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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Cuba’s case against blockade is made
OLLIE HOPKINS puts into context the UN general assembly vote of 191 to none for lifting of the US’s malicious and vindictive sanctions
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
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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
For the 25th consecutive year, the United Nations general assembly voted on Wednesday in favour of ending the ongoing US blockade of Cuba and for the first time not a single country voted against the resolution to end the US policy of economic, financial and commercial blockade. The result of the vote was 191 in favour, none against and two abstentions from the Untied States and Israel.
While the result of the vote is not legally binding, the spectacle of representatives from country after country and bloc after bloc standing on the podium and praising the achievements of the Cuban revolution and denouncing the US policy of blockade was a powerful display of international solidarity with Cuba and a humiliation for the US.
The US abstention — a break from the usual “No” vote in all the previous votes — was another move by the Obama administration to symbolise its intention to slowly normalise relations with Cuba.
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ADRIAN WEIR charts the intercontinental trade union solidarity with Cuba and its desperate predicament
CLAUDIA WEBBE says the US is tightening the noose to destroy Cuban socialism — the need for immediate, international solidarity is urgent
ISAAC SANEY points to the global stakes involved in defending the Cuban revolution against imperialism and calls for resistance
Where normally only the US and its ally Israel vote to strangle Cuba economically, there have been special efforts to slander and isolate the besieged socialist island nation year — so we must redouble our solidarity, writes TARIQ ANDERSON