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
IN MARCH 2016 the Home Office introduced a new policy characterising rough sleeping as an “abuse” (later qualified as “misuse”) of EU citizens’ right to the freedom of movement.
The policy essentially means that rough sleepers can be detained by the Home Office and “removed” from Britain for no other reason than that they are homeless.
Over the last eight months, North East London Migrant Action (Nelma), a campaigning and solidarity group, has been fighting rough sleeper removals.
As extremist movements grow on the streets and at the ballot box, the emergence of the Together Alliance points to a vital strategy: unity across trade unions, campaigners and communities, says TONY CONWAY
A society that grows accustomed to ‘undesirable’ people also grows accustomed to undesirable deaths. Minneapolis serves as a wake-up call, including for our own refugee policies, writes MARC VANDEPITTE
The visa system traps workers with abusive employers, creating a vulnerable workforce scared to complain for fear of deportation — that is why we’re campaigning for a ‘common sponsorship’ model instead, writes FAVOUR DAVIDKING


