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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For all the talk of bright futures — or apocalyptic dystopias — which dominates the independence debate, the Scottish political scene is rather fond of revisiting the fights of its past.
Just this week, flamboyant SNP MP Tommy Sheppard, the founder of the Stand comedy clubs and a London Labour councillor in the 1980s, was put on the spot.
In a debate on “strengthening the union” at Westminster, the Edinburgh MP was reminded by Labour’s Ian Murray of how the SNP had voted to “bring about 18 years of Conservative government that decimated Scotland.”
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VINCE MILLS cautions over the perils and pitfalls of ‘a new left party’
While Reform poses as a workers’ party, a credible left alternative rooted in working-class communities would expose their sham — and Corbyn’s stature will be crucial to its appeal, argues CHELLEY RYAN
