Robert Owen
The final item of business today is a members’ business debate on motion S3M-6086, in the name of Bill Butler, on bank on Owen. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament welcomes the launch of the Bank on Owen campaign, which aims to have Robert Owen of New Lanark commemorated on Scottish bank notes to mark the International Year of Cooperatives in 2012; recognises the contribution that Robert Owen made to Scottish society through his pioneering work at New Lanark where he championed co-operative principles and values; notes that the co-operative sector in Scotland is worth over £3 billion to the economy and that the co-operative business model has proven extremely resilient and reliable during the recent global economic upheaval, and would welcome widespread support for this proposal.
17:12
I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests.
I thank the 65 members from across the chamber who signed my motion—a veritable parliamentary majority. In addition, I welcome the support of West Lothian Council, the City of Edinburgh Council and all those people from across Britain and the world who have supported the campaign by signing the e-petition or joining the Facebook group. Finally, I thank the Co-operative Group for its help in co-ordinating the campaign.
The bank on Owen campaign aims to draw attention to Robert Owen’s achievements by petitioning banks to commemorate him on a Scottish banknote, to mark the United Nations year of co-operatives in 2012. Robert Owen is widely acknowledged as an imaginative entrepreneur and radical social reformer. He is best known for his time as co-owner and manager of the cotton mills at New Lanark, where he initiated a series of pioneering reforms. He is also viewed by many as a founding father of the co-operative movement. It is my hope that, as a result of the campaign, Owen and his world view of a co-operative commonwealth will become familiar to many others.
In his early years as a factory manager in Manchester, Owen observed that a workforce that was justly treated was not only happier but more productive. That realisation, along with his commitment to education as the primary force in shaping human character, formed the basis of the work that he undertook at New Lanark. As well as possessing considerable business acumen, Owen was an individual of great personal integrity. Fiercely committed to progressive change, he never sought to evade his social obligations. In the areas of health and education, Owen was an advocate of radical reform that would address directly the issue of social inequality.
During his time at New Lanark, he went out of his way to improve the lives of the workforce, implementing a range of reforms—including free education, health and child care—that greatly improved their quality of life. In its time, New Lanark was a symbol of progress and a practical example that showed that the world could be organised differently and democratically. Today, New Lanark is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization world heritage site of great historical, social and educational importance. I warmly welcome the Scottish Government’s recent decision to subsidise school trips to New Lanark for Scotland’s pupils. I would particularly welcome a commitment from the minister tonight that the Scottish Government will throw its considerable weight behind the campaign when it approaches the banks for their support.
Owen rightly disputed the idea that the rich provide for the poor and working classes, arguing that, in fact, the poor and working classes create all the wealth that the rich possess. The idea that the wealth and health of a society can be calculated according to the profits that are amassed at its summit is, unfortunately, still prevalent today. Until recently, banks and corporations were praised for their so-called wealth creation—a philosophy of economic liberalism based on the mistaken belief that money that is accrued at the top of society percolates to the bottom, thus benefiting all. That is the so-called trickle-down theory. The experience of the past 30 years has shown that to be a fallacy. Actually, there has been a dramatic increase in levels of inequality. Taxes that are collected from the City represent a relatively small proportion of its overall profits, which, rather than being reinvested in society, have been subsumed by grossly excessive corporate bonuses, executive salaries and dividend handouts to those who do not need or deserve them.
The near economic collapse of the past 30 months has led to much talk of the need to restructure society. I believe that part of the solution is to be found in the co-operative model, which is a safe and stable alternative to unregulated free-market capitalism. For almost two centuries, co-operatives have operated according to principles set out by Owen—openness, democracy, membership, participation and the fair distribution of profits. Co-operative businesses operate within sustainable parameters. They are dedicated to the rights of their members and employees and the development of local communities. What all co-operatives have in common, be they retail, housing, financial or consumer, is a sense of responsibility towards their members and employees. Co-operative banks and credit unions do not put their members’ savings at risk and co-operative businesses do not recklessly endanger their workers’ jobs. Put simply, co-operatives follow Owen’s example and put people before profits.
