the mutual and co-operative sector. The good news includes a continuing strong performance from the Co-operative Group, particularly from CFS, and early benefits from integration with Britannia and Somerfield. Co-operatives UK’s new chief executive, Ed [...]

Ireland’s lessons for mutuals everywhere

The collapse of the Irish economy is pretty impressive – if the word ‘impressive’ can be understood to indicate magnitude and without any positive connotations whatsoever. From bust to boom and then back to bust again. Time will tell whether several southern European economies, plus perhaps some in central and Eastern Europe, will join Ireland [...]

Government turns to co-ops to deliver

The UK’s Coalition Government came in with a ‘big idea’ of the ‘Big Society’ – and also a massive problem of a massive financial deficit. The idea and the problem since the election coalesced into a important initiative – to turn public services into co-operatives.

Yet there is widespread confusion about the so-called ‘Right to [...]

Northern Ireland’s Corporation Tax challenge: Business Month

The argument over whether the Republic of Ireland should have raised its corporation tax rate as a condition for receiving European Union bail-out support shows just how important the tax rate is. France and Germany sought to push the rate up, regarding Ireland as competing unfairly for foreign direct investment.
Ireland, of course, won that tussle [...]

Gone missing - Northern Ireland’s capital budget: Business Month

Back in 2008, it all looked so promising. With a fanfare and all round delight, the 10 year Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland was published. It may not have promised the world, but it did apparently commit to enough infrastructure renewal to accelerate our economic growth and improve public services.

In all, £19.3bn was to [...]

Will Northern Ireland have its Big Society?: Business Month

Public sector administration and public service delivery are being reshaped – in Great Britain. But as the UK Government adopts radical policies to create a ‘Big Society’ in which charities are increasingly being contracted to deliver public services, is there any chance that a similar revolution will happen in Northern Ireland?

A UK government green [...]

Telecoms - NI’s surprising USP: Belfast Telegraph

Infrastructure is usually a barrier for Northern Ireland’s businesses that creates a competitive disadvantage. But with telecoms, Northern Ireland is actually moving ahead of the rest of the UK and most of Europe. Two major projects are giving Northern Ireland its strong position: the roll-out by BT of super-fast broadband; and Hibernian Atlantic’s Project Kelvin [...]

Mutualising water: Business Month

Northern Ireland Water has had a difficult time since it converted to a Government-owned company – GoCo – in 2007. It has been mired in a series of controversies: problems have included serious billing errors, bitter recriminations over its loss of two permanent and one interim chief executives and last December’s debacle over pipe bursts.
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Project Merlin shows little magic in Northern Ireland: Business Month

The main UK banks have reached agreement with the Treasury to increase lending to small and growing businesses – providing an extra 15% in loans, while also supporting the UK’s regional growth agenda. Very good news it might seem.

But just what is this likely to mean in practice for Northern Ireland? The fear is [...]