SPCK – timeo Texani et dona ferentes
This is the Worcester former SPCK bookshop. The photo was taken yesterday morning, some nine months after the licence to trade under the SPCK name was removed.
However, as the title of this post (nicked from Virgil, and the bit normally paraphrased as “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” – I’ve no idea what the Latin for Texans is) might suggest, this post is less about the conduct of SSG in its various guises, and more about the questions I have about what SPCK is doing.
Behind everything, and rather overlooked, is the question whether the trustees of SPCK ever really did due diligence on the handing over of their chain to SSG in the first place. Were they so anxious about the way in which (like many independent bookshops) they were losing money in a not very friendly marketplace, that they simply took the first plausible solution that presented itself? Did they bother, in fact, to inspect the gift-horse’s mouth? They have been publicly very silent on this.
As the chain fell apart, so SPCK realised that the agreement was falling apart, and withdrew their trustees, and the licence to use the name SPCK. But how seriously have they policed the misuse of their trademark? What are they doing about such glaringly obvious breaches as that in this picture. Do they not mind that another “charity” is trading in their name?
Another part of the agreement, as I understand it (I’d be grateful for correction if I’m wrong) is that if the bookshop chain was viable after a number of years (seven?) was up, then the shop properties owned outright by SPCK would be transferred to the ownership of SSG. If (and I think the situation given UK law must be dubious) SSG has filed for bankruptcy what are SPCK doing to take back control of their property?
It might be that the SPCK trustees are acting behind the scenes. Or it might be that they have washed their hands of an embarrassing mess. But in the meantime bloggers like Dave Walker who have tried to keep this in the public eye, are effectively taking the brunt of SPCK’s failure.
I am not convinced that it is enough to say in their annual report: “There are a number of significant legal issues betwen SPCK and SSGGCT that have not been resolved at the year end.” (p7). Isn’t it time the Bishop of Gloucester as chair, and Simon Kingston as General Secretary, were a bit more overt and courageous in defending, literally, the honour of the SPCK name, standing up for all those employees they left stranded, and supporting those like Dave who have upheld their cause? I wonder if Bishop Michael Perham has been by Dave’s cartoon tent for a supportive word?
July 28th, 2008 at 8:08 am
“I’ve no idea what the Latin for Texans is”
It’s usually rendered locally as ‘viri optimi’. Actually there are a lot of Latin Texans (6.4 million or so) - styled ‘tejanos’ in Spanglish - but the classical neologism for ‘Texan’ is ‘texensis’ as in the State flower, lupinus texensis. So an updated Vergil would have said ‘timeo texenses et dona ferentes’.
I’m reminded of what was said of the vertically challenged Dukakis: ‘Beware of Greeks wearing lifts.’
July 29th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Good questions, Doug! I asked what SPCK were up to when I visited their stand at CRE back in April (reported briefly here) and was assured that they hadn’t washed their hands of the situation. Have heard nothing further from them, though: Alan Mordue said he’d get Simon Kingston to update me. It does very much look as though the betrayal of SPCK’s booksellers has come from both ends…
August 12th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Hmm, “texenses”? Pedantic note: if you prefer “Texani”, I think it should be in the accusative - “Texanos”.
More importantly, I just wonder how these characters have managed to wreck what used to be a decent bookshop chain.