The sector has coped remarkably well during the recession. Co-operatives make an annual contribution of £3 billion to the Scottish economy, but that contribution could be greatly increased. At present, retail co-operatives make up only 9 per cent of the Scottish economy compared with between 21 and 50 per cent in other developed European countries. Members will be glad to hear that there is also room for expansion in many other areas, such as digital and new media, forestry and renewable energy. Implementing the co-operative model in those sectors would help to shore up the economy and reduce our present overreliance on the financial sector.
Given the crisis in the unregulated free market and the fact that public money has been used to rescue financial institutions, I believe that Scotland’s banks owe a considerable debt to the public. With big chunks of Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland now being owned by all of us—by taxpayers—it is not unreasonable for us to ask that they acknowledge their debt to society by commemorating Owen on a banknote. Indeed, as The Herald observed in a recent editorial,
“ensuring bankers have a reminder of more communitarian, humanitarian ideals close by them at all times would only be a good thing.”
That is a perceptive comment and one with which I whole-heartedly agree. Such an initiative would send out a welcome signal from the banking sector that it has renounced once and for all casino banking and reckless lending, and is set to return to its original purpose of providing ordinary citizens with safe and secure saving and credit facilities.
In conclusion, Owen personified the very best of these islands. He was born a Welshman, came of age in England and made his name in Scotland. Every age throws up progressive and imaginative reformers who have a compelling vision of how society could and should be. They make their mark in their own time and speak to us down through the ages. Owen is certainly one of those individuals. He is a person of international renown whose philosophy has contemporary relevance. Banking on Owen is a safe bet.
17:20
I congratulate Bill Butler on securing the debate. It is a tribute to Robert Owen’s legacy that so many members from the parties that are represented in the Parliament support the motion. I have not checked to see how many members have joined the bank on Owen Facebook group, but I assure the campaign organisers that I plan to be one of them.
Scotland’s historic right to print its own banknotes has always been a source of pride. It serves to remind us of the distinctive banking tradition in Scotland and the principles on which many banks were founded. Perhaps we have lost sight of some of those principles in recent years—members discussed that in more detail yesterday. Prudence and balance gave way to the impulse to make a quick buck, and serving wider society gave way to the quest for never-ending growth. Perhaps it is even more appropriate in the context of the financial crisis that we should find a way to commemorate the life and work of Robert Owen and the role that the co-operatives can and do play in society. Featuring Robert Owen on a Scottish banknote can serve those purposes, and I hope that one or more of Scotland’s banks can be persuaded to take up the challenge. Of course, as taxpayers, we already hold an 84 per cent share in the Royal Bank of Scotland and a 40 per cent share in Lloyds Banking Group, so there should be ways to persuade those banks other than through petitions and parliamentary debates. The United Kingdom Government has been reluctant to get involved in their day-to-day running, but perhaps it could make an exception in this case at least.
To mark the year of homecoming last year, the Clydesdale Bank launched a series of banknotes, which included a £20 note that featured an image of New Lanark on its reverse side. Our four other world heritage sites featured on the remaining denominations. Those notes are still in circulation and have attracted a lot of interest from residents in and visitors to Scotland.
New Lanark is in the South of Scotland region, which I represent. It contributes much to the economy and culture of the area. Even without world heritage status, it would be a wonderful tourist attraction in its own right. The UNESCO designation has helped to raise its profile; it has also raised its ability to attract support and to develop to preserve, protect and enhance its unique historical features for future generations.
I was delighted that, a few weeks ago, the Minister for Culture and External Affairs was able to visit New Lanark and see Robert Owen’s legacy at first hand. As Bill Butler mentioned, the Scottish Government’s decision to include the site in the educational travel scheme will allow hundreds, if not thousands, of children to visit the site each year. Giving young people the chance at an early age to learn about the co-operative movement and to see for themselves what co-operative principles meant to earlier generations should inspire them to learn more and help to take forward such principles and practices into the future.
Robert Owen was the founding father of the co-operative movement and New Lanark was its trail-blazer, but the legacy continues today, and that has proven to be as rich a heritage as the physical walls and buildings of the village of New Lanark.
We are asking the banks to do something, but perhaps we should also ask the Government to do something. Perhaps we should ask it to produce a programme to encourage the development of the co-operative movement.
I am sure that Jim Mather will, in summing up, comment on how the Government will respond.
