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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‘Public transport is in my soul’
MARYAM ESLAMDOUST tells the Star why she wants to be TSSA's new general secretary, what she would bring to the role, and how she'd work with the Labour Party
TSSA general secretary hopeful Maryam Eslamdoust
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
I’M AN anti-imperialist and socialist, so those values will guide me in protecting the needs of hard-pressed transport and travel workers’ jobs, pay and terms and conditions.
My focus will always be on the immediate industrial needs of TSSA but we can’t be parochial — there are plenty of socialist countries that we can learn from and partner with to build an international movement that mobilises behind common values such as dignity, prosperity and security of all people and tackles issues of inequality, climate and social injustice as well.
Public transport is in my soul. My brother was born blind, and the support of TSSA station and train staff has been key to his freedom all his life, so from an early age I have been campaigning alongside him on access, staffing, investment and other transport issues.
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