Co-operative News

A terminal problem for Irish building societies: Co-operative News

  Something is rotten in the state of Ireland. Specifically, something is very rotten in Irish banks. And, just for once (for good reason), I include the country’s last two building societies within the definition of ‘banks’.   When we talk of Ireland’s remaining building societies we must speak very definitely in the present, not

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Tories admit demutualisations were mistake: Co-operative News

  Building society demutualisations had been wrong, a Conservative Treasury spokesman admitted at the first ever Mutuals Forum. “We can see with hindsight what a mistake they were,” said Mark Hoban, the shadow financial secretary. “Those institutions were too small as listed entities to survive.”   However, Hoban resisted a suggestion from conference delegate Vivian

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Caring for our health and social services: Co-operative News

  Social enterprises are increasingly one of ministers’ preferred delivery mechanisms for breaking down the NHS monopoly. Care minister Phil Hope recently announced £450,000 funding to establish six social enterprise projects, designed to move services out of the state sector.   NHS West Midlands is to set-up respite care schemes for disabled young people and

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Building societies begin to show the global strains: Co-operative News

  What a difference a couple of months makes. In early October, the Building Societies Association assured the News that despite the oncoming recession there would be no more forced mergers following the rescue by Nationwide of the Cheshire and Derbyshir societies. Time has proved them wrong.   In normal times, eight weeks passes so

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