The campaign to feature Robert Owen on a banknote is not just a campaign for its own sake, of course, but a recognition that 2012 is the UN year of co-operatives. In adopting resolution 64/136, which established the year of co-operatives, the General Assembly of the UN noted that co-operatives impact on poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration. Worldwide, the co-operative sector has around 800 million members in more than 100 countries, and it has been estimated that it accounts for more than 100 million jobs. Given those vast figures, each of us can see the impact that co-operatives continue to play in our own communities.
In the South of Scotland, that ranges from the familiar high street stores and banking services to the more ambitious initiatives, such as the development of Owenstown. Like New Lanark 200 years before it, the proposal for the new village in South Lanarkshire is that it will be developed on co-operative principles. It will be a model of a sustainable eco-aware settlement for others to learn from and to imitate. Many members will have seen the recent exhibition in the Parliament that promoted Owenstown, and I wish the Owenstown co-operative society well.
Let us hope that there is speedy progress for the bank on Owen campaign so that it can be another lasting tribute to Robert Owen and a real legacy of the 2012 year of co-operatives.
17:25
I, too, point out my entry in the register of interests.
I congratulate Bill Butler on securing the debate. I apologise because I do not do Facebook; all the same, I am pleased to speak in support of the campaign, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the contribution that Robert Owen made to improving the conditions of the working class. In particular, as a Lanarkshire MSP, I pay tribute to the pioneering work that Owen undertook at New Lanark, which is in the constituency of my colleague Karen Gillon.
As Bill Butler said, Owen recognised that a more content workforce was a more productive workforce. He demonstrated that it was possible to make a profit while at the same time raising the standard of living of his employees. Many of Owen’s ideas and reforms went against the grain in early 19th century Scotland. Indeed, many of his fellow investors were unconvinced of the merits of raising educational and living standards for the workers at New Lanark. It is unfortunate that, two centuries later, business leaders still appear to oppose reforms. For example, the Confederation of British Industry and others argued that the Labour Party’s introduction of the minimum wage would have a disproportionate impact on profits.
Owen disliked the factory system, which he believed encouraged social irresponsibility, destructive competition and heartless individualism. For those reasons, he decided to try to revolutionise that system. Given the social irresponsibility, destructive competition and heartless individualism that led to the collapse of our modern banking system, it is a bit ironic that we are calling for Robert Owen to be recognised on a banknote. However, the bank on Owen campaign is about raising awareness of Owen’s legacy and, as Bill Butler pointed out, perhaps getting something back out of the banking system.
Owen believed that co-operation and harmonious planning would be far superior and far more productive—in relation to the interests of society—than the divisive and competitive nature of capitalism. I agree with those sentiments. At New Lanark, Robert Owen successfully improved the working and living conditions of all his workers, especially his young apprentices. The conditions in the mills at New Lanark, although pretty awful by modern standards, were a rare exception in their day, and a massive improvement on the conditions in other mills. Owen believed in equality for women and universal suffrage at a time when women’s rights were non-existent. He courted controversy by denouncing marriage, as it was then, as a form of slavery for women. He said:
“Women will be no longer made the slaves of, or dependent upon men ... They will be equal in education, rights, privileges and personal liberty.”
Owen was certainly not afraid of being controversial. He regarded New Lanark as an expression of the ways in which the evils of poverty, social disadvantage and ignorance could be surmounted through good education, steady employment and decent housing and health care. In his New Lanark schools, he pioneered new methods of teaching involving the use of pictures, maps and charts. Although he believed that education was essential to a child’s development, he recognised that a well-educated workforce was a more productive workforce. He also believed that education should be enjoyable. He stated:
“To train and educate the rising generation will at all times be the first object of society, to which every other will be subordinate”.
Owen recognised that despite the severe economic depression in Britain following the Napoleonic wars, safer working conditions were essential in every workplace. Unhappy with the regulations that were introduced in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act 1819, he lobbied Parliament to ensure that better conditions were extended to all workers. In today’s volatile financial climate, in remembering Robert Owen we can also be reminded that the conditions that were fought for and won over many years must be protected. This is a good time to remind ourselves that health and safety in the workplace must remain the right of every single employee. We must protect workers’ entitlement to withdraw their labour and remove anti-trade union legislation that undermines working class rights and conditions.
