Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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Student debt is an economy-wide issue, not just a problem for students
A look at the US shows mounting student debt is a ticking time bomb, writes NICK MATTHEWS
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
THE introduction of student loans in Britain was meant to introduce a more vibrant, dynamic market for higher education.
The idea was that we would copy the United States and create a new higher education market with new entrant institutions financed by a larger number of students studying to improve their career prospects.
As the Treasury has been colonised by bankers, what was not to like about the fact that this would be financed by larger and larger student loans?
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It’s the dramatic rise of China with its burgeoning economy that has put the Trump administration into a frenzy – with major implications both at home and abroad, argues MICHAEL BURKE