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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Keep calm and spoil your ballot
CHARLEY ALLAN thinks that both sides of the Euro-referendum should be shown the red card
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
IF sport is simply war without the shooting, then the Euro 2016 tournament should be a shining example of continental solidarity — peace if not prosperity — which is probably why David Cameron chose to hold his EU referendum slap bang in the middle of it.
Unfortunately for him, patriotism is often indistinguishable from nationalism, as the recent rash of St George’s flags reminds us.
And that can easily slide into nativism, especially under the influence of the football fraternity’s dark side.
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