Including Robert Owen on an everyday object such as a banknote will remind us of past struggles and help to focus attention on modern working conditions and the continuing need to tackle the social evils of poverty, inequality and repression. One of the criteria by which New Lanark achieved world heritage status was the international cultural influence of Owen’s campaign for a better and fairer society. I encourage people to visit New Lanark. I again congratulate Bill Butler on securing the debate and wish the co-op movement and the campaign every success.
17:30
Bill Butler gave a passionate and interesting speech. He made a compelling case for the recognition of Robert Owen in the way that is suggested by the campaign, which I am happy to endorse.
New Lanark is indeed a very impressive place. For the first time, I think, in my time in this Parliament, I am able to say that I agree with Elaine Smith. I do not know whether that will discomfort her as much as it surprised me. It is possible for businesses to make a good profit and to raise the standards by which they treat their employees. In fact, if we can take a broader lesson out of the theme that Bill Butler and others developed in their speeches about employee engagement and looking after the interests of employees, it is perhaps that it is sensible—for business owners, as well as for those who work in businesses—for everyone to work in the same direction and for employees to be treated fairly.
A good example of where that makes sound business sense—perhaps I come at this from a slightly different angle from Bill Butler—is that if we consider the number of people who have lost their jobs in the recession that we have just come through, although the job losses are very regrettable, they have been much fewer in number than many people feared. In many businesses, employers have taken a very different approach from that which they took in previous recessions. For example, they have engaged with employees—those who are in trade unions and those who are not—and have come to collective solutions. For example, in some cases they have offered paid sabbaticals, while in others they have offered part-time rather than full-time work for a short period to sustain the business.
A striking aspect of the way in which that has developed in recent years is the extent to which it is clear that people in some businesses, who understood that their future was at risk, could see that, although the bottom line is important, the business owners are also looking out for the employees. That creates a degree of loyalty in employees, which has significant value both to them in respect of what they can contribute, and to the business. Whether or not we come to the issue from an economically liberal perspective—I am happy to say that I am an economic liberal, in the same way as I am sure that Bill Butler would be happy to say that he is not—it makes business sense.
It is valid to point out, as Bill Butler and others have done, that there is significant scope to increase the scale of the co-operative movement in Scotland. A Labour wit told me that I should not read into that any suggestion that they would support mutualising Scottish Water. I do not mean it in that sense, but surely there is something that we can learn from successful co-operative models, whether we are talking about the big players such as the John Lewis’s of this world or smaller co-operatives. There are many co-operatives in rural areas and in the agricultural sector in the region that I cover—and which Aileen Campbell covers—that operate successfully and align the interests of the people who work in them and the business owners. Even if we do adopt a pure co-operative style, there are other ways in which businesses can ensure that they take employees with them. A sensible employer will do that.
Margo MacDonald rose—
I sense that Margo MacDonald is about to put me right on something.
I simply want to suggest that the financial plight of some of our football clubs might be alleviated by an element of co-operativeness being introduced in the way that they are run.
I suspect that Margo MacDonald knows an awful lot more about football than I do. She made a very valid point in her earlier intervention when she suggested that the Government has a role in driving forward the co-operative movement. I hope that we will hear some ideas from the minister on how that might be done. There is no reason, within an economically liberal society, why the co-operative movement cannot be on a greater scale. I wish the campaign well.
17:34
I refer members to my entry in the register of interests, as I am a Labour and Co-operative member of the Scottish Parliament.
I, too, congratulate Bill Butler on securing the debate and on reminding us not only of the importance of Robert Owen but of the huge social and economic importance of the co-operative sector to our economy. Members, including Elaine Smith, have rightly paid rich tribute to someone who pioneered radical social reform and sought to improve, empower and enrich the lives of the New Lanark workforce.
Of course, my area in Ayrshire has a rich and proud tradition of co-operatives. Indeed, it lays claim to being the birthplace of co-operatives through the Fenwick weavers. In 2008, the Parliament debated and celebrated the fact that the Fenwick Weavers Society, which was founded in 1761, is acknowledged as the world’s first formally incorporated co-operative society—I took great delight in making reference to that in another place in a maiden speech last night.
