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
Latest editorial
End this savage and callous coalition on May
Teachers and other public-sector workers have been hammered by this government – it’s time
to give it the boot, writes CHRIS KEATES
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
WITH a general election only weeks away, teachers gathering at the NASUWT annual conference in Cardiff will be reflecting on the impact of five years of the coalition government on public services, including education and the impact of its reforms on children and young people and on ordinary working families.
Teachers, like other public service workers, have endured five years of pay cuts, had their pensions plundered and their working conditions attacked.
As a result there is now a teacher recruitment and retention crisis with over three-quarters of teachers stating that they have considered quitting the profession altogether in the last year. Resignations are at an all-time high and morale at an all-time low.
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PHILIP ENGLISH says military spending will not create the jobs young people need — instead, build an economy based around needs, not profit
MATT WRACK issues a clarion call for a rejuvenation of public services for the sake of our communities and our young people
With 170,000 children living in poverty in north-east England and teachers leaving in droves over 20 per cent real-terms pay cuts since 2010, all while private companies siphon off billions, it is time to unite and fight for education, writes MATT WRACK