The Cooperative Bank Rocks

The Cooperative Bank rock. Apparently in 2005/2006 they turned away £10 million of profit because it compromised their ethical code. It’s hard to imagine a bank with any kind of principles but it’s refreshing to feel that the Coop is trying. Without change in the banking world there is too some extent little hope for serious change globally. Banks invest in the arms trade and other noxious things that need to be stopped.
The fundamental principle a bank works on is trust. We trust them to look after out money (if we have any) but we also trust them not to do evil with that money. This second trust is not something we think about much. I doubt when people put their money into Barclays Bank that they think about their involvement in apartheid in South Africa nor their involvement in the Mugabe regime. Every high street bank invests in things you may not like – maybe animal testing, nuclear power, GM food, companies that show no concern for the environment or their employees and the list goes on. If anyone is dreaming of a better world they need to think about changing their bank account. At the moment I think the Cooperative Bank is the only ‘ethical’ high street bank but there are other alternatives online.

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