The birth of co-operatives was of great importance to Ayrshire and Scotland. It was an era when Robert Burns lived in my adopted home village of Mauchline and Robert Owen’s father-in-law, David Dale, was born in nearby Stewarton. David Dale is associated, of course, with New Lanark but also with Catrine—which I said politely and not in the Ayrshire way, albeit that Margo MacDonald would probably recognise it if I had.
Nowadays, co-operation includes developments such as the credit union movement, worker co-operatives and—for Margo MacDonald’s benefit, although I am sure that she knows this—even football supporter trusts. We have Co-operative Development Scotland, which, like many of my Labour and Co-operative Party colleagues, I campaigned for over many years.
Bill Butler’s motion makes reference to the United Nations year of co-operatives in 2012. I am obviously excited about that year-long celebration and the potential that it has for my local area and Scotland. In New Lanark and Fenwick, Scotland lays claim to two of the most significant co-operative sites in the world. I hope that the Government seeks to maximise their significance during 2012. The year should provide us with the opportunity to celebrate Scotland’s special and unique co-operative heritage and to serve as the catalyst for us to encourage the next generation of Robert Owens and Fenwick weavers.
Like Bill Butler, I welcome the Government decision to subsidise school trips to New Lanark. It is important that we continue to promote and develop co-operative values among our young people; I learned those values by way of my days in a co-operative youth organisation, the Woodcraft Folk.
The radical values of Robert Owen and the Fenwick weavers remain just as relevant today in the 21st century as they were back in their day. I am thinking in particular of the banking sector. Without wishing to introduce a note of controversy to the debate, I say gently to Derek Brownlee that, if the Conservatives are now fully supportive of the mutual and co-operative model—as they seem to suggest that they are—there is no logic in not also supporting it as a model for the financial services sector. I hope that we will continue to hear warm words from all sides of the chamber on the matter.
Placing Robert Owen on a banknote would acknowledge the co-operative movement and his contribution to it in an imaginative and important way. As other members have said, it would also send out a very public message of recognition of the importance of co-operatives in the present day. By recognising Robert Owen in that way, we would not only pay tribute to a remarkable man but acknowledge the thousands of co-operators right across Scotland.
Earlier in my speech, I alluded to the coming into being of the Fenwick weavers in the era of Robert Burns. I will conclude my contribution to this evening’s debate with a quotation from another local icon—local to Ayrshire and Lanarkshire—James Keir Hardy. A newspaper account of his speech at an event in 1908 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert Owen recounts him saying:
“When Robert Burns died, Robert Owen was 26. It was surprising how much in common these two great men had - the one sung of human life and human brotherhood; the other lived human life and human brotherhood.”
It goes on to say that
“It was something for many of them there to be proud of - that they belonged to the same stock as these two outstanding members of their race.”
Given that Robert Burns now adorns our currency, it would be fitting—would it not?—for Robert Owen to do likewise.
17:39
I join with other members in congratulating Bill Butler on securing the debate.
It is a privilege to participate in such a debate. For 11 years now, I have had the honour of representing the fabulous New Lanark. Over that time, I have seen it gain world heritage status. As other members said, New Lanark is now rightly on a banknote of the bank that bears the name of my constituency. That is fitting and appropriate.
People across Clydesdale are rightly proud of the legacy that Robert Owen’s work created. New Lanark is a major draw for locals and tourists alike. It also serves as a model of what can be achieved—of what the co-operative movement has done and can continue to do. New Lanark is a gem that we do not yet fully exploit, and I am keen to work with ministers to ensure that that is done. The year of the co-operative in 2012, and the cultural Olympiad the same year, provide ways to do that.
Further progress can be made if New Lanark has a world heritage co-ordinator in place. A meeting is taking place on that issue at New Lanark today, and I hope that the minister will take the matter up with his colleague Fiona Hyslop, so that she can follow it up with Historic Scotland and the co-ordinator can be in post as a matter of urgency and we can fully exploit the opportunities that will exist in 2012.
Why is Robert Owen so important? When he first considered coming to New Lanark, he remarked:
“My intention was not merely to be a manager of cotton mills, but to change the conditions of the people who were surrounded by circumstances having an injurious influence upon the character of the entire population ... The community was a very wretched society and vice and immorality prevailed to a monstrous extent.”
