A community enterprise that deserves our support

Published: 10 March, 2011

• WELL done with  your stirring editorial call (The People’s Supermarket, March 3), for Camden’s Labour council to do the right thing by not treating the People’s Supermarket as though it were yet another soulless branch of a supermarket chain.  

It is a lively co-operative community enterprise aiming to supply affordable, healthy, local food that deserves council support.

We’re entirely opposed to David Cameron’s notion of the Big Society, which translates as, “you’re going to have to care for Aunt Sally because no one else will”. We are in favour of genuine community-based, constructive efforts such as this co-operative to provide real alternatives to the wasteful, highly packaged goods in traditional supermarkets, and to the provision of only minimal staff paid on low wages that are found in them.

The early labour movement hugely valued co-operatives, and received great support from them. Surely the Labour Party has not also lost this pillar of its philosophy?

NATALIE BENNETT
Chair, Camden Green Party