Save Our Bank
A 21st-century campaign to save an institution born in the 19th century
The Save Our Bank campaign was set up in October 2013 when it became clear that the Co-operative Group would be forced to cede control of the Co-operative Bank to private investors.
The first instinct for many was to close their accounts - how would the bank keep its famous ethical policy intact once it was in the hands of the hedge funds? A few of us however thought that rather than leave, it would be better to stay, get organised and use some 21st-century crowd power to make sure the bank stayed ethical, and perhaps even return it to mutual ownership and control.
That campaign - supported by Ethical Consumer magazine - run pretty much entirely on line - now has over 10,000 supporters. Martin Rowson really summed up the ethos of the campaign in a cartoon for an article I wrote for Red Pepper magazine.
I write a regular update on the campaign for Ethical Consumer magazine:
Save Our Bank news January-February 2015
Save Our Bank news November-December 2014
Save Our Bank News September-October 2014
Save Our Bank news July-August 2014
Save Our Bank news May-Jun 2014