In 1799, Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mills. Shortly afterwards, when he moved back to New Lanark, he resolved to modernise the mill and improve the working and social conditions of his workers. At that time, the mills employed between 1,500 and 2,000 people, including 500 children, who had been removed from parish workhouses and were employed as apprentices. The mill owners were responsible for feeding, clothing, housing and educating their apprentices, but few of them carried out their responsibilities adequately. As a result, the children were small and pale, their growth stunted by bad conditions. Most of them were illiterate. Safety standards were virtually non-existent, and many children were maimed or killed by accidents at work.
Owen was appalled by the conditions and strove to change things for the better. Only a few men such as Robert Owen realised that the problems were a direct result of poverty and bad conditions. He did not find it easy to convince his colleagues but, in time, he did, and he went on to reform New Lanark in ways that many of us cannot imagine.
Robert Owen said:
“What ideas individuals may attach to the term ‘Millennium’ I know not; but I know that society may be formed so as to exist without crime, without poverty, with health greatly improved, with little, if any misery, and with intelligence and happiness increased a hundredfold: and no obstacle whatsoever intervenes at this moment except ignorance to prevent such a state of society from becoming universal”.
I am more than happy to participate in and support the campaign for Robert Owen to be recognised on a Scottish banknote. That would not only be a fitting tribute to his work and to the progress that has been made; it would serve as a reminder of those words of Owen—a reminder to all of us that there is still much more to do in improving the conditions of workers; in raising wages and securing a living wage for all; in improving the education of all children, regardless of class, wealth or background; and in improving health care for all, regardless of people’s ability to pay.
Robert Owen’s words go before him—they were ahead of his time. Let us ensure that he is remembered in the correct way: by being placed on a Scottish banknote.
17:43
I welcome the opportunity to take part in the debate in support of the bank on Owen campaign. Like other members, I congratulate Bill Butler on securing the debate and on the fact that he got more than 60 MSPs to support his motion. Any MSP who is able to unite Derek Brownlee at one end of the chamber and Elaine Smith at the other must be a skilful political operator.
It is absolutely appropriate for us to support the campaign to put Robert Owen’s face on a banknote. He has made a significant contribution to Scottish life and society. There is no doubt that the model that Robert Owen set up at New Lanark was very much a trailblazing and groundbreaking one back in the 18th century. Among other things, he wanted to abolish child labour, set up a free health care system and provide affordable food.
Some of the ideas that were first mooted at New Lanark are still very much alive and debated in the Parliament. Education is central to many of our debates, as are care for the elderly, responsible citizenship, social inclusion and early intervention. Politicians in the 21st century are still grappling with the ideas that Owen put forward in the 18th century about how we can provide effective solutions for the people of Scotland.
Karen Gillon was right to highlight the relevance of the New Lanark site and spoke knowledgeably—as she always does—about the constituency that she represents. I pay tribute to Jim Arnold and Lorna Davidson, from New Lanark, who do so much to promote Robert Owen’s work and to educate schoolchildren. During the festival of politics last year, I took part in an event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of devolution, at which we looked at the history and future of the co-operative movement. Lorna Davidson’s contribution to the event attracted a great deal of interest and discussion. She talked not only about what Robert Owen had done in New Lanark but about how his ideas remain relevant.
The co-op movement is still very much making a contribution in Scotland. As Bill Butler said, co-operatives contribute £3 billion to the Scottish economy annually. As Margo MacDonald said, there is an opportunity for the Scottish Government to promote co-operatives, which contribute to economic growth as well as a sense of community and wellbeing. In recent economic times, when things have been squeezed, credit unions have made an important contribution. Housing co-ops, too, have made a contribution. West Whitlawburn Housing Co-operative, in my constituency, is one of the foremost housing co-ops in Scotland.
I am delighted to speak in the debate and to support the campaign. The ideals that Owen set out in the 18th century are still relevant. It is not sentimentality that drives us to campaign to put Robert Owen’s face on banknotes; we want to provide a platform for ideas that are still relevant in the 21st century.
17:48
I congratulate Bill Butler on securing the debate. I have appreciated and enjoyed the speeches from members of all parties. There is agreement on Robert Owen’s contribution.
There is also agreement on Scotland’s distinguished history in the co-operative movement. Scotland has always played an important part in the movement at international level. Along with partners in the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland helped to set up the International Co-operative Alliance, which is based in Geneva. The movement is a major part of the world economy and, as James Kelly said, its relevance is real in the context of not just organisations on the ground but ideas, ideals and values.
