Want banks to put people before profit?

The Feeling’s Mutual.

 Local activists are today calling on the government to put state-owned banks back into the hands of customers to protect the people of Dumfriesshire Clydesdale and Tweeddale and give them a real say in how their money is handled. The whole consitituency has seen the devastating effects of Tory demutualisation, which brought respectable former building societies such as Northern Rock to their knees.

On Friday 31^st July, Claudia Beamish, Westminster Labour and Co-operative candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale joined by Sanquhar resident Joseph Russo, Secretary of the South of Scotland Co-op Party branch, launched the Upper Nithdale part of the campaign.

They presented local people in Sanquhar with specially designed cheques that call for a re-think of bank ownership. They will also be going to Kirkconnel  on the weekend of 22^nd August.

Claudia then went on to launch the Tweeddale campaign in Peebles on 8th August and the Annandale East and Eskdale campaign on 9th August - all along with local activists.

The Co-operative Party, which is leading the campaign, has demanded that lessons are learnt from the banking crisis and that future solutions look to put people before profit.

The Party argues that institutions which are run by their customers, like building societies, exist to serve their members and their community. The results of the campaign nation wide will be collated by the Co-operative Party and sent to the Chancellor, Alistair Darling MP.

Claudia Beamish said: “It is time for banks to put people before profit in Sanquhar and Kirconnel and ask that the government takes account of what  people are saying about bank ownership.

The success of mutually owned organisations demonstrates that responsible banking is best achieved in a democratic and accountable way”.

 Supporters of the campaign can sign up at www.thefeelingsmutual.org.uk or on Facebook.

Contact Claudia Beamish on 01555 870227

Claudia@derribeam.freeserve.co.uk