We have a job of work to do to build on the fantastic legacy of Robert Owen, which lives on in the likes of the Co-op and John Lewis—Tullis Russell & Company is moving down that path, too. I do not know whether members have read the book “The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better”. The authors advocate much more moving down the path of employee ownership and pinpoint the fact that societies that have large levels of inequality have many negative aspects. There is a case to be made for going back and leaning heavily on Robert Owen’s ideas.
We are addressing Margo MacDonald’s proposition with Co-operative Development Scotland, which assists—and will continue to assist—new and growing co-operatives as well as existing businesses that wish to change to a co-operative employee ownership model.
This morning, when I got up and had my breakfast, what struck me—
When, after the debate, the bank on Owen campaign writes directly to the Scottish banking institutions, will it have the Government’s unqualifed and reserved support?
I am happy not only to give that support but to build the logic behind that right now.
I do not know whether other members read an ungenerous article by Michael Fry in this morning’s press, entitled “History has been unduly kind to the founder of New Lanark”, but I have to say that I found Mr Fry unduly unkind. It is harsh to judge any 18th or 19th century figure by 21st century standards. Robert Owen was a man of his time who broke the mould and discovered that treating people well and caring for them not only was the right thing to do but produced superior results.
In essence, what we have heard tonight reinforces Robert Owen’s rightness in that respect as well as our journey in the 20th century, which started with Henry Ford taking the same approach to mass production. Things have evolved much more along the lines that Robert Owen put down than was initially the case. For example, when W Edwards Deming, a guy I often talk about who changed the model of business, was once asked by top businessmen in Belfast what his big proposition was all about, he said that his role was to bring joy back to the workplace and give people a sense of pride in their work. Within 25 minutes, he had convinced them all. Deming also wanted to change the system. In his belief that production was 97 per cent the system’s responsibility and 3 per cent the responsibility of people, he argued that we should not pick on people but fix and improve the system.
I wonder whether the minister could bring joy to us all by saying that the next business in the Parliament will focus on building the co-operative movement.
I would welcome that, but that is not within my gift. We would have to consult business managers about that.
Robert Owen’s ideas are coming through in the mindset at work now. For example, in Glasgow, there is the Strathclyde institute of operations management, which leans heavily on the work of H Thomas Johnson and Anders Bröms and their proposition that we must focus on the customer and turn them from being loyal and dependent to being an advocate, as well as rewarding employees for their loyalty and ingenuity by implementing their ingenious ideas. Moreover, Rosabeth Moss Kanter from Harvard University has recently argued that companies that have a genuine social attitude and corporate social responsibility in their DNA and bone marrow—in other words, those that live it rather than have it as window dressing—are getting superior results.
During the passage of the Arbitration (Scotland) Bill, we dealt with the top mediator Ken Cloke, who has got the Robert Owen thing in his DNA. He talks about building in our businesses and communities what he has called a ladder of unity, which has six rungs. On the first rung, people are united in opposition, which is not too productive; on the second rung, they are united in a worthy cause; on the third rung, there is a fair and open process; on the fourth rung, there is a relationship in which we begin to like each other and work together in common cause and in the same direction; on the fifth rung, the relationship hangs together in hard times because of experience; and on the final rung, we genuinely begin to care about each other. Robert Owen understood that, we understand it in our families, and we see it in successful businesses.
Given the recent announcement that the year of homecoming will be repeated in 2014, will the minister consider the opportunity of celebrating with the rest of the world the United Nations international year of co-operatives in 2012?
I will certainly look at that again. As a small country, we need to leverage all the significant assets that we have got and Robert Owen’s contribution is monumental. The issue with the banks is certainly important.
One of the examples that Rosabeth Moss Kanter has given recently is that of the Banco Real in São Paolo, which has come out with a new model that will handle the major companies at one end down to the cigarette seller on the street corner at the other. It will be like having the Grameen Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland under the one roof.
Having Robert Owen’s image on our banknotes could help our banks to align with customers, taxpayers and employees. As Cathy Jamieson said, it would send out a very important public message. It would be interesting to see Robert Owen having a secondary impact, from the grave, on Scotland and the world, just as he did the first time round.
Meeting closed